Moïse Bombito Lumpungu (born March 30, 2000) is a Canadian professional
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
player who plays as a
centre-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...
for
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...
club
Nice
Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionCanada national team.
Early life
Born in Montreal, Quebec, Bombito is of Congolese descent. He began his youth soccer career with CS St-Laurent, where he initially played as a forward. At the age of 18, he declined an opportunity to join CS St-Hubert in the semi-professional
Première ligue de soccer du Québec
A premiere, also spelled première, (from , ) is the debut (first public presentation) of a work, i.e. play, film, dance, musical composition, or even a performer in that work.
History
Raymond F. Betts attributes the introduction of the film ...
, choosing to remain with St-Laurent in the amateur
Ligue de soccer élite du Québec
The Ligue de soccer élite du Québec () was the top amateur league in Quebec, operating at a level below the semi-professional Première ligue de soccer du Québec. It operates a number of youth and gender specific divisions and is operated by the ...
to prioritize consistent playing time.
College career
Bombito originally attended
Collège Ahuntsic
Collège Ahuntsic is a French-language public college situated in the Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was founded in 1967 as a merger of the Collège Saint-Ignace and the Institut de technologies Laval, and in 1970 ...
and played for their men's soccer team. In 2019, he was named to the RSEQ all-star team for Division 1 soccer.
After attending a combine hosted by
António Ribeiro
'' Dom'' António II Ribeiro (21 May 1928 – 24 March 1998) was a Portuguese cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, and Patriarch of Lisbon from 1971 until his death in 1998.
Born at São Clemente de Basto, Celorico de Basto, son of José ...
and
Frederico Moojen
Frederico Augusto Pieruccini "Freddy" Moojen (born February 25, 1983) is a former soccer forward. Born in Brazil, he represented Canada at the international level in futsal.
He shared the 2005 and 2006 Premier Development League goals lead. He ...
, he began attending junior college in the United States, joining
Iowa Western Community College
Iowa Western Community College is a public community college in Council Bluffs, Iowa. It was founded in 1966 and offers 84 programs in both vocational and technical areas as well as in liberal arts. It is also home to a flight school.
Campus
A ...
. He played two seasons, finishing as national runner-up in the 2021 spring season, following it up with a national championship in the fall 2021 season. He earned 2021 All-American accolades, was named the ICCAC Tournament MVP, and was selected to the ICCAC All-Tournament Team and the ICCAC All-Region First Team.
In 2022, he transferred to the
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire, United States. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant coll ...
NCAA Division I
NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...
level. On September 10, 2022, Bombito made his collegiate debut and also scored his first goal against the
FIU Panthers
The FIU Panthers are the athletic teams representing Florida International University, an American public university located in Miami, Florida. The Panthers currently compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I athlet ...
. That season, he was named the team MVP, the ECAC Defensive Player of the Year, the
America East
The America East Conference (AmEast) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I whose members are located in the Northeastern United States. The conference is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.
Founded in 1979, t ...
Defender of the Year, was named to the All-ECAC First Team and All-America East First Team, and a Second Team All-American. He was also a MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist, was invited to play in the MLS College Showcase, and became the first UNH player to be selected to the
Generation Adidas
Generation Adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young professional soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by Adidas, offers professional-ready players in the U.S ...
class. During his sole season with the school, he scored four goals, including two game winners.
Club career
Early
In 2020, Bombito began playing with CS St-Hubert in the
Première ligue de soccer du Québec
A premiere, also spelled première, (from , ) is the debut (first public presentation) of a work, i.e. play, film, dance, musical composition, or even a performer in that work.
History
Raymond F. Betts attributes the introduction of the film ...
, where he converted to centre-back.
In 2022, Bombito played for the
Seacoast United Phantoms
The Seacoast United Phantoms (formerly the New Hampshire Phantoms) are an American soccer team based in Epping, New Hampshire. The team was originally based in Manchester, New Hampshire, before moving to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where it play ...
in the
USL League Two
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 ...
, helping them win the Northeast Division title and being named to the USL League Two Team of the Year.
