Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | José Maria Pinto Sousa Ribeiro Cunha | ||
Date of birth | 27 March 2001 | ||
Place of birth | Cascais, Portugal | ||
Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
Position(s) | Defender | ||
Youth career | |||
2009–2011 | Sporting CP | ||
2011 | FC Cascais | ||
2012–2020 | Estoril Praia | ||
College career | |||
Years | Team | Apps | ( Gls) |
2020– | CBU Capers | 35 | (9) |
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | ( Gls) |
2020 | Estoril Praia B | 8 | (0) |
2022 | Atlético Ottawa | 2 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 7 August 2022 |
José Maria Pinto Sousa Ribeiro Cunha (born 27 March 2001), known as José Cunha, José da Cunha, or Zé Maria, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a defender.
Cunha began playing at age three. He joined the famed Sporting CP Youth Academy, before moving on to the youth system of G.D. Estoril Praia, [1] where he captained the U17 and U19 teams. [2] [3] He briefly played for Union FC in Bradford, Ontario in 2018 during their 2018 NCAA March Break Tour, where they played against NCAA college teams Akron, Maryland, and Georgetown. [4]
Cunha had initially attended the Universidade NOVA de Lisboa in Portugal, while playing in the top division U19 division in Portugal, [5] but decided to send game tapes to universities in Canada and the United States. [6] He made the decision to come to North America, as he wanted to pursue education and football simultaneously, which was not really viable to do in Portugal. [7] Cape Breton University in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada became interested in him and he decided to attend there and play for their Capers soccer team beginning in the 2020-21 year. [6] However, he was unable to make his debut for the Capers due to the season being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [6] He made his debut on 11 September 2021 against the Saint Mary's Huskies. [8] He scored his first goal on 23 October against the Mount Allison Mounties, scoring the first goal in a 10-0 victory. [9] In 2021, he was named the AUS Rookie of the Year and was named an AUS First-team All-Star, [10] was named to the national U Sports All-Rookie Team, [11] during the Capers' AUS Championship winning season, progressing to the National Championships where they won the bronze medal. [12] In 2023, he was again named an AUS First Team All-Star. [13]
In 2020, Cunha began playing for Estoril Praia's B team in the district league, fifth tier. [14]
At the 2021 CPL-U Sports Draft, he was selected ninth overall by Forge FC of the Canadian Premier League, [15] but did not ultimately sign with them for the 2021 season. [7]
At the 2022 CPL-U Sports Draft, he was selected first overall by Atlético Ottawa, [16] [17] with the pick being announced by Atlético Madrid and Portugal national team player João Félix. [18] On April 1, he signed a Canadian Premier League developmental contract with Atlético Ottawa. [19] [20] He made his professional debut on 24 April against Valour FC. [21] He left the club in early August to return to university, as part of his developmental contract. [22]
Atlético Ottawa
Club | Season | League | Cup | Other | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Estoril Praia B | 2020-21 [14] | AF Lisboa 2ª Divisão | 8 | 0 | 1 [a] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
Atlético Ottawa | 2022 | Canadian Premier League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Career total | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |