It was another slow week for Canadians abroad, as the winter break in Germany (where many Canadians ply their trade) dragged on and several European-based players kept busy in Florida at a national team training camp.
Even so, a handful of Les Rouges stalwarts managed to see decent time for their clubs in the week that was.
Julian de Guzman (above) continued establishing himself as a key piece for Skoda Xanthi, playing 90 minutes in a 2-2 draw with Ergotelis on Sunday. After finding himself in and out of the lineup earlier in the season, de Guzman has featured prominently for Xanthi in all of their games in 2014 so far.
Pedro Pacheco was in his usual spot at the spine of CD Santa Clara’s midfield, as he played the full 90 in a 2-0 loss to Feirense on Sunday. With the loss, Pacheco’s side slipped a little bit closer to the relegation zone. He’ll surely be a big part of the fight to keep them away from it.
Michael Petrasso played his final game for Oldham Athletic, as his loan spell came to an end over the weekend. The 18-year-old Toronto FC Academy product subbed in at the 71st minute against Port Vale, and nearly helped manufacture a goal for his side, though Latics ultimately fell 1-0. Petrasso is now set to return to the U-21 side for Queens Park Rangers – unless his performances at Oldham have given QPR cause to bump him to the first team.
Milan Borjan got back in goal for Sivasspor, who fell to a 2-0 defeat against Eskisehirspor on Saturday. Also in Turkey, striker Tosaint Ricketts saw his first action of 2014 for Bucaspor, going 89 minutes in a 2-1 loss to Istanbul BB.
Though the German leagues are on break, a few clubs have been playing friendlies to help pass the time. FC Kaiserslautern matched up against Borussia Dortmund and – perhaps predictably – fell 3-1. Big man Olivier Occean subbed in at the 58th minute of the contest.
While the on-field action was sparse, there has been some more off-field news for Canada’s player pool.
Simeon Jackson, who hasn’t started for Eintracht Braunschweig since late November, could be on his way back to England, where he saw a meteoric rise with Gillingham and Norwich City. The South London Press is reporting that Charlton Athletic have their eyes on the 26-year-old striker who, according to the report, “[wants] an exit from Eintracht.”
Meanwhile, reports out of Uruguay suggest that another Canadian striker, 21-year-old Lucas Cavallini, has been loaned out to Centro Atlético Fénix. Cavallini hasn’t seen the pitch for his current club team, Nacional, since early November.
