Alex Bono

Alexander Nicholas Bono (born April 25, 1994) is an American soccer player who currently plays as a goalkeeper for Toronto FC in Major League Soccer.

Alex Bono
Personal information
Full name Alexander Nicholas Bono
Date of birth (1994-04-25) April 25, 1994
Place of birth Syracuse, New York, United States
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Club information
Current team
 Toronto FC
Number 25
Youth career
2010–2012 Empire United
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2014 Syracuse Orange 59 (0)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2014 Reading United 18 (0)
2015– Toronto FC 82 (0)
2015–2016 Toronto FC II 20 (0)
National team‡
2010–2012 United States U18 7 (0)
2018 United States 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of October 7, 2020
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of May 28, 2018

Career

College and amateur

Born and raised in Baldwinsville, New York, Bono attended high school at Charles W. Baker High School where he was a two-year starter for the Bees. During the later years of his high school career, Bono opted to commit full-time to U.S. Soccer Development Academy club Empire United. Prior to college, Bono was seen as the top goalkeeper recruit in the state of New York, and the 51st highest prospect of his graduating high school class.

Joining Syracuse University, Bono became the immediate starter for the Syracuse Orange men's soccer program, starting in playing in 20 matches in freshman season, becoming the first true freshman goalkeeper to start a season opener since Robert Cavicchia in 2005. During his freshman year, Bono recorded a career-high eight saves during the 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament against the VCU Rams on November 18, 2012 and equalled that tally on November 25 against the Georgetown Hoyas.[1] During his freshman season, Bono was voted to the Big East Conference All-Rookie Team and was named the Orange's Rookie of the Year.

In Bono's sophomore year, he maintained similar statistics as his freshman year and was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference Third Team.

It was his junior year where Bono emerged as a potential professional prospect, as he helped the Orange earn top national rankings, and earn a ninth overall seed in the 2014 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament. In the tournament, the Orange reached the fourth round before being eliminated by Georgetown.[2] Bono was also named a first-team All-American by the NSCAA in 2014.[3]

Professional

On January 15, 2015, Bono was selected 6th overall by Toronto FC in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. He was considered to be the highest prospective goalkeeper in the draft class.[4][5]

Bono was loaned to Toronto FC II on March 20, 2015.[6] He made his debut against the Charleston Battery on March 21.[7]

Due to an injury to regular starter Clint Irwin in July 2016, Bono was selected to be the number one keeper for the first team by manager Greg Vanney;[8] he went on to make 16 MLS appearances for the club that year,[9] and also started in the second leg of the 2016 Canadian Championship final against Vancouver Whitecaps on June 29, which Toronto won on away goals,[10] but Irwin later regained the starting spot for the remainder of the regular season and the Playoffs,[9] as Toronto went on to reach the 2016 MLS Cup Final, only to be defeated at home by the Seattle Sounders 5–4 on penalties, following a 0–0 draw after extra time.[11]

The following season, however, after another injury to Irwin in the team's home opener in the spring, Bono was once again promoted to the starting line-up,[12] and subsequently cemented his place as the team's outright first-choice shot-stopper by September 2017, also establishing himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the league: he broke the club's record for most clean sheets by a goalkeeper in a single season (10), and overall he kept the second highest number of clean sheets in the league season behind Stefan Frei, and won more games than any other MLS goalkeeper that season (19), while he also surpassed Frei's mark for most career MLS wins by a Toronto FC goalkeeper; furthermore, he produced 72 saves and had a 69.2 per cent save percentage, averaging 1.12 goals against per game. In the post-season, Bono's performances once again proved to be decisive in his team's Playoff run, as he conceded two goals and made eight saves en route to the MLS Cup Final, keeping clean sheets in both legs of the Eastern Conference Final against Columbus Crew.[9][13][14][15][16][17][18] On December 9, 2017 he kept a clean sheet in a 2–0 win over Seattle Sounders in the 2017 MLS Cup Final at BMO Field – a rematch of the previous season's final –, which saw Toronto complete an unprecedented treble of the MLS Cup, the Supporters' Shield, and the Canadian Championship.[19][20]

