Lagos Kunga
Lagos Kunga (born October 20, 1998) is an American soccer player who currently plays for Union Omaha in USL League One.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | October 20, 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Luanda, Angola | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Union Omaha | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2008–2016 | DDYSC Wolves | ||
| 2016–2017 | Atlanta United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017 | Charleston Battery | 2 | (0) |
| 2017 | → Atlanta United (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2018–2020 | Atlanta United | 0 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | → Atlanta United 2 (loan) | 33 | (5) |
| 2019 | → Memphis 901 (loan) | 20 | (1) |
| 2020 | → Phoenix Rising (loan) | 9 | (1) |
| 2021 | Kalonji Pro-Profile | 5 | (2) |
| 2021 | Kristiansund | 1 | (0) |
| 2022 | Kalonji Pro-Profile | ||
| 2022–2023 | Al Khums | 6 | (0) |
| 2023 | Des Moines Menace | 13 | (6) |
| 2023– | Union Omaha | 7 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2017 | United States U20 | 4 | (1) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 18, 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of June 28, 2017 | |||
Early life
Kunga was born in Angola before his family moved to Russia, where they lived until he was seven years old. They later moved to Clarkston, Georgia in the United States.[1]
Professional career
At the youth level, Kunga developed at DDYSC in Atlanta and played varsity soccer at The Paideia School. Kunga had initially stated a commitment to play college soccer at Furman University.[2]
Atlanta United
It was announced on June 17, 2017, that Kunga would sign with Major League Soccer side Atlanta United as a Homegrown Player at the beginning of the 2018 season.[3]
On June 28, 2017, Kunga signed with United Soccer League side Charleston Battery, the USL affiliate of Atlanta United, until the end of their 2017 season.[4] He was immediately sent on a short-term loan deal to Atlanta and made an appearance on the same day as a 65th-minute substitute in 3–2 loss to Miami FC in the U.S. Open Cup.[5]
On March 24, 2018, Kunga made his first official appearance for Atlanta United on their second team, Atlanta United 2. Kunga started the game, and was subbed off after 86 minutes.[6]
On the last day of the USL regular season, October 13, 2018, Kunga scored a brace against the Richmond Kickers in a 3–2 victory to finish off the season with 5 goals in 31 appearances.[7]
Following the 2020 season, Kunga was released by Atlanta on November 24, 2020.[8]
Memphis 901 (loan)
Kunga was loaned to Memphis 901 in the USL Championship. Kunga made 20 appearances scoring one goal.
Phoenix Rising (loan)
On January 21, 2020, Kunga was loaned to USL Championship club Phoenix Rising FC.[9]
Kalonji Pro-Profile
After being released from Phoenix Rising FC following the 2020 USL Championship season, Kunga returned to Georgia to play with United Premier Soccer League club Kalonji Pro-Profile.[10]
Kristiansund BK
On August 29, 2021, Kunga signed with Eliteserien club Kristiansund BK.[11]
Kalonji Pro-Profile
Kunga returned to Kalonji Pro-Profile in 2022. He scored in Kalonji's United Premier Soccer League National Third Place match against the Los Angeles FC Academy.[12]
Al Khums SC
In September 2022, Kunga signed Libyan Premier League side Al Khums SC.
Des Moines Menace
In May 2023, Kunga signed with USL2 side Des Moines Menace.[13] Kunga scored 6 goals with Des Moines as the club made the League Two Central Conference Final.[14]
Union Omaha
Kunga joined Union Omaha of USL League One on August 31, 2023.[15]
Statistics
- As of June 22, 2020
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Other[A] | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| United States | League | US Open Cup | Playoffs | North America | Total | |||||||
| Atlanta United | 2017 | Major League Soccer | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| Charleston Battery | United Soccer League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| Atlanta United 2 | 2018 | 31 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 5 | |||
| 2019 | USL Championship | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| Memphis 901 | 20 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 1 | ||||
| Phoenix Rising | 2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 1 | |||
| Total | United States | 56 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 7 | |
| Career statistics | 56 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 7 | ||
References
- "From Angola to Atlanta, Lagos Kunga's remarkable journey". Dirty South Soccer. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
- "Atlanta United academy players make their college commitments". Dirty South Soccer. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
- "Atlanta United FC sign three Homegrown players for 2018 season". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. June 17, 2017. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
- Cardamone, Sarah (June 28, 2017). "Charleston Battery sign Lagos Kunga". Charleston Battery - USL. Charleston Battery. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
- "Miami FC 3, Atlanta United 2 | U.S. Open Cup Round of 16". MLSsoccer.com MatchCenter. June 29, 2017. Archived from the original on October 26, 2017. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
- "Lagos Kunga | uslsoccer.com". uslsoccer.com. United Soccer League. Archived from the original on March 26, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
- "Lagos finishes off season with a brace". uslsoccer.com. United Soccer League. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
- "Atlanta United announce year-end roster moves | Atlanta United FC".
- "Atlanta United acquire forward Adam Jahn from Phoenix Rising FC, loan out Lagos Kunga". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. January 21, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
- "Lagos Kunga Kalonji Pro-Profile videos, transfer history and stats - SofaScore".
- "De siste ukene har Lagos Kunga vært på prøvespill her hos oss. I dag signerte han en kontrakt for resten av sesongen!". Kristiansundbk.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- "50' Lagos Kunga scores for #kalonjiproprofile ⚽ It's 1-1 now!". Twitter.com. @UPSLSoccer. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
- "https://twitter.com/MenaceSoccer94/status/1654620053558661120?s=20". Twitter. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
{{cite web}}: External link in|title= - "https://www.menacesoccer.com/news_article/show/1281723". MenaceSoccer.com. Des Moines Menace. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
{{cite web}}: External link in|title= - Hobbs, Morgan. "https://www.unionomaha.com/news/2023/08/31/former-u-s-youth-national-team-member-lagos-kunga-signs-with-omaha/". UnionOmaha.com. Union Omaha. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
{{cite web}}: External link in|title=
External links
- Lagos Kunga at Major League Soccer
- Lagos Kunga at Soccerway