Colorado Rapids
On December 21, 2022, Bombito signed a
Generation Adidas
Generation Adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young professional soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by Adidas, offers professional-ready players in the U.S ...
contract and was selected in the first round (3rd overall) of the
2023 MLS SuperDraft
The 2023 MLS SuperDraft was the 24th edition of the SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. It was held on December 21, 2022, becoming the first SuperDraft to be held in December, but retained the 2023 branding. The draft was conducted via ...
by the
Colorado Rapids
The Colorado Rapids are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Founded in ...
. He became the first player from the University of New Hampshire to be selected in the first round of the draft. After being an unused substitute in the opening match of the season, he suffered a knee injury during training, causing him to miss the next few weeks of action.
On May 7, Bombito made his debut for the Rapids' second team,
Colorado Rapids 2
Colorado Rapids 2 is a professional soccer club based in Denver, Colorado area that competes in the MLS Next Pro league, the third division of American soccer. The team is owned by, and operates as the reserve team of, Major League Soccer clu ...
, in
MLS Next Pro
MLS Next Pro (MLSNP) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada that is affiliated with Major League Soccer (MLS). It launched in 2022 with 21 teams and now comprises 27 reserve sides of MLS clu ...
against
LA Galaxy II
Ventura County FC is an American professional soccer team based in the Greater Los Angeles area town of Thousand Oaks in Ventura County, California, United States that plays in MLS Next Pro, the third tier of the United States soccer league sy ...
. He made his
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
debut on May 13. On May 24, he earned his first start for the Rapids in a
U.S. Open Cup
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States. It is the country's oldest ongoing national soccer competition. The competition was first held duri ...
match against
Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake (RSL) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Fou ...
. On March 30, 2024, he scored his first MLS goal in a 3–2 victory over
Los Angeles FC
Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Los Angeles. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. It was establi ...
, which coincided with his 24th birthday.
Nice
On August 19, 2024, Bombito transferred to French
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...
side
Nice
Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million Bombito made his Nice debut on August 25 against
Toulouse
Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
.
After missing the
Southern Derby
The Southern Derby is a fan-based U.S. professional soccer cup competition between USL Championship (USLC) teams based in the South-Atlantic region of the United States (North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia). It was founded in 2000. The S ...
due to a red card suspension, Bombito played every minute of Nice's remaining games in September, October and November. On September 25, 2024, the Canadian defender made his
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
debut, starting in a group phase game versus
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad de Fútbol, more commonly referred to as Real Sociedad ( ; ''Royal Society'') in English, and Erreala or Reala in Basque language, Basque, is a Spanish professional sports club in the city of San Sebastián, Donostia / San Sebastián, ...
2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals
The 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals was the final tournament of the 2022–23 CONCACAF Nations League, 2022–23 edition of the CONCACAF Nations League, the second season of the international Association football, football competition involvi ...
, as an injury replacement for
Derek Cornelius
Derek Austin Cornelius (born 25 November 1997) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a centre-back for Ligue 1 club Olympique de Marseille and the Canada national team.
Early life
Cornelius was born in Ajax, Ontario to a Barbadi ...
. He became the second-fastest Generation Adidas player to earn a national team call-up (171 days after the draft), behind only national team teammate
Cyle Larin
Cyle Christopher Larin (; born April 17, 1995) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a striker or a left winger for La Liga club Mallorca and the Canada national team.
After playing college soccer for the UConn Huskies, Larin ...
. He was then subsequently named to the 23-man squad for the
2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 17th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biennial international men's association football, soccer championship of the North, Central American and Caribbean region organized by CONCACAF. Canada and the United ...
. Bombito made his debut in the opening match of the tournament on June 27 against
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...
.
In June 2024, Bombito was named to Canada's squad for the
2024 Copa América
The 2024 Copa América was the 48th edition of the Copa América, the quadrennial international men's association football, soccer championship organized by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL. The tournament was held in the United Sta ...
. He played every minute of the tournament, providing an assist in the semifinal match against
Uruguay
Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
, which Canada ultimately lost on penalties.
Career statistics
Club
International
Honours
Individual
*
MLS All-Star
The Major League Soccer All-Star Game is an annual Association football, soccer game held by Major League Soccer featuring selected players from the league against an international club or selected players from another league. MLS initially ado ...
:
2024
The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...