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University of Massachusets Athletics
Oral Bullen Signs Professional Contact With Portland Timbers
March 14, 2006 | Men's Soccer
March 14, 2006
AMHERST, Mass. - Former UMass soccer standout Oral Bullen (Brooklyn, N.Y.) has signed a one-year contract with the Portland Timbers of the United Soccer League First Division after earning a spot on the L.A. Galaxy preseason training squad. The Timbers are an affiliate of the Galaxy.
"This is amazing," said Bullen who joins his cousin Salim, a former standout at Bradley University. "It won't sink in until I get there. The fans have been so supportive already sending me e-mails to welcome me to the team."
He is scheduled to report to Portland in two weeks. The team will open its 2006 schedule on April 22 when the Timbers play at Vancouver.
"I'm very excited, my family is very excited about this chance," said Bullen. "It really is a dream come true."
For Bullen to get a shot at his dream, however, he had to do some traveling after graduating in December.
He first worked out at the New England Revolution Combine. That did not quite work out and so he traveled south to the InfoSport Combine in Florida. While there, scouts and coaches were impressed with his skill as an attacking midfielder and invited him to Los Angeles to attend the Galaxy Combine.
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"This is amazing. It won't sink in until I get there. The fans have been so supportive already sending me e-mails to welcome me to the team."
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It was there that he and his cousin Salim were able to work out together in front of Galaxy coaches. Both Bullens and three other players were selected from a pool of 26 athletes to join the Galaxy for their preseason workouts.
For the next week, Bullen shared the locker room and trained side-by-side with players the likes of Landon Donovan and Cobi Jones.
"The Galaxy coaches said they like me and Salim, but wanted us to get a year of professional playing under our belts," said Bullen. "The next day, the coach from the Timbers called."
Bullen is one of the top scorers in UMass history with 54 career points - just seven shy of the program's all-time top-10. He finished his collegiate career with 21 goals and 12 assists playing in 75 career games. The two-time Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second-Team honoree helped lead UMass to two A-10 Tournament berths.
"We are very happy for Oral to have this opportunity to be playing professionally," said UMass head coach Sam Koch. "He is not only a talented soccer player, but a quality person and we wish him the best."
Bullen joins the likes of UMass alums Devlin Barnes, Jeff Deren, Yuri Morales, Ptah Myers, and Bryan O'Quinn who have also enjoyed professional soccer careers.
Bullen and his cousin Salim were both signed along with forward Drew McAthy and defender Jacobi Goodfellow on March 3. Oral is expected to play midfielder, while Salim is slated in as a defender.
"I am very pleased with (our) signings," said Chris Agnello, head coach and general manager of the Timbers. "Salim and Jacobi will add strength and speed to the defense for 2006; Drew and Oral will add some flair and character to our attacking abilities."
 Bullen finished his collegiate career with 21 goals and 12 assists playing in 75 career games.  |
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McAthy, 23, was drafted No. 1 overall by the Puerto Rico Islanders in the 2005 USL First Division College Player Draft. McAthy, also drafted by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the 2005 MLS Supplemental Draft, went on to play 23 games with the Islanders during their inaugural season, scoring a goal in the team's final game against Toronto.
Prior to turning professional, McAthy led UC-Santa Barbara to the NCAA Men's Division I championship game in 2004, where he was named the College Cup's Most Outstanding Offensive Player. McAthy registered two goals and an assist in the Gauchos' 5-0 semifinal win over Duke and logged the team's lone regulation goal in the title game that saw the Indiana Hoosiers repeat as champions in a penalty kick shootout.
McAthy, who also played with Orange County (2003) and Cape Cod (2004) in the USL's Premier Development League, finished his career at UCSB as the school's all-time scoring leader with 122 career points and 53 career goals.
Salim Bullen, 21, helped lead Bradley University to a Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship in 2005 after the Braves matched a school record with 15 victories. Over his four-year collegiate career at Bradley, Salim tallied three goals and nine assists, starting 21 games for the Braves during his senior season while earning second team All-Conference accolades. Salim and Oral played prep soccer together at Martin Luther King High School in New York City.
Goodfellow, 29, helped lead the Agnello-coached Utah Blitzz to the USL Pro Soccer League championship in 2004. The previous season, Goodfellow played with the Wilmington Hammerheads, who went on to win the 2003 USL Pro Select League title.
Goodfellow was a third-round draft choice of the A-League's Hampton Roads Mariners in 2002 following a standout collegiate career at Barry University in Miami Shores, Fla.
The Seattle, Wash., native played briefly for the Los Angeles Galaxy reserves in 2005.
Portland kicks off its sixth USL First Division season on Saturday, April 22, against the Vancouver Whitecaps at Swangard Stadium. The Timbers open up the home portion of their season by playing host to the Whitecaps at PGE Park on Friday, May 5. For more information on the Timbers, go to www.portlandtimbers.com.