Will Bruin
Bruin with Seattle Sounders FC in 2017
Personal information
Full name William Christopher Bruin
Date of birth (1989-10-24) October 24, 1989 (age 34)
Place of birth St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
2005–2007 St. Louis Scott Gallagher
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2010 Indiana Hoosiers 66 (33)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2016 Houston Dynamo 178 (50)
2017–2022 Seattle Sounders FC 132 (27)
2019 → Tacoma Defiance (loan) 1 (1)
2023 Austin FC 19 (3)
Total 330 (81)
International career
2013 United States 2 (0)
Medal record
Representing  United States
Winner CONCACAF Gold Cup 2013
Men's Soccer
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:43, October 22, 2023 (UTC)

William Christopher Bruin (born October 24, 1989) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a forward.

Prior to joining Seattle, Bruin spent six seasons playing for the Houston Dynamo. He also represented the United States national team twice.

Early career

Growing up in Greater St. Louis, Bruin played club soccer for St. Louis Scott Gallagher. He graduated from De Smet Jesuit High School in 2008, having played on the school soccer team for all four years of high school. Bruin was named the 2007 Missouri State Soccer Player of the Year and was a two time NSCAA All-American while at De Smet Jesuit. He also set the school record for goals with 102.[1]

College career

Bruin played college soccer at Indiana University for three seasons, scoring 33 goals in 66 appearances, including a team-leading 18 goals in 20 appearances during the 2010 season. He helped the Hoosiers win the 2010 Big Ten regular season championship and qualify for the NCAA Tournament in all three of his seasons. Bruin was named the 2008 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, first team All-Big Ten in 2009 and 2010, and the 2010 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.[1][2] As a junior, he finished in second place behind Akron forward Darlington Nagbe for the 2010 Hermann Trophy. Bruin chose to forgo his final season of collegiate eligibility, instead declaring for the MLS SuperDraft and signing a Generation Adidas contract with Major League Soccer.[3]

Professional career

Houston Dynamo

Bruin was selected by the Houston Dynamo with the 11th overall pick of the 2011 MLS SuperDraft.[4] He made his professional debut on March 19, 2011, in Houston's first game of the 2011 MLS season, a 1–0 loss to the Philadelphia Union.[5] On April 10, Bruin scored his first professional goal against Vancouver Whitecaps FC to seal a 3–1 victory.[6] Bruin netted his first professional hat-trick in a 4–1 win against D.C. United on April 29.[5] On July 30, he suffered a knee injury during a 3–1 win over the Seattle Sounders FC, causing him to miss over 5 weeks.[6] He ended the regular season with 25 appearances, 5 goals, and 1 assist, helping the Dynamo finish 2nd in the Eastern Conference and qualify for the playoffs.[6][7] Bruin made 3 substitute appearances in the playoffs as Houston reached MLS Cup 2011, where they lost 1–0 to the LA Galaxy, with Bruin not appearing in the match.[5]

On April 15, Bruin scored his first goal of the season in a 1–1 draw with the Chicago Fire. He scored in the 73rd and 90th minutes on June 20 to give Houston a 3–3 draw with Toronto FC.[8] Bruin ended the MLS regular season with 12 goals and 4 assists from 32 appearances to help Houston qualify for the playoffs.[6][9] In the opening round of the playoffs, Bruin scored twice to give the Dynamo a 2–1 win over Chicago. He had a goal and an assist in Houston's next game, a 2–0 win over Sporting Kansas City in leg 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Bruin and the Dynamo would lose the second leg 1–0, but advanced 2–1 on aggregate. In the first leg of the Conference finals, Bruin scored once in a 3–1 win over D.C. United. Houston and Bruin drew leg 2 to advance to MLS Cup 2012. Bruin played the full 90 minutes in MLS Cup as Houston lost to the Galaxy for the second straight season, this time by a score of 3–1.[8] During the season, Bruin also made 2 appearances in the group stage for the 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League.[10]

On March 30, 2013, Bruin scored his first goal of the 2013 season in a 2–0 victory against the Earthquakes. On May 8, Bruin scored twice and had 2 assists to give the Dynamo a 4–0 win over D.C. United.[11] He finished the MLS regular season with 8 goals and a career high 7 assists in 30 appearances to help Houston qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive season.[6] In their opening match of the playoffs, Bruin scored twice to help the Dynamo defeat the Montreal Impact 3–0. He would start Houston's next 3 playoff games as well, but came off injured in the first leg of the Conference Finals, a 0–0 draw against Sporting Kansas City. Bruin missed the second leg and Houston lost 2–1 to SKC.[11][12] In Champions League play, Bruin started both legs of the 2012–13 CCL quarterfinals matchup with Santos Laguna, a 3–1 aggregate loss, and made 2 appearances in the group stage of the 2013–14 Champions League.[10]

