Every team knows there is no such thing as too much scoring – so the Vancouver Whitecaps are surely pleased to see the progress Caleb Clarke is making this season.
The 20-year-old, sent on loan to Germany for the year, scored his sixth goal for FC Augsburg II in a 4-2 win over Schalding-Heining on Friday. Clarke, in fact, is the most prolific scorer among Canadians playing abroad this European campaign.
Clarke’s Augsburg teammate, Daniel Stanese, played the full 90 in defense, while in Turkey, Atiba Hutchinson also got in the goalscoring spirit this week, scoring his first for Besiktas in a 3-0 win over Akhisar Belediyespor on Sunday.
Simeon Jackson also opened his scoring account for the year, converting an 88th-minute penalty for Millwall on Tuesday, though his side went down 3-2 to Birmingham City.
Elsewhere in England, an interesting situation unfolded on the bench for Queens Park Rangers. Michael Petrasso, the highly touted 18-year-old, made his first appearance on the matchday roster for the senior team on Saturday against Middlesbrough. Fellow Canadian-born winger Junior Hoilett (above) – who has never represented any national team – was also on the bench to start the game.
The following is a completely fabricated conversation that almost certainly didn’t occur between the two:
Petrasso: Hey, Junior! So, how about Jermain Defoe going to TFC?
Hoilett: TFC?
Petrasso: Uh, yeah, Toronto FC.
Hoilett: Toronto has a team?
Petrasso: Um, they do. I played at their academy.
Hoilett: Wow. I’ve been here in England for so long, I had no idea. So, you didn’t have to go across an ocean when you were 13 to chase your soccer dream?
Petrasso: Nope, though I got here eventually.
Hoilett: You got to develop and play in your hometown?
Petrasso: Yeah, which totally made it easier to play for Canada’s youth teams. That was a great experience. Now I’m just waiting to get my first cap with the senior team. I’m really excited about it. You wanna come with?
Hoilett: …
Petrasso: Junior, you OK?
Hoilett: (silent for 61 minutes before being subbed into the game)
Petrasso: OK, nice chat! Good luck out there!
Back in the realm of reality, a couple of young Canadian goalkeepers are making the most of their opportunities these days.
Roberto Stillo, taking over for the suspended Jan Koprivec, posted a 2-1 victory for Perugia on Sunday. And Julien Latendresse-Levesque had a third straight solid start for FC Lokomotive Leipzig in a 1-1 draw on Friday. He conceded on a penalty kick in the 81st minute, but has yet to concede a goal from open play in three games.
As per usual, Pedro Pacheco (CD Santa Clara), Julian de Guzman (Skoda Xanthi), Nik Ledgerwood (MSV Duisburg) and Samuel Piette (Fortuna Dusseldorf II) put in their 90 minutes’ worth of work for their respective sides, while Andre Hainault also went the distance for VfR Aalen in a 0-0 draw with Köln on Sunday.
Most of Canada’s strike force, on the other hand, made cameos for their respective teams – Simeon Jackson (Millwall), Olivier Occean (Kaiserslautern), Randy Edwini-Bonsu (Stuttgarter Kickers) and Lucas Cavallini (Fénix) got some time as second-half subs, while Daniel Haber also got back on the field for Apollon Limasol for the first time in a month, coming on in injury time against Omonia Nicosia on Sunday.
