With most of Europe’s leagues now in their offseason, most of the action involving Canadian players is taking place off the field.
With a number of established Canadians looking for new clubs, midfielder Pedro Pacheco is the first lockdown his club for next season — signing a one-year contract extension with Santa Clara in the Portuguese second division.
Pacheco wore the captain’s armband this season for Santa Clara as they finished in 11th place. He played 37 times and scored four goals.
Another Canadian looking to be staying put in Europe is Andre Hainault. According to the Inverness Courier, the former Houston Dynamo defender is close to extending his deal with Scotland’s Ross County after joining the club in January.
After a slow start with the club, Hainault played eight games and scored a memorable volley in the club’s last game of the season against local rivals Inverness Caledonian Thistle as Ross finished in fifth place in the Scottish Premier League.
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On the field in Sweden, Nik Ledgerwood’s Hammarby snapped a three-game losing streak but only managed to pick up a single point on Tuesday as they tied Varberg 2-2. Ledgerwood started and lasted 61 minutes as Hammarby’s current four-game winless streak has seen them slip to eighth place in a very congested table in the second-division Superettan.
Over in Finland, it was a tough debut with Ykkonen-side Oulu for goalkeeper David Monsalve, who made the start on Sunday but conceded a late equalizer as Oulu played Ilves to a 2-2 draw. Seven games into the season in Finland’s second division, Oulu are in fourth place with 12 points.
It was a busy week in Singapore with teams playing a full slate of games in the League Cup. The miserable league season for Sherif El-Masri and Young Lions has carried over to the Cup as they remain winless in all competitions. Already winless in the league through 13 games in the S. League, Young Lions lost 3-0 to Tanjong Pagar on Thursday in their first game in Group B.
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Staying in Singapore, it was a better week for Jordan Webb as he was part of a perfect week for Home United. They won all three of their League Cup games and outscored their opposition 10-0 in those games as they’re into the quarterfinals.
Webb played the whole game last Wednesday as Home beat Harimau Muda II 3-0. He played 70 minutes and opened the scoring on Saturday as Home beat Admiralty 5-0. Home also defeated Woodlands Wellington 2-0 on Tuesday and won Group A.
Jerome Baker’s Hougang United will have to be satisfied with the consolation-place round as their one point wasn’t enough to have them advance in the League Cup. Baker started and lasted 77 minutes in their scoreless draw with Albirex Niigata S on Wednesday. He then scored on Tuesday but Hougang still lost 2-1 to Geyland International. As a result, Hougang finished at the bottom of Group C.
Gavin Day covers the Canadian national team and Canadians based abroad for MLSsoccer.com.
