Canadian soccer fans are waiting on the status of injured midfielder Atiba Hutchinson. A full prognosis on Hutchinson’s injured knee is expected this week. Last week, PSV Eindhoven manager Fred Rutten told the club’s website that it was “a huge disappointment” to see the Canadian player of the year return from the Gold Cup with a knee injury

Yuri Studin, the president of the Greater Toronto Area’s Spartacus Soccer Club, has known Joseph Di Chiara since the boy was in the early stages of elementary school. He remembers young Joseph as not being tough enough to even keep up with his sister on the soccer pitch. Now, Studin is beaming with pride. After coming in as a sub last Saturday in a match against Terek Grozny, Di Chiara, now 19, got his first start Wednesday in the Russian Premier League in the sky blue shirt of Kryliya Sovetov, a 3-0 home loss to Anzhi Makhachkala.

Canadian midfielder Joseph Di Chiara got his first Russian league start Wednesday, as Kryliya Sovetov (Soviet Wings) lost 3-0 to Anzhi Makhachkala. Di Chiara, made his debut Saturday, coming in as a sub and playing 32 minutes against Terek Grozny. But he got the start against Anzhi, which features former Brazil and Real Madrid superstar Roberto Carlos.