On March 8, 2014, in the opening game of the 2014 season, Bruin scored twice and had an assist as the Dynamo defeated the New England Revolution 4–0. On August 3, Bruin scored 1 minute into stoppage time to give Houston a 1–0 victory against D.C. United. On August 29, he scored once as Houston beat Kansas City 3–1, but during the game Bruin came off injured and was forced to miss the next 6 games.[13][6] Bruin ended the regular season with 27 appearances, 10 goals, and 1 assist, however it was a poor season for the Dynamo as a team, finishing 8th in the Eastern Conference and missing the playoffs.[6][14]

He scored his first goal of the 2015 season on April 25 in a 4–4 draw with Sporting Kansas City. Bruin scored a brace on May 16 as Houston beat the Portland Timbers 3–1. On June 5, he scored twice and had an assist as the Dynamo beat the New York Red Bulls 4–2.[15] Bruin scored 11 goals and had 4 assists from 33 appearances during the regular season as Houston finished 8th in the Western Conference, failing to qualify for the playoffs for the second straight season.[6][16]

On March 6, 2016, in the opening match of the season, Bruin had an assist as the Dynamo drew 3–3 with New England. On March 12, He scored once in a 5–0 Dynamo win over FC Dallas.[17] He ended the season with 4 goals and 3 assists from 31 appearances as the Dynamo finished last in the Western Conference and missed out on the playoffs for the third consecutive season.[6][18] He only made one start over the final 3 months of the season as Mauro Manotas emerged as the starting striker.[19] Following the 2016 season, Bruin requested a trade from Houston.[20] Bruin ended his time in Houston with 57 goals, at the time the second most in team history.[21]

Seattle Sounders FC

On December 23, 2016, Bruin was traded to the Seattle Sounders in exchange for undisclosed amounts of general and targeted allocation money.[22] Bruin made his Sounders debut on March 4, 2017, coming on as a substitute in a 2–1 loss against his former team, the Houston Dynamo.[23] He scored his first Sounders goal on March 11, an equalizer in the 94th minute of a 2–2 draw against the Montreal Impact.[24] He scored a brace on October 15 to help the Sounders defeat FC Dallas 4–0.[25] Bruin ended his first season in Seattle with 11 goals and 2 assists from 31 regular season appearances, helping the Sounders finish second in the Western Conference.[26][27] After Bruin started both legs of a 2–0 aggregate win against Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the Conference semifinals, Seattle faced off with the Dynamo in the Conference final. He scored once in the first leg while scoring and picking up an assist in the second leg to help the Sounders beat his former team 5–0 on aggregate and advance to MLS Cup 2017. Bruin played the full 90 minutes in the final as Seattle lost to Toronto FC 2–0.[25]

Bruin and the Sounders opened the 2018 season on February 22 with a 2–1 loss to Santa Tecla in the leg 1 of the CONCACAF Champions League round of 16. On March 1, Bruin scored once in a 4–0 in leg 2 to give Seattle a 5–2 aggregate win. Bruin appeared in both legs of the quarterfinals, but the Sounders lost to C.D. Guadalajara 3–1 on aggregate.[10] On April 15, he picked up his first goal and assist of the MLS season to give Seattle a 2–2 draw with Sporting Kansas City. He scored twice on July 4 as the Sounders beat the Colorado Rapids 2–1. On August 4, Bruin scored in the 97th minute to give Seattle a 2–1 win over Minnesota United FC.[28] He ended the regular season with 29 appearances, 7 goals, and 5 assists as the Sounders finished second in the Western Conference.[26][29] In the playoffs, Bruin made a substitute appearance in leg 2 of the Conference semifinals matchup with the Portland Timbers. After playing to a 4–4 aggregate score, the Sounders lost on penalty kicks 4–2, with Bruin being one of two Sounders to miss their PK.[28]

Bruin made his first appearance of the 2019 season on March 30, coming off the bench in a 0–0 draw against Vancouver. On April 1, Bruin played a game for Seattle's USL Championship affiliate, the Tacoma Defiance, scoring once and adding an assist in a 2–1 win over Sacramento Republic. On April 13, he scored twice as the Sounders defeated Toronto FC 2–0. On June 18, Bruin tore his ACL during practice, ruling him out for the rest of the season.[30] In Bruin's absence, the Sounders went on to win MLS Cup 2019.

