Though Canadian-born forward Junior Hoilett's international status is still up in the air, Canadians watching his club team, Queens Park Rangers, this past weekend got a possible glimpse into the future.
In a game against Swansea City broadcast coast-to-coast in Canada on Saturday morning, Hoilett played the full 90 minutes for his new club. It wasn’t a great debut, however, as QPR dropped a 5-0 game to Canadian-turned-Dutchman Jonathan de Guzman and his own new team, Swansea.
Over in Germany, it was an equally disappointing debut for forward Olivier Occean and new team Eintracht Frankfurt. The forward went the full game as Frankfurt took on 2.Bundesliga side Erzgebirge Aue in the DfB-Pokal on Sunday and had their goalkeeper sent off after 19 minutes. Erzgebirge took advantage of 10-man Eintracht to run up a 3-0 win.
After losing their first game of the season in the Netherlands, Atiba Hutchinson’s PSV Eindhoven fought back in a big way with a 5-0 win over Roda JC on Saturday. Hutchinson played the entire 90 minutes at right back, continuing in the same position where he ended last season for PSV.
In the English Championship, Burnley began their quest to end a three-season absence from the Premier League. Defender David Edgar is looking to build on a season where he earned a regular place in the side and started off well, going the full 90 minutes at the back in a 2-0 win over recently relegated Bolton Wanderers on Saturday.
Edgar again went the full game on Tuesday, but Burnley couldn't replicate their success, falling 3-2 at Middlesbrough.
In English League One action, forward Marcus Haber started and was substituted in second-half stoppage time in his debut with new club Stevenage as they opened their new season with a 1-1 draw with Carlisle United.
Haber followed that up by starting and going 89 minutes in Stevenage's first win of the season, a 1-0 result at Leyton Orient on Tuesday.
Back in Germany, the two other Canadians playing the DfB-Pokal had a weekend of mixed results.
Defender Adam Straith and his 3.Liga side Saarbrücken were overmatched against Bundesliga giants Schalke 04 and dropped a 5-0 result on Sunday with Straith playing the full 90 minutes.
There was better news for Randy Edwini-Bonsu and his Eintracht Braunschweig side as they easily took down lower league side Lübeck 3-0 on Friday.
In Sweden, goalkeeper Tomer Chencinski’s otherwise dismal season with Örebro got a bit brighter as he was in goal on Sunday for his team’s 2-0 win over Mariehem in the second round of the Swedish Cup. Örebro are still in last place in Sweden's top flight, the Allsvenskan.
Midfielder Nik Ledgerwood returned to action with club team Hammarby in the Swedish Superettan after taking part in the latest national team camp in Florida and played the full 90 minutes in Hammarby’s scoreless draw with Landskrona. Hammarby are currently in seventh with 27 points – two points back of Landskrona in fourth.
After failing to win a contract with Premier League outfit Reading, Vancouver Whitecaps Residency product Ethan Gage has landed in Sweden with fourth-flight side Nyköping. Gage made his debut on Saturday and played 80 minutes as his new club upset Brommapojkarna – a team playing two levels up in the Superettan – with a thrilling 5-3 extra-time victory.
Monday’s action in the Finnish Veikkausliiga featured Canadians on both sides of the field as Mason Trafford’s Mariehamn took on Riley O’Neill’s MyPa. O’Neill had the last laugh as MyPa came away with a 2-1 win and moved to just two points back of Mariehamn in third place.
Still in Finland, Frank Jonke’s Jaro have now lost three games in a row after a 1-0 loss on Sunday to TPS. Jaro are now in last place and back in the Veikkausliiga relegation zone.
