William Christopher Bruin (born October 24, 1989) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Major League Soccer club Austin FC.
Prior to joining Seattle, Bruin spent six seasons playing for the Houston Dynamo. He also represented the United States national team twice.
Early career
Growing up in Greater St. Louis, Bruin played club soccer for St. Louis Scott Gallagher. He graduated from De Smet Jesuit High School in 2008, having played on the school soccer team for all four years of high school. Bruin was named the 2007 Missouri State Soccer Player of the Year and was a two time NSCAA All-American while at De Smet Jesuit. He also set the school record for goals with 102.
College career
Bruin played college soccer at Indiana University for three seasons, scoring 33 goals in 66 appearances, including a team-leading 18 goals in 20 appearances during the 2010 season. He helped the Hoosiers win the 2010 Big Ten regular season championship and qualify for the NCAA Tournament in all three of his seasons. Bruin was named the 2008 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, first team All-Big Ten in 2009 and 2010, and the 2010 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. As a junior, he finished in second place behind Akron forward Darlington Nagbe for the 2010 Hermann Trophy. Bruin chose to forgo his final season of collegiate eligibility, instead declaring for the MLS SuperDraft and signing a Generation Adidas contract with Major League Soccer.
Professional career
Houston Dynamo
Bruin was selected by the Houston Dynamo with the 11th overall pick of the 2011 MLS SuperDraft. He made his professional debut on March 19, 2011, in Houston's first game of the 2011 MLS season, a 1–0 loss to the Philadelphia Union. On April 10, Bruin scored his first professional goal against the Vancouver Whitecaps to seal a 3–1 victory. Bruin netted his first professional hat-trick in a 4–1 win against D.C. United on April 29. On July 30, he suffered a knee injury during a 3–1 win over the Seattle Sounders FC, causing him to miss over 5 weeks. He ended the regular season with 25 appearances, 5 goals, and 1 assist, helping the Dynamo finish 2nd in the Eastern Conference and qualify for the playoffs. Bruin made 3 substitute appearances in the playoffs as Houston reached MLS Cup 2011, where they lost 1–0 to the LA Galaxy, with Bruin not appearing in the match.
On April 15, Bruin scored his first goal of the season in a 1–1 draw with the Chicago Fire. He scored in the 73rd and 90th minutes on June 20 to give Houston a 3–3 draw with Toronto FC. Bruin ended the MLS regular season with 12 goals and 4 assists from 32 appearances to help Houston qualify for the playoffs. In the opening round of the playoffs, Bruin scored twice to give the Dynamo a 2–1 win over Chicago. He had a goal and an assist in Houston's next game, a 2–0 win over Sporting Kansas City in leg 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Bruin and the Dynamo would lose the second leg 1–0, but advanced 2–1 on aggregate. In the first leg of the Conference finals, Bruin scored once in a 3–1 win over D.C. United. Houston and Bruin drew leg 2 to advance to MLS Cup 2012. Bruin played the full 90 minutes in MLS Cup as Houston lost to the Galaxy for the second straight season, this time by a score of 3–1. During the season, Bruin also made 2 appearances in the group stage for the 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League.
On March 30, 2013, Bruin scored his first goal of the 2013 season in a 2–0 victory against the Earthquakes. On May 8, Bruin scored twice and had 2 assists to give the Dynamo a 4–0 win over D.C. United. He finished the MLS regular season with 8 goals and a career high 7 assists in 30 appearances to help Houston qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive season. In their opening match of the playoffs, Bruin scored twice to help the Dynamo defeat the Montreal Impact 3–0. He would start Houston's next 3 playoff games as well, but came off injured in the first leg of the Conference Finals, a 0–0 draw against Sporting Kansas City. Bruin missed the second leg and Houston lost 2–1 to SKC. In Champions League play, Bruin started both legs of the 2012–13 CCL quarterfinals matchup with Santos Laguna, a 3–1 aggregate loss, and made 2 appearances in the group stage of the 2013–14 Champions League.