It has long been established that Junior Hoilett would be a welcome addition to the Canadian national team.
But Hoilett made Canadian fans want him wearing the Maple Leaf even more following Blackburn’s 2-0 win over Norwich in Saturday’s English Premier League matchup. The Brampton, Ontario-born Hoilett scored with a sublime curling, right-footed shot from 20 yards away for Blackburn’s second goal.
Hoilett, who is eligible to play internationally for both Canada and Jamaica, has insisted that he won’t pledge his international future until he’s secure in his club career. He’s been linked to a move to a more high-profile club this summer.
Rovers are still in the relegation zone, but the win puts them just three points behind of Wigan, and safety.
In Germany, Olivier Occean went the full 90 for Greuther Fürth in their 1-1 draw with FSV Frankfurt. That result, combined with Frankfurt’s win on Monday, leaves Fürth tied for points atop the 2.Bundesliga standings but in second on the basis of fewer goals scored. But with two games left in the season and eight points ahead of third place, the Cloverleaves are assured promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time in their history.
While Occean is heading up, Kevin McKenna and FC Cologne’s place in the Bundesliga is getting more precarious.
McKenna played 90 minutes for Cologne in their 1-1 draw with Stuttgart. With two games left in the season, Cologne are currently in 16th place. Should they finish there, they would have to beat the third-place team from 2.Bundesliga in a playoff in order to avoid relegation.
Also in German second-division action, Randy Edwini-Bonsu was a second-half substitute for Eintracht Braunschweig in their 0-0 draw with MSV Duisburg. Braunschweig are currently in eighth place.
In the Netherlands, Atiba Hutchinson continues to feature for PSV Eindhoven as they continue their run of good form. Eindhoven have four wins in their last five games after a 2-1 win over NEC.
In fifth place on 60 points, PSV are just a single point back of AZ Alkmaar for second, which would give them a spot in next season’s UEFA Champions League qualifiers.
David Edgar put in his usual 90 minutes of work for Burnley in the English Championship, but it was one they would likely want to forget as Burnley struggled in a 4-0 loss to Blackpool. With the result, Burnley dropped to 12th in the table on 61 points. Burnley will comfortably finish mid-table in the Championship.
Once again, three Canadian goalkeepers saw action for their respective clubs.
Milan Borjan kept a clean sheet for Vaslui in their 1-0 win over Steaua Bucharest. With the win, Vaslui leapfrogged their opponents to take over fourth place in Romania’s top flight. They’re level on 49 points but Vaslui have a better goal difference.
In Norway, Lars Hirschfeld was in goal for Valerenga in their 2-0 loss to Sogndal last Friday.
On Monday in Sweden, Tomer Chencinski was also on the losing end of a 2-0 result to Elfsborg as his Örebro side are in last place in the Allsvenskan and are still looking for their first win after five games this season.
The trio of Canadian players plying their trade in the German third division all saw action for their clubs. Both Adam Straith and Jonathan Beaulieu-Bourgault went the full 90, Straith’s Saarbrucken playing to a 0-0 draw with Heidenheim on Saturday and Beaulieu-Bourgault’s Preussen Münster notching a 2-1 win over Sandhausen.
Nik Ledgerwood started for Wehen Wiesbaden but had to be substituted after only 10 minutes. Wiesbaden ended up winning 1-0 over Rot-Weiss Oberhausen.
In Scotland, Marcus Haber was a second half substitute for St. Johnstone in their 2-0 loss to Dundee United.
Mason Trafford’s IFK Mariehamn picked up their first win of the Finnish Veikkausliiga season with a 2-0 over Haka. Trafford played the entire game for Mariehamn.
In Portugal, midfielder Pedro Pacheco played 90 minutes for Santa Clara in their 1-1 draw with Belenenses. Santa Clara are 12th in the 16-team Liga de Honra, Portugal’s second division.
