Keep your fingers crossed, but it appears as though one of Canada’s most important players has truly settled into his new home.
David Edgar, the 27-year-old defender/midfielder who will join the national team for its friendly against Colombia next week, went the full 90 for Birmingham City in their 1-1 draw with Charlton Athletic on Sunday. He’s played every minute of the Championship season so far, while also making the trip to Toronto for last month’s friendly against Jamaica (and scoring a beautiful goal while he was there).
Edgar, who had a tumultuous five-year run at Burnley before joining Birmingham City this season, will be a vital piece for Canada in the coming years. A stable club situation can only mean good things for the player – and CanMNT head coach Benito Floro’s side.
Simeon Jackson, another Canada vet, won’t be making the trip to Red Bull Arena next week, as he wasn’t included in Floro’s squad. Don’t worry about him, though; he went ahead and scored his second goal of the season for Coventry City on the weekend in a 2-2 draw with Crawley Town.
Milan Borjan picked up his first clean sheet for Ludogorets Razgrad on Saturday, in a 0-0 draw with Slavia Sofia. Borjan, who joined the Bulgarian side on an emergency basis in September, was also on the bench for last Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to Real Madrid in UEFA Champions League play.
Speaking of goalkeepers, David Monsalve ended his season in Finland’s Ykkonen on a high note, backstopping AC Oulu to a 2-1 win over JJK. The team, which also sees regular contributions from Canadian midfielder Dominic Oppong, ended the season on a five-game win streak and finished just three points back of league winners HIFK.
Over in Japan, Shimizu S-Pulse have been on their own streak – a four-game losing slide – but broke out of the slump with a 3-0 win over Cerezo Osaka on Sunday. So, what changed? Dejan Jakovic was back in the starting lineup after missing those four defeats. Coincidence? You decide.
Atiba Hutchinson was once again a crucial piece for Besiktas this week, going the full 90 in Europa League play against Tottenham on Thursday, a game in which Demba Ba’s late penalty snatched an important 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane. Three days later, Hutchinson helped propel his side to a 1-0 league win over Balikesirspor.
Pedro Pacheco also had a busy week in the midfield, going the distance for Santa Clara in last Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Benfica II, then playing all but five minutes against Desportivo Aves on Sunday.
Luca Gasparotto didn’t find the back of the net for Airdrieonians this week, but still went the full 90 in a 2-1 loss against Forfar Athletic. His erstwhile teammate, Fraser Aird, started for Rangers in a 1-0 win over Livingston on Saturday.
Canada’s two Haber strikers – Daniel (Ayia Napa) and Marcus (Crewe Alexandra), no relation – both saw action this week, though neither could find the score sheet. Toronto FC's on-loan teenager Jordan Hamilton, a late addition to Canada’s roster against Colombia, made a late cameo for CD Trofense against Sporting CP II on Sunday.
Andre Hainault started and picked up a yellow card for VfR Aalen against 1860 Munchen on Friday, while Nik Ledgerwood came on as a halftime sub for Energie Cottbus in Saturday’s 3-0 loss to Fortuna Koln.
