Goalkeeper Kenny Stamatopoulos' place in the Canada pecking order has generally been behind the likes of Lars Hirschfeld and Milan Borjan.
But the way the 33-year-old former Toronto FC man is playing for Sweden’s AIK, he may be playing his way back into the picture. Stamatopoulos has been in fine form as AIK are making a run at the top of the Allsvenskan. He was in goal on Monday as AIK picked up a 3-2 win over Atvidaberg, with the club now tied with two other teams for second place and just three points back of first.
Former TFC and FC Dallas midfielder Julian de Guzman already made his debut with Greek outfit Skoda Xanthi earlier this month, but this past weekend marked his first Super League appearance. It was a season-opener to forget for de Guzman as he played all 90 minutes in Xanthi's 3-0 loss to PAOK.
Back in Sweden and down a league in the Superettan, Nik Ledgerwood’s Hammarby need to start putting some wins together to get back into the promotion race. Ledgerwood played all 90 minutes on Monday as Hammarby earned a 1-1 draw with league leaders Örebro. Hammarby have two wins and a draw in their last five league games and are 11 points out of the promotion places.
In Germany, Simeon Jackson’s Eintracht Braunschweig are still looking for their first point in the Bundesliga after they lost their second straight game on Sunday to start the new league. Jackson played the whole match as they narrowly lost, 2-1, to Borussia Dortmund.
Down in the 2.Bundesliga, Rob Friend’s 1860 Munich have responded well after losing their first game of the season by rolling off three league wins in a row. Friend came on to start the second half on Sunday as 1860 ended up 1-0 winners against Ingolstadt. Munich are tied for second place and three points back of first.
In England, Queens Park Rangers are making an early push to get near the top of the Championship table as they seek immediate promotion back to the Premier League. David Hoilett started and lasted 56 minutes on Saturday as QPR picked up their second win – a 1-0 result over Ipswich Town – in three games to start the year. QPR have seven points through three games.
The new Turkish Süper Lig season is underway for goalkeeper Milan Borjan and Sivasspor. Borjan could have used some help from his attackers as Sivasspor dropped a 1-0 game to Kayserispor.
The new season for Pedro Pacheco’s Santa Clara in the second-division Liga de Honra had gotten off on the wrong foot with losses in the club's first two games. Pacheco played 90 minutes on Saturday in a 1-0 loss to União Madeira.
In Finland, David Monsalve’s Oulu are in the midst of a losing streak that has seen them drift almost completely out of the promotion picture. Oulu dropped their third game in a row on Sunday, 1-0 to Kooteepee. Still in fifth place, they are now 15 points back of first.
