It was former national team head coach John Herdman who, on more than one occasion, complained that part of Canada’s failing on the international stage was the fact that so few footballers played in Tier 1 leagues.
Too many, he said, were wasting away in Tier 3 and 4 leagues. It was imperative, he said, that his players needed to aim higher and move up into the upper echelon of world soccer.
Herdman first made the remarks after Canada’s disappointing 2019 Gold Cup appearance, a quarterfinal loss to Haiti. At the time, only Alphonso Davies was playing at such a level, having just joined Bayern Munich of the German Bundesliga.
Fast forward, and Canadians playing in Herdman’s top tier — also known as the Big 5: England’s Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s Serie A, Ligue 1 of France and the Bundesliga are still few and far between, however, overall, the standard of world football has improved and that includes MLS, which Herdman rated as third tier back in 2019.
This month, we are seeing significant player movement in the transfer window, and although no Canadian has made a huge move to the top-tier leagues, the deals we are seeing are certainly positive from Jesse Marsch’s standpoint.
Within Major League Soccer, we have seen goalkeeper of the year Dayne St. Clair move from Minnesota to champions Inter Miami, and Nashville winger Jacob Shaffelburg traded to LAFC.
Would transfers to European clubs have better suited both players? Perhaps, but MLS is seeing its stock rise, especially since the decision to flip its schedule to the European calendar in a couple of years.
For St. Clair, jumping aboard the Lionel Messi train must have been too good to refuse. Not only will he compete for trophies on all fronts, but this is the one North American team that is legitimately watched by the world, given its star factor, from Sir David Beckham to Messi. What a great way to showcase yourself to the global football markets, even if you are joining a team that shipped 55 goals in 34 regular-season matches last year. St. Clair will likely be busy while basking in the Florida sun.
As for Shaffelburg? Things had not gone well in Nashville the last two seasons; a fresh start was needed for the Maritime Messi, and although he might have to fight for minutes, especially if Heung Min Son or Denis Bouanga still have ambitions to play wide, it is still a club that has enormous drawing power. Not to mention his Canadian teammate, Mathieu Choiniere, can show him the sights in California.
Ali Ahmed is the one Canadian who has made the move from North America to Europe, having departed from the Vancouver Whitecaps to Norwich City of England’s League Championship.
This might not be the headline grabber that compatriot Tani Oluwaseyi’s transfer from Minnesota to Spain’s Villarreal was last summer, as Norwich is not a Tier 1 club, but make no mistake, it is a clever and thoughtful move for the dynamic 25-year-old.
Norwich has Premier League pedigree, having last played in England’s top flight in 2021-22, not to mention having had some Canadian content within its ranks over the years, with both Simeon Jackson and Jimmy Brennan donning the canary yellow.
The League Championship is widely considered the second-most attended soccer league in the world. It is a fantastic introduction to Europe for North American footballers. Most recently, Ismael Kone spent time at Watford in England’s second tier, and that allowed him to secure a move to Marseille. Kone is starring at Sassuolo in the Serie A — a Tier 1 league!
There is a lot to like about Ahmed’s move. His style of football, which includes a proclivity for the physical, will be well appreciated in Norfolk. This is a player who has never made a secret of his desire to one day try Europe … again. It was Ahmed who turned down a contract from Toronto FC as a youngster, instead opting to trial in Portugal and Spain. He would end up in Vancouver, but acknowledged that his European “failures” tested his self-belief and taught him many lessons.
There is nothing wrong with Ahmed’s self-belief these days — he is as good a guarantee for the World Cup squad as any, and with a few months of further seasoning at Norwich, it will be exciting to see how Ahmed’s game will have grown by the time June rolls around.
Herdman was not wrong. Ideally, Canada would have as many Tier 1 talents in its ranks as possible.
Currently, the list contains Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David, Tajon Buchanan, Moise Bombito, Kone and Oluwaseyi. However, with the growth of the game, Canada can still field a highly competitive side with its talent spread throughout leagues not considered necessarily at the top of the heap at the moment.
And, let’s be honest, a couple more transfer windows, and there may well be a handful of other Canadian hopefuls plying their trade at the peak of the European game.
After all, midway through the European season, several standout Canadian talents are enjoying eye-catching seasons.
Defender Alfie Jones is a mainstay in Middlesbrough’s defence. ‘Boro is firmly in the automatic promotion spots in the League Championship. Jones may well be a Premier League footballer next season.
In Croatia, Hajduk Split midfielder Niko Sigur is a regular on a very good team. Sigur, who is a favourite of Marsch, is strongly linked with a move to struggling Premier League club Wolverhampton.
Promise David is once again bossing Belgium soccer at Union Saint Gilloise, and although unlikely to leave this month, there has been rumoured interest among Premier League and German teams. A strong World Cup could see him jump to another club in a top-tier league.
Meanwhile, midfielder Stephen Eustaquio continues to churn away in the rumour mill. Out of favour at FC Porto, he is in need of minutes ahead of the World Cup. Expect to see his name linked with a variety of clubs later in January.
The European transfer window deadline is Feb. 2. How it affects the look of the Canadian national team ahead of the most important year in the sport’s history in Canada remains to be seen. “Minutes” and “opportunity” will be two words you will be hearing a lot in the next while.