Bruin made his first appearance since tearing his ACL on July 27, coming off the bench and scoring in a 4–1 loss to LAFC in the round of 16 of the MLS is Back Tournament. On October 22, Bruin scored in the 93rd minute to give Seattle a 1–1 draw with Portland.[31] In a shortened 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bruin made 15 appearances, scored 1 goal, and had 1 assist in MLS regular season play.[26] After not featuring in the first 2 playoff games, Bruin sparked a comeback in the Conference final. Trailing 2–0 to Minnesota United, Bruin entered the game in the 73rd minute and scored in the 75th to make it 2–1. Raúl Ruidíaz scored in the 89th minute and Gustav Svensson scored in the 93rd minute to give Seattle a 3–2 win and advance to MLS Cup 2020.[32] Bruin appeared off the bench in the final, but Seattle fell 3–0 to the Columbus Crew.[31] At the end of the 2022 season, Bruin became a free agent after being released by the Sounders.

Austin FC

On February 10, 2023 Austin FC announced that they had signed Bruin to a one-year contract with an option for a second year after a successful trial with the team in their pre-season camp.[33] Bruin made his first appearance for the team in their first CCL match on March 7, 2023, coming on in the 70th minute of the 3–0 loss to Violette AC.[34] On March 25, 2023, Bruin made his first league appearance for the team in a 1–1 draw against the Colorado Rapids, coming on in the 86th minute.[35] He scored his first goal for the club on May 6 against the Portland Timbers in the 92nd minute, ensuring the team earned one point with the 2–2 draw.[36] On November 17, 2023, Austin FC announced they would not exercise the 2024 option for Bruin.[37]

International career

Bruin made his debut for the United States men's national soccer team on January 29, 2013, coming on as a substitute in a 0–0 draw against Canada.[38] On June 27, 2013, U.S. head coach Jürgen Klinsmann named Bruin to the 23-man squad for the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[39] Bruin earned his second cap in a friendly before the tournament, coming off the bench in a 6–0 win over Guatemala on June 7.[40] The United States would go on to win the Gold Cup, but Bruin did not appear in the tournament.[10]

Personal life

Bruin was born to Bill and Eva Bruin in St. Louis, Missouri.[1] He grew up in Creve Coeur, Missouri, a suburb 15 miles west of St. Louis.[41] At De Smet Jesuit High School, Bruin played on the school soccer team. He also played as a center fielder on the school baseball team as a freshman and played for four years as a shooting guard on the basketball team.[41][42][43] Bruin attended Indiana University, where he played on the soccer team and was a fitness specialist major.[1]

His wife, Caitlin, attended Indiana at the same time as Bruin and played on the school volleyball team.[41] Together they have three children.[44]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played October 21, 2023[45][46][47][48][49]
Club Season League League cup[a] U.S. Open Cup CONCACAF CL Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Houston Dynamo 2011 MLS 25 5 3 0 1 0 — — 29 5
2012 32 12 6 4 0 0 2 0 — 40 16
2013 30 8 4 2 1 0 4 0 — 37 10
2014 27 10 — 2 0 — — 29 10
2015 33 11 — 1 1 — — 34 12
2016 31 4 — 1 0 — — 32 4
Total 178 50 13 6 6 1 6 0 0 0 203 57
Seattle Sounders FC 2017 MLS 31 11 5 2 1 0 — — 37 13
2018 29 7 1 0 0 0 4 1 — 34 8
2019 9 2 0 0 1 0 — — 10 2
2020 15 1 2 1 — 0 0 1[b] 1 18 3
2021 24 3 0 0 — — 3[c] 0 27 3
2022 24 3 — 1 0 4 0 — 29 3
Total 132 27 8 3 3 0 8 1 4 1 155 32
Tacoma Defiance (loan) 2019 USL 1 1 — — — — 1 1
Austin FC 2023 MLS 19 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 2[c] 0 23 3
Career total 330 81 21 9 9 1 16 1 6 1 382 93
  1. ^ Includes MLS Cup Playoffs
  2. ^ Appearance in MLS is Back Tournament knockout stage
  3. ^ a b Appearance(s) in Leagues Cup

