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 by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...

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 and Clayton counties, Georgia, United States, adjacent to the southern boundary of the city of Atlanta. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,930. Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport is part ...

. He attended

North Clayton High School North Clayton High School is a four-year public high school located in College Park, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Clayton County Public Schools. The school was created in 1937 as Flat Rock School, serving 44 students in grades 8–10 ...

, 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 Montreat College (pronounced "mon-treet") is a private, Christian college in Montreat, North Carolina. Founded in 1916, Montreat College offers associate, bachelor's, and master's degree programs for traditional and adult students. The college's m ...

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 soccer league. The NPSL is a semi-professional league, comprising some teams that have paid players and some that are entirely amateur. The league is officially affiliated to the Uni ...

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 developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syst ...

in 2009.

Professional

During the 2010 pre-season Bangura joined the

Puerto Rico Islanders Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to: Places *El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain *Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines *Puerto Colombia, Colombia *Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela *Puerto Galera, Orient ...

of the

USSF D2 Pro League The USSF Division 2 Professional League (D2 Pro League) was a temporary professional soccer league created by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) for the 2010 season. The twelve-team league was formed as a compromise between the feuding U ...

. He made his professional debut on April 21, 2010, in a game against

NSC Minnesota Stars NSC may refer to: Sport and competition * NSC United, an American soccer team * National Scholastics Championship, an American quiz bowl competition * National Scrabble Championship, now known as the Scrabble Players Championship * National Sho ...

. Bangura signed with Richmond Kickers of the

USL Pro The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

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 soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 1993, the Battery are one of the oldest continuously operating professional soccer clubs in th ...

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

Anagennisi Dherynia Anagennisi Deryneia ( el, Αναγέννηση Δερύνειας) is Cypriot football team based in Deryneia, Famagusta. The club was founded in 1920 and they joined the Cyprus Football Association in 1972. The team played in the Cypriot First ...

in the

Cypriot First Division The Cypriot First Division ( el, Πρωτάθλημα Α΄ Κατηγορίας) is the top tier football league competition in Cyprus, run by the Cyprus Football Association. Since February 2016, it is sponsored by Cyta and is thus officially ...

. In 2013 Bangura signed with Samut Songkhram in the

Thai Premier League The Thai League 1 ( th, ไทยลีก 1), often referred to as T1, is the top level of the Thai football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Thai League 2. Seasons run from Augu ...

, where he helped the team survive relegation. One of his brightest moments came against

Chainat Chai Nat ( th, ชัยนาท, ) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in central Thailand, capital of Chai Nat province. It covers the whole ''tambon'' tambon Nai Mueang and parts of Ban Kluai, Tha Chai and Khao Tha Phra, all in Mueang Chai Nat ...

, 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 football club based in the Indonesian capital city of Jakarta. Persija Jakarta is one of the most suc ...

. 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 Winner (1): 2010 *

USSF Division 2 Pro League The USSF Division 2 Professional League (D2 Pro League) was a temporary professional soccer league created by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) for the 2010 season. The twelve-team league was formed as a compromise between the feuding Un ...

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 Sierra Leonean footballers Sierra Leonean emigrants to the United States Sierra Leonean expatriate footballers Puerto Rico Islanders players Richmond Kickers players Anagennisi Deryneia FC players Sierra Leonean expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate footballers in Puerto Rico Expatriate footballers in Cyprus Expatriate footballers in Thailand Expatriate soccer players in the United States Fredericksburg Gunners players USSF Division 2 Professional League players USL League Two players USL Championship players Shaka Bangura PS Barito Putera players Atlanta Silverbacks players North American Soccer League players Cypriot First Division players Association football forwards Sportspeople from Freetown National Premier Soccer League players Montreat Cavaliers men's soccer players