As another season Across the Pond winds down, it is worthwhile to look back on the year that was and what Canadians stood out as key performers for their domestic clubs. While it's a bit tricky to effectively do a year-end review, especially considering there are a handful of players competing in the Scandinavian summer season, it is still worth looking back on the last twelve months of who performed well and what it means for the Canadian National Team.
Last year's review almost wrote itself. The final three months of the 2011/12 season had a handful of exciting developments for the team as there were players who were competing every week, performing well and earning outstanding results. 2012/13 unfortunately did not have many of the same stories to tell.
One cannot help but look back at the 8-1 loss to Honduras and wonder if that might have played a factor in some players stocks' dropping with their clubs. It was a tough year to watch as some really encouraging displays from the year before were not followed up with anything on quite the same level this season. As a result, there aren't truly five outstanding players to note who competed every week, at a high level and will be ones to watch for upcoming competitions for the National Team. So instead of putting together a weak list, it has been broken up into two categories, the best for 2012/13 and those to look forward to in 2013/14 - watch for part two later this week.
For the best from 2012/13 the qualifiers are a mix of not just competing at a high level, but also what this season could mean for Canada in the short to long term. Kevin McKenna is one who comes to mind that had a very good season with FC Koln in the 2.Bundesliga and through a fifteen game unbeaten run almost helped them right back up to the German top flight. But he will not feature with the National Team into the next qualifying cycle and for that reason was omitted from the top three.
Rob Friend is another player who showed some glimpses to get excited again about the Canadian Tower, as he seems to have found a home with 1860 Munich after discouraging spells with Hertha Berlin then Eintracht Frankfurt. The 2.Bundesliga seems like a good fit for Friend, but at 32 years of age, it seems unlikely he will be a major component of the team moving forward.
Lastly, Marcus Haber also had a season worth noting as he was consistently appearing for Stevenage in England's League One. His 7 goals in 33 appearances is an encouraging sign for the 24-year old that even though he will not stay with the team moving forward, he should be able to land on his feet and stay at the same level of competition.
With those names in mind of players who played well last season but just missed the cut, the list below is of RedNation's top three Canadians who competed abroad in 2012/13.
3. Lucas Cavallini
Bursting into Canadians' consciousness during the Olympic Qualifying tournament, Cavallini has continued to grow at the domestic club level and gotten better as the season has gone on. A bulldog of an attacker, Cavallini has followed up the first half of 2012/13 with a solid Clausura season where he is among the top scorers in the league.
On loan from Uruguayan giants Nacional to Club Atlético Juventud, Cavallini has scored 9 goals in 24 appearances to help his team maintain a solid mid-table position. With Nacional and Penerol as the two biggest teams in the league, a return to the club who owns his rights would be the logical next step in his progression as it could potentially gain him future exposure through the COPA Libertadores as Nacional frequently makes it to the tournament.
At only 20 years of age, things are looking up for Cavallini and the hope should be a recall to Nacional. With the team who owns his rights struggling not only in the table, but also scoring goals, one would expect he might be on their radar. Nacional's top scorer, 20-year old Gonzalo Bueno, is also sitting on 8 goals, so the opportunity might be there for the Canadian to raise his profile with a bigger club. If Cavallini can get back to Nacional, and perform on a bigger stage with more eyes watching him, he could emerge as an important player for the National Team.
2. Milan Borjan
As the only Canadian keeper playing week in week out in a top European league, Borjan had a season with some ups and downs, but ultimately at 25 years of age, and still a few years from his prime, logged in critical games needed for his long-term growth. 2011/12 saw him disappear from the side altogether, go out on loan to Romanian side FC Vaslui, and return to claim the number one spot between the posts and start 29 games.
Borjan's season was marred by inconsistent league results, but highlighted by an impressive run to the semi-finals of the Turkish Cup where Sivasspor were able to hang with top sides such as Fenerbahce and Bursaspor, and after nearly progressed to the Cup Final. There were some games through the season where Borjan was inconsistent, however, it is not an exaggeration to say Sivasspor's defending for the most part was very poor on the year, and games such as the 1-0 loss to Kasimpasa demonstrated that Borjan is able to make massive saves and be depended on as a key component to the side.
With one year left on his contract the off-season will be interesting to see if Sivasspor look to sell him on after a decent year, hold on to him to extent his contract, or risk losing him at the end of 2013/14 for nothing. Finishing the year with a 2-1 win over Karabukspor, Borjan was able to bounce back from the tough loss against Trabzonspor in the Turkish Cup to head into the upcoming Canada games with a solid claim for the number one spot.
1. Atiba Hutchinson
Having missed the cut on the 2011/12 edition of this column due to only playing 14 games and PSV missing out on the Champions League, Hutchinson came back in 2012/13 to feature week in week out for the Eindoven club and help them to that elusive second place finish and their first Champions League birth since they won the league in 2007-08. Last year they lost out right at the end to Feyenoord by one point, and this year a staggering 103 goals and +60 goal difference ensured PSV would claim second place despite being level with them at 69 points.
For many supporters of the Canadian National Team, it was disappointing that the majority of his 33 appearance came playing at right back, a position he's held down the three years at the club. A midfielder by trade, and putting in good performances in the Canada kit saw him only get a few games at this position when the likes of Marc Van Bommel or Kevin Strootman were unavailable or being rested. His versatility and ability to, save for a few outings, perform very well in the position, gives confidence that he should be able to move up in competition and on to a good club now that his contract is over.
At 30 years of age, Hutchinson is walking the fine line of predicting how much longer he will serve the national team. If his injuries from 2010/11 are a thing of the past and he holds up wherever his next stay is, he could potentially still contribute heading into the 2018 qualifying cycle and remain an influencial player for Canadan.
Watch for part two listing the top three players to watch for heading into the 2013/14 season.
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