August 19, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS)
Colorado Rapids News Release
Bombito began his MLS and Rapids career on Dec. 21, 2022, when he was selected third overall in the 2023 SuperDraft. The centerback out of the University of New Hampshire was surrounded by supporters, including UNH head coach, Mike Hubbard, teammates and some special guests-the kids he coached in a soccer summer camp earlier that year.
The experience was one he wouldn’t be soon to forget, especially since it wasn’t until he was 19 that Bombito fully realized his dream to go pro:
“I think it was a dream when I was super young, but it kind of faded away as I was growing up because I was not playing as much. I wasn’t seeing any progress in my play, and I felt like it wasn’t a given,” he said after the draft.
“But I just kept believing in myself and started playing really well at 19 years old. And then I told myself, ‘Okay, there’s something there and I think I should go for it because if I really believe that I can make it, it’s going to happen.'”
Debut | May 2023
After a successful and enlightening preseason with his new team, Bombito faced an injury that would sideline him for three months: an MCL tear suffered just before the Rapids’ home opener against Sporting Kansas City.
The Montreal native wouldn’t see the match pitch until May 7, when he played a full first half with Rapids 2 in their 5-0 rout of LA Galaxy II. That performance led him into his official MLS and home debut with the club a week later as he was subbed into the game with Philadelphia Union at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park.
“It’s a privilege for me to get in there and show what I can do, but since it’s a privilege there’s expectations that come with it,” he said after his first few appearances with the first team. “I have to prove that I can be a guy that can help out as much as possible when the time comes.”
First Canada Call-up | June 2023
Once Bombito was back to full health and had made his professional debut, it wasn’t long until his home country’s national team took notice of him.
While making an ordinary errand to the Apple store for new headphones Bombito got the call that would change the trajectory of his career-a message from then-Canadian Men’s National Team head coach John Herdman calling him up to the team for the upcoming Concacaf Nations League Finals.
“I thanked him for choosing me and he spoke about playing different positions, like maybe a six, but for me I didn’t care,” he said. “I was really happy. I called…
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