Lagos Kunga
Lagos Kunga (born October 20, 1998) is an American soccer player who plays for USL Championship side Phoenix Rising FC on loan from Atlanta United.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | October 20, 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Luanda, Angola | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Playing position(s) | Winger | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team |
Phoenix Rising (on loan from Atlanta United) | ||
| Number | 70 | ||
| 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– | Atlanta United | 0 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | → Atlanta United 2 (loan) | 33 | (5) |
| 2019 | → Memphis 901 (loan) | 20 | (1) |
| 2020– | → Phoenix Rising (loan) | 3 | (1) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2017 | United States U20 | 4 | (1) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of August 8, 2020 ‡ 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 Lamar Hunt 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]
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.[8]
Statistics
- As of 22 June 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 2017-07-13.
- "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. 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 acquire forward Adam Jahn from Phoenix Rising FC, loan out Lagos Kunga". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. January 21, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2020.