Honors

Seattle Sounders FC

United States

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Will Bruin - Men's Soccer". Indiana University Athletics. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  2. ^ "2020-21 Men's Soccer Media Guide (PDF)" (PDF). Indiana University Athletics. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  3. ^ Simon Borg (December 29, 2010). "Five Akron players headline 2011 Generation adidas class". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
  4. ^ "2011 MLS SuperDraft Tracker". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
  5. ^ a b c "Will Bruin 2011 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Will Bruin". Houston Dynamo. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
  7. ^ "2011 Major League Soccer Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Will Bruin 2012 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  9. ^ "2012 Major League Soccer Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d "USA - W. Bruin - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Will Bruin 2013 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  12. ^ Engle, Todd (November 24, 2013). "Good fortune in playoffs eludes Dynamo". Chron. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  13. ^ "Will Bruin 2014 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  14. ^ "2014 Major League Soccer Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  15. ^ "Will Bruin 2015 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  16. ^ "2015 Major League Soccer Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  17. ^ "Will Bruin 2016 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  18. ^ "2016 Major League Soccer Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  19. ^ Roepken, Corey (December 24, 2016). "Dynamo trade Will Bruin to Seattle". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  20. ^ "Will Bruin returns to Houston having recharged his career in Seattle | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  21. ^ Tolar, Alicia (December 23, 2016). "Houston Dynamo trade Will Bruin to Seattle Sounders". Dynamo Theory. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  22. ^ Sam Stejskal (December 23, 2016). "Seattle Sounders acquire Will Bruin from Houston Dynamo". MLSSoccer.com. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  23. ^ Sounders FC Communications (March 4, 2017). "Sounders FC falls 2–1 in Houston to open 2017 MLS season". SoundersFC.com. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  24. ^ Alicia Rodriguez (March 11, 2017). "Montreal Impact 2, Seattle Sounders 2 2017 MLS Match Recap". MLSSoccer.com. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  25. ^ a b "Will Bruin 2017 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  26. ^ a b c "Will Bruin". Major League Soccer. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  27. ^ "2017 Major League Soccer Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  28. ^ a b "Will Bruin 2018 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  29. ^ "2018 Major League Soccer Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  30. ^ Turner, Miki (June 18, 2019). "Will Bruin out for the season with ACL injury". Sounder At Heart.
  31. ^ a b "Will Bruin 2020 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  32. ^ "Seattle Sounders FC vs. Minnesota United Match Report – Monday December 7, 2020". FBref.com. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  33. ^ "Austin FC Signs Free Agent Forward Will Bruin". Austin FC. February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  34. ^ "VIO vs. ATX 03-07-2023". AustinFC.com. Austin FC. March 7, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  35. ^ "ATX vs. COL 03-25-2023". AustinFC.com. Austin FC. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  36. ^ Koubek, Cameron (May 7, 2023). "Austin FC Comes Back Twice To Draw 2-2 With Portland Timbers". AustinFC.com. Austi FC. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  37. ^ "Austin FC Announces Roster Decisions Ahead of 2024 Season". www.AustinFC.com. Austin FC. November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  38. ^ "U.S. MNT Kicks Off Centennial Year with Scoreless Draw Against Canada at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston". www.ussoccer.com. June 29, 2013. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  39. ^ Prince-Wright, Joe (June 27, 2013). "Donovan back, as Klinsmann announces U.S. Gold Cup roster". ProSoccerTalk | NBC Sports. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  40. ^ "United States vs. Guatemala - 6 July 2013 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  41. ^ a b c Krasnoo, Ryan (May 2, 2017). "Something Bruin: Searching for a fresh start, Will Bruin is ready to revitalize himself in Seattle". Seattle Sounders. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  42. ^ Krasnoo, Ryan (March 6, 2017). "The best outtakes from SoundersFC.com's profile on Will Bruin". Seattle Sounders. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  43. ^ Baker, Geoff (March 31, 2017). "Sounders striker Will Bruin quits dancing, but not scoring". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  44. ^ Fleming, Connor (December 8, 2020). "Will Bruin, Destroyer Of Package Thieves, Fuels Seattle's Miracle Comeback". The18. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  45. ^ "Will Bruin". Major League Soccer. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  46. ^ "lW. Bruin". Soccerway. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  47. ^ "Will Bruin Stats". FBRef. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  48. ^ "Will Bruin » Club matches". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  49. ^ "Will Bruin". Major League Soccer. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  50. ^ "Seattle Sounders are 2019 MLS Cup champions: Rave Green win second MLS title". Major League Soccer. November 10, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  51. ^ "Game Details". concacaf.com. May 5, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  52. ^ "USA 1–0 Panama – as it happened". Guardian UK. July 28, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  53. ^ "Dynamo Awards". Houston Dynamo. Retrieved February 26, 2021.

External links

United States squad – 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup winners (5th title)
2011 MLS SuperDraft first-round selections
Houston Dynamo FC first-round draft picks
Big Ten Conference Men's Soccer Player of the Year
2010 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer First-Team All-America
Categories