Shaka Bangura (born February 9, 1986, in Kissy) is a

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

Career

Youth and College

Bangura moved to the United States from Sierra Leone when he was a small child, settling in

College Park, Georgia College Park is a city in Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton and Clayton County, Georgia, Clayton counties, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, adjacent to the southern boundary of the city of Atlanta. As of the 2020 United States census, ...

. He attended North Clayton High School, where he scored a total of 58 goals and was named to the All Region Team every year. He then earned a sports scholarship to attend Montreat College in North Carolina. At Montreat he consistently made All Conference first team in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC). His first year at Montreat he was named freshman of the year and was also named the conference player of the year in his sophomore and junior year and during his senior year he won the golden boot award He finished his college career having scored a total of 58 goals in four years. During his college years Bangura also played with Atlanta FC in the

National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's association football, soccer league. The league is officially affiliated to the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) and has automatic qualification for the U.S. Open Cup. ...

in 2008, and with Fredericksburg Gunners in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

in 2009.

Professional

During the 2010 pre-season Bangura joined the Puerto Rico Islanders of the USSF D2 Pro League. He made his professional debut on April 21, 2010, in a game against NSC Minnesota Stars. Bangura signed with

Richmond Kickers Richmond Kickers is an American professional soccer club based in Richmond, Virginia. The Kickers compete as a member of USL League One (USL1). The club was established in 1993, and began play that same year as a United States Interregional S ...

of the

USL Pro The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) as its premier league for men above USL League One. Operating under a f ...

league on March 15, 2011, and scored the winning goal on his Kickers debut, a 2–1 win over

Charleston Battery The Charleston Battery are an American professional association football, soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 1993, the Battery are the oldest continuously operating professional socc ...

on April 23. After the 2011 season, Bangura signed with Anagennisi Dherynia in the

Cypriot First Division The Cypriot First Division (), also known as the Cyprus League by Stoiximan for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Cyprus and the highest level of the Cypriot football league system. Operated by the Cyprus Fo ...

. In 2013 Bangura signed with Samut Songkhram in the

Thai Premier League The Thai League (, pronounced as ') or Thai League 1 (, pronounced as '), often referred to as T1, is the highest level of the Thai football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Thai L ...

, where he helped the team survive relegation. One of his brightest moments came against Chainat, whom he single-handedly defeated. Later the week he made the Thai premier League all team. In 2014 Bangura was invited for a tryout with

Persija Jakarta Persatuan Sepakbola Indonesia Jakarta ( 'Indonesian Football Association of Jakarta'), abbreviated as Persija (), is an Indonesian professional Association football, football club based in the Indonesian capital city of Jakarta. Persija Jaka ...

. Bangura impressed with two goals in two games but was not awarded a contract. After the two games many teams in the Indonesia Super League were interested. Bangura decided to sign with Barito Putera, where he played 6 games with 4 goals and 2 assists in the Inter Island Cup.

Honours

Puerto Rico Islanders

CFU Club Championship The Caribbean Club Championship, also known as the CFU Club Championship or CFU Club Champions' Cup, was an annual international football competition held amongst association football clubs that are members of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU). ...

Winner (1):

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

* USSF Division 2 Pro League Champion (1): 2010

Personal life

He is the cousin of Abdul Bangura, his teammate at Atlanta Silverbacks.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bangura, Shaka 1986 births Living people Footballers from Freetown Sierra Leonean men's footballers Sierra Leonean emigrants to the United States Sierra Leonean expatriate men's footballers Atlanta Silverbacks FC players Fredericksburg Gunners players Puerto Rico Islanders players Richmond Kickers players Anagennisi Deryneia FC players Shaka Bangura PS Barito Putera players Sierra Leonean expatriate sportspeople in the United States Sierra Leonean expatriate sportspeople in Cyprus Sierra Leonean expatriate sportspeople in Indonesia Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Expatriate men's footballers in Puerto Rico Expatriate men's footballers in Cyprus Expatriate men's footballers in Thailand Expatriate men's footballers in Indonesia USSF Division 2 Professional League players USL League Two players USL Championship players North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players National Premier Soccer League players Cypriot First Division players Shaka Bangura Liga 1 (Indonesia) players Men's association football forwards Montreat Cavaliers men's soccer players