Sporting Kansas City trades forward Teal Bunbury to New England

Teal Bunbury, center, will be playing for the New England Revolution instead of against them this coming season. (Michael Dwyer/AP) The New England Revolution

Teal Bunbury, center, will be playing for the New England Revolution instead of against them this coming season. (Michael Dwyer/AP)

The New England Revolution used their first-round picks in the MLS SuperDraft to stockpile forwards. As it turns out, they weren't done adding to the stable.

The Revs traded for forward Teal Bunbury, sending allocation money and a first-round pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft to reigning MLS Cup champion Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday. Bunbury, a U.S. international who has four caps but none since January 2012, joins rookies Patrick Mullins and Steve Neumann and incumbent forwards Charlie Davies, Jerry Bengtson, Dimitry Imbongo and Saer Sene among options for Jay Heaps' front line.

“We’ve been very open about our desire to add some additional attacking players to our roster ahead of the season and we believe Teal is a player who can make the sort of impact we need,” New England general manager Michael Burns said in a club release. “He’s a talented, young player who can add a dynamic element to our system, and we’re looking forward to getting him into camp and integrated into our group as soon as possible.”

As for Sporting KC, Bunbury had become somewhat of a surplus despite being a highly touted prospect when first acquired. With the club having young forwards C.J. Sapong, Soony Saad and Dom Dwyer all blossoming along with Argentine DP Claudio Bieler, Bunbury's place in manager Peter Vermes' pecking order had dropped. Bunbury, coming off an ACL tear, played in just 12 games and made just one start in 2013, notching a single assist in his first-team time.

The move could also be seen as a cost-cutting move for Sporting KC, with Bunbury earning more than $200,000 in guaranteed compensation in 2013, according to the most recent MLS Players' Union documents.

Bunbury's best season came in 2011, when he scored nine goals and had three assists.

I am very excited and couldn’t be happier to be joining @NERevolution! So thankful for this opportunity. Ready to make an impact. #NERevs

— Teal Bunbury (@TealBunB) February 19, 2014