Just like Jacob Montes, Moïse Bombito could be another case of a player who started in university football playing in the Brasileirão. The 24-year-old Canadian is expected to sign with Eagle Football and defend Botafogo before heading to Europe.
Bombito had a late start to his professional career, as he chose to use college football as a bridge to Major League Soccer. He only arrived in MLS through Superdraftwhich gives teams the chance to sign prominent players in college football.
Bombito is originally from Montreal, Canada. Hyperactive at home, his mother placed him in a football school. He has always loved any type of sport. But with the ball at his feet, he started to appear different from the other children.
Instead of accepting the natural path for young people in his city and playing at CF Montréal, Bombito hatched a plan to go to the United States while still at school. Playing football there, he could be seen by universities.
He joined Iowa Western Community College along with Ibrahim Conde, another boy from Montreal who dreamed of becoming a professional player. For the school, he was national champion in 2021, in the autumn championship, and was runner-up in the spring. He was voted the best player of the tournament and, of course, caught the attention of scouts of universities.
He received a scholarship to the University of New Hampshire. But he was only there for six months. He was elected the MVP and defender of the year for Wildcatstotaling 16 games and four goals in the main university league in the United States.
Bombito was chosen in the Superdraft in MLS in 2023 for the Colorado Rapids and left the classroom to play in the main North American league. It was the chance, finally, to become a professional. He went straight from university to MLS, with a brief stint on the B team.
In his first months in MLS, he suffered a rupture of the Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) in his knee. He was out for two months, but when he proved fit, he joined the team and never left.
He debuted against the Philadelphia Union on May 13. He received his first chance as a starter on the 24th, against Real Salt Lake, and suffered a little with the Rapids’ terrible collective season, which ended with the second worst campaign in the league, behind only Toronto FC.
Even so, the defender was called up to compete in the Gold Cup in September and was a starter for Canada, eliminated in the quarter-finals by the United States, on penalties.
In 2024, Bombito started 15 of the Colorado Rapids’ 16 games. He scored two goals. The defense is no longer a sieve, and Colorado occupies fourth place in the conference.
Canadian renewal in defense
Hope for renewal in the once aging Canadian defense, Bombito started the Copa América as a starter in Jesse Marsch’s team. A year after leaving college football, he was already facing Messi in a major competition.
The Botafogo target is a physical defender, with speed in transitions and aggressive in his approach to plays. With negotiations underway with John Textor’s group, with an eye on Europe, he could do an “internship” in General Severiano and become the second Canadian in history to compete in the Brasileirão.
In 2001, Anthony Santos, born in Mississauga but with Brazilian family, played five Brazilian league matches for Botafogo de Ribeirão Preto. Anthony also played 27 matches for the Canadian national team.
If he becomes the second Canadian in the history of the Brasileirão, Bombito would be a very interesting option to compete with Halter and play alongside Bastos.
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2024-06-25 13:20:27
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