Josh Northey
University of Saskatchewan midfielder Josh Northey and Oakland University defender (and Toronto Lynx alumnus) Julian Konner McNamara reportedly made the strongest showings of the 12 Canadians who participated in the combine. USL general managers — as well as executives from other leagues, including MLS — were on hand to see more than 100 undrafted and unsigned prospects go through their paces.
Of the 12 Canadians there, seven came from universities from our side of the border. The University of Saskatchewan led the way, with three prospects heading to Florida from that school.The Huskies also produced striker Paul Craig, who scored the goal that guaranteed FC Edmonton a playoff berth during his rookie NASL season.
McNamara recently transferred to Oakland University, and is the son of former CD Nacional de Madeira (Portugal) players Glenn McNamara. His older brother Mikael, another Toronto Lynx product, spent the previous season with the Dayton Dutch Lions of the USL.
Northey, a midfielder, ended his U of S career as a Canada West first-team all-star. He also played on the Canadian team that went to China for the 2011 Summer Universiade.
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It should be noted that Paul Craig played all his youth soccer and three years of University soccer in Prince Edward Island
Josh Northey developed his soccer skillset long before he played with U of S Huskies. Having watched him since he was eight years old, I do have that insight. If anything, the Huskies’ coaching program hindered his and others’ development and performance. He and other players were not allowed to play their “game” and the losers have been the Huskies. Many gifted players have refused to play for the team due to conflict with team management. Northey’s personal determination alone has allowed him to get past these setbacks and hopefully get to where he wants to be. More power to him and future Sask. players!
I had the privilege of watching Northey play a few times in recent years and he is an absolutely amazing player, his speed, strength and agility combined with flawless touch and brilliant vision make him an incredible player.
I won’t be surprised if he is playing in the MLS in a few years.
Bryce Chapman has certainly done wonders for the U of S CIS squad. They didn’t have the best showing this past season, but the program has gone from nothing to top contender in Canada-West basically over night. He runs the top youth academy in the province currently, aptly named the Huskies Academy. It’s a feeder program to the U of S squad (although not exclusively, as a few players have trialed for other universities and semi-pro outfits). I hope our province gets it together and centralizes youth player resources in order to not only continue producing players the ilk of Northey, but to go beyond and to produce players that make it to MLS and beyond.