But we’d be remiss in our duties at The 11 to ignore the fact that the number of minutes for Canadian players at TFC has dwindled over the last couple months.
But we’d be remiss in our duties at The 11 to ignore the fact that the number of minutes for Canadian players at TFC has dwindled over the last couple months.
But, where Canadians are making the most noise is in the USL. This past week, six Canadians found the net in USL games, including Jordan Hamilton’s brace for TFCII in midweek action. Ottawa’s Adonijah Reid scored his first USL goal, joining fellow Canadian Eddie Edward on the Fury scoresheet. Mark-Anthony Kaye, Mastanabal Kacher and Chris Nanco also scored in USL play.
Finally, in his 22nd USL game of the season, Mallan Roberts had to go to a very unfamiliar place. It’s called “the bench.”
July has featured a lot of “firsts” for Toronto FC’s Canadians. Not to be outdone by countrymen Ashtone Morgan and Jay Chapman, who each got their first-ever MLS goals earlier in the month, Raheem Edwards said “my turn” in Sunday’s 4-0 thrashing of NYCFC.
This past week marked some MLS firsts for Canadians.
Jacksonville’s Drew Beckie, with 1,383 minutes played, led all Canadians when it came to time spent on the pitch. A total of 14 Canadians played in NASL this spring season.
Any time you see a 9-0 scoreline it turns your head. And, in USL action last week, that’s exactly what Canadian Jordan Murrell and his Reno teammates did, putting nine by LA Galaxy II.
It’ll be like a scene out of Wrestlemania. Canadian Premier League organizer Paul Beirne will be onstage, announcing the new national soccer circuit’s inaugural season. And then, after a flash bomb goes off and a crashing change in the background music, he will salute the Whitecaps front-office staff, and then announce: “guess what? They were working for us all along.”
Laryea is the third Canadian to play for Orlando City this season — joining Will Johnson and Cyle Larin. And the Lions continue to lead MLS when it comes to giving minutes to Canadian players.
Larin is still comfortably in second place, but Orlando teammate Will Johnson took over the lead.
The 11 offers insight, interviews and commentary by respected soccer journalists. It is affiliated with the Canadian soccer magazine, Plastic Pitch. Our editor, Steven Sandor, has covered Major League Soccer, United Soccer Leagues, World Cup qualifying, CONCACAF Champions League, women’s soccer and the Canadian Soccer League and has won numerous awards for his magazine work. His work has appeared in the Sun chain of newspapers, Soccer 360, World Soccer, Soccer Canada, Philadelphia Daily News and the Deseret News. His work has appeared in publications in Canada, the United States, Hungary, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom and Namibia.