International

On January 9, 2015, Bono was called into a training camp for the United States national team.[21][22] He was called up again in March 2018.[23] He made his senior debut on May 28, 2018, in a friendly against Bolivia at the Talen Energy Stadium, keeping a clean-sheet in the eventual 3–0 win. Alex Bono was said to be a promising prospect and a potential big impact for U.S Soccer in the years to come.[24][25]

Career statistics
As of match played October 7, 2020
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup[lower-alpha 1] Continental[lower-alpha 2] Playoffs Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Toronto FC 2015[26] MLS 0000—0000
2016[27] 16010—00170
2017[27] 29000—50340
2018[27] 2700090—360
2019[27] 70402000130
2020[27] 3[lower-alpha 3]000—0030
Total 82050110501030
Toronto FC II (loan) 2015 USL 120———120
Toronto FC II (loan) 2016 80———80
Career Total 102050110501230
  1. Includes Canadian Championship matches.
  2. Includes CONCACAF Champions League and Campeones Cup matches.
  3. Includes one appearance in the MLS is Back Tournament group stage.

Honors

Club

Toronto FC:[27]

Individual

References
  1. "Orange Stun #19 VCU, 3-2". Syracuse University Athletics. Cuse.com. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  2. "Rist's Game-Winner Sends Hoyas to Elite 8". GUHoyas.com.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 21, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. "Toronto FC selects Alex Bono with sixth pick in MLS SuperDraft". Toronto FC. Torontofc.ca. January 15, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  5. "Former Syracuse and Baldwinsville goalie Alex Bono selected sixth overall in MLS Draft". Syracuse.com. January 15, 2015.
  6. "Toronto FC loan seven players to Toronto FC II". March 20, 2015.
  7. Hylton, Kamal (March 21, 2015). "Match Recap: TFC II vs. Charleston". Tornto FC.
  8. James Grossi (July 2, 2016). "Alex Bono takes the reins in net as Toronto deal with Clint Irwin's injury". MLS Soccer. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  9. Laura Armstrong (August 10, 2017). "Alex Bono has grabbed his chance as TFC's keeper". The Toronto Star. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  10. "TFC loses to Whitecaps, but wins Voyageurs Cup". Sportsnet. June 30, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  11. "Seattle Sounders beat Toronto FC on penalties to win 2016 MLS Cup". ESPN FC. December 10, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
  12. Neil Davidson (April 2, 2017). "Toronto FC goalkeeper Irwin out 4-5 weeks with hamstring injury". CBC Sports. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  13. James Grossi (November 23, 2017). "Alex Bono stepping up for Toronto FC in Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs". Toronto FC. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  14. Chicco Nacion (November 28, 2017). "TFC's Alex Bono unfazed by challenges on and off the pitch". CBC Sports. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  15. Neil Davidson (November 29, 2017). "Toronto FC to host MLS final after 1-0 win over Columbus in eastern final". Global News. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  16. James Grossi (December 4, 2017). "Character, confidence propel TFC's Alex Bono to No. 1 job, MLS Cup start". MLS Soccer. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  17. Laura Armstrong (December 6, 2017). "MLS Cup features two of the league's best goalkeepers". The Toronto Star. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  18. Chicco Nacion (December 9, 2017). "Tale of the tape: Toronto FC seeks redemption in MLS Cup rematch". CBC Sports. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  19. "Recap: Toronto FC vs Seattle Sounders". mlssoccer.com. December 9, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  20. Laura Armstrong (December 9, 2017). "Toronto FC captures MLS Cup". The Toronto Star. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  21. "Klinsmann Calls 28 Players for First Training Camp of 2015". USSoccer.com.
  22. "USMNT Profile: Alex Bono's rise to his first US call-up". NBCSports.com.
  23. Neil Morris (March 26, 2018). "MLS rivals Alex Bono, Zack Steffen enjoying US national team camp". MLS Soccer. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  24. "LINEUP NOTES: U.S. MNT VS. BOLIVIA - INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY". US Soccer. May 28, 2018.
  25. James Grossi (June 1, 2018). "DREAM FULFILLED: Alex Bono revels in first cap for United States national team". Toronto FC. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  26. "Alex Bono MLS profile". MLS. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  27. "A. Bono Summary". Soccerway. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  28. "Sporting KC's Tim Melia named 2017 MLS Allstate Goalkeeper of the Year". mlssoccer.com. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
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