The new Indian Super League kicked off its first season over the weekend, and a Canadian favorite was right there in the thick of it.
Iain Hume, the well-liked veteran striker, played the full 90 for the Kerala Blasters in their debut match on Monday, a 1-0 loss to Northeast United.
Hume was picked up by the Blasters 14th in the ISL Inaugural International Draft over the summer. The league – which has its own version of Designated Players, known as marquee players – features the likes of Italian legend Alessandro Del Piero, French forward David Trezeguet and English goalkeeper David James, who serves as player/manager for Hume’s team.
There are high hopes that the league will make inroads in the as-yet-untapped soccer market in India. if it does, and Hume plays well, he could very well catch the eye of Canadian head coach Benito Floro.
Over in South America, Lucas Cavallini continues to be one of the hottest strikers in Uruguay’s Primera Division. The 21-year-old bagged his seventh goal in nine appearances for Fenix in a 2-1 win over Wanderers on Saturday. (Yes, as we always repeat in this space, Cavallini is cap-tied to Canada.)
Back in Asia, Dejan Jakovic had a full day’s work and then some on Saturday, going 120 minutes for Japanese club Shimizu S-Pulse in their Emperor Cup match against Nagoya Grampus. With the score level at 2-2 after extra time, Jakovic’s side eventually prevailed 5-3 on penalties.
While most Canadians were off this week due to the international break, goalkeeper Tomer Chencinski did get another game under his belt, minding the net for Israeli club Hapoel Nir Ramat Hasharon in a 2-1 loss to Hapoel Bnei Lod on Friday.
