Competitive football has returned to much of Europe with league play and cup action in full swing throughout the continent. Let’s take a look at what some prominent Canadians did over the weekend.
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Promise Davis, Union SG
Whether Promise David remains with Union SG by the time the transfer window slams shut on Sept. 1 (in most of Europe) remains to be seen, but he was in action for the club this past Saturday. The Brampton, Ont. native had a big hand in the team’s thrashing of Westerlo as Belgian Pro League play opened up. It began a busy stretch for Les Unionistes to kick off their season with another Champions League qualifier set for Tuesday.
It was actually Westerlo who opened the scoring. In the 13th minute, the hosts broke forward against the run of play. Isa Sakamoto dished off for Norman Bessette and the forward on loan from Coventry City hammered a volley past a stationary Vic Chambaere to make it 1-0. It appeared as if Chambaere truly didn’t know if Bessette planned to shoot or go back to Sakamoto and his indecision cost him.
Union would get back to even terms in the 28th through David and would never look back. Playing out from the back, Besfort Zenelli took advantage of his marker slipping and sent a sublime through ball up for David, who had a step on the Westerlo centre-backs. Seeing goalkeeper Andreas Jungdal coming out to challenge him, David struck with a first-time hit to score with a low drive. The goal was David’s 29th league goal for Union.
David thought he had a second in first-half stoppage. Played in alone by Kevin Mac Allister, David roofed a ball with his right foot, but the flag went up immediately. David fell to his knees in disbelief.
Still tied at 1-1, Union took their first lead in the 57th. David played provider this time. Sending a ball wide across the field for Raul Florucz, the Austria midfielder ran at goal. Just inside the area, his shot was deflected by Amando Lapage, leaving Jungdal with no chance as the ball floated into the net.
Only moments later, both David and Florucz were subbed off, ending their afternoons after 59 minutes. Union would go on to get goals from Relebohile Mofokeng, Guilherme Smith and Darius Olaru for what ended up being a comfortable 5-1 win. Runners-up last season, Les Unionistes are looking for a second league crown in three years.
Immediately, Union’s focus turns to the Champions League with a trip to Norway set for Tuesday. Union will take on Bodø/Glimt in the second leg of their third-round qualification tie after the first match in Belgium ended in a 3-3 draw with David scoring in the 88th minute. Winners of the tie will move on to the final Champions League playoff round, while the losers will head into the Europa League.
As for David himself, a transfer could still be in the cards. He appeared to be close to joining Stuttgart in July, even going so far as to tell a fan to buy a jersey in an Instagram comment, but no transfer materialized. Still, several weeks remain with the window still wide open.
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Cyle Larin, Southampton
It’s a big season ahead for both Cyle Larin personally and Southampton itself. The 31-year-old Brampton, Ont. native completed a permanent move to Saints from Mallorca this past June after a solid loan spell in the second half of last season that saw him score eight Championship goals in 16 appearances. Southampton would go on to reach the playoff final before the club became embroiled in scandal that ultimately derailed their Premier League dream.
After defeating Middlesbrough 2-1 on aggregate in the semifinals, Saints appeared to be primed for a final at Wembley against Hull City with a return to the top flight and at least £200 million in revenue on the line. But days before the final, Saints were expelled from the playoffs in light of a team analyst being caught illegally filming Boro training ahead of their first leg. A subsequent investigation into the incident by the Football League revealed other instances of Southampton doing the same, explicitly under the direction of head coach Tonda Eckert. Boro would go on to play in the final where they were defeated by the Tigers, who returned to the Premier League.
Embarrassed by the incident and set to start the season with a four-point deduction, Saints began competitive play on Saturday with a visit to League Two side Colchester United in League Cup first-round action. What should have been a mismatch ended up being far more taxing than Saints would have planned. It was substitute Larin who would come to the rescue.
The hosts enjoyed the better opportunities in the first half of the match with Southampton goalkeeper Daniel Peretz called into action on a number of occasions. With the final play of the first half, Colchester came dangerously close to an opener on a set piece. A corner was floated to the far post where it met the head of captain Jack Tucker. Only a late intervention from Saints defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis kept the ball out of the net.
As the second half began, Saints began to take control and turn the pressure up on their hosts. They finally got their goal in the 78th through Larin. Ireland left-back Ryan Manning skipped a ball across the face of goal from distance that Larin, who was introduced in the 62nd for Ben Brereton Diaz, headed inside the far post to make it 1-0. It was Larin’s 10th goal across all competitions in a Saints shirt.
Ireland youth international Romeo Akachukwu, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Colchester, added a stoppage-time marker to wrap up the victory for Saints. The team now shifts its attention to league play where they will open up the Championship season in last place on -4 points. The season kicks off on Sunday with a trip to Vicarage Road to take on Watford.
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Owen Goodman, Dundee
After serving as Canada’s third goalkeeper at the World Cup, Owen Goodman has gone back out on loan with his most high-profile move to date. After spells with League Two and League One sides, Crystal Palace has sent the 22-year-old London native to Scottish Premiership side Dundee. The loan will be Goodman’s steepest competition to date.
“I’m excited for the new challenge, and for the next step in my career,” Goodman said upon joining the team in mid-July. “I’m happy to experience something new, I’ve never even been to Scotland so I’m excited to live here and play here.”
After a 1-0 loss in the opening match of the season against champions Celtic last weekend, Dundee got its first victory of the new campaign on Saturday at home to Aberdeen. Not only was it Goodman’s maiden win with his new side, he managed to pick up a clean sheet. While Dundee was the superior side for a majority of the match, Goodman was called into action on a couple of occasions.
The hosts opened the scoring in just the ninth minute as Joe Bevan set up Joe Westley before Bevan scored himself with a fine effort in the 57th. It was only when Dundee was comfortably ahead that they started to loosen up and allow the Dons to get a little bit more time on the ball. Still, Aberdeen could not find a way back into the match.
Late in the second half, Aberdeen won a corner. Lewis Smith whipped a ball towards the near post that was headed away as far as Mats Knoester. The Dutch defender headed the ball back towards the near post for Dan Hoppe to head down, but Goodman was there to close his legs and make a fine save to keep it out of the Dundee net for what was his best save of the match.
The victory vaulted Dundee into fifth in the table after two matches, trailing leaders Celtic and St. Mirren by three points. The Dee returns to action on Saturday in a rematch against the Dons, this time at Aberdeen in a League Cup second-round match. They next see Premiership action on Aug. 22 with a visit to city rivals Dundee United.
