Canada: Premier League Nations

Continuing our alphabetical world tour, next up is Canada. The second largest country in the world by area, Canada’s sporting prowess is not generally associated with football. That said, 10 Canadians have appeared in the Premier League over the years, including one on the very first weekend…

First Player – Craig Forrest (Ipswich Town, Chelsea, West Ham; 1992-2001)

Starting in goal for the Tractor Boys on August 15^th 1992, Craig Forrest was one of only a handful of non-UK players to feature in the Premier League in its opening weekend, and the only Canadian.

Forrest was with Ipswich for over a decade during spells in the top two tiers, before spending a loan spell at Chelsea in 1997 and later joining West Ham on a permanent deal.

Forrest was in goal for Ipswich when they lost 9-0 to Manchester United in 1995. He also enjoyed a 14-year international career, winning 56 caps for Canada between 1988 and 2002.

Records

• Most Appearances – Tomasz Radzinski (194)
• First appearance – Craig Forrest (IPSWICH 1-1 Aston Villa, August 15^th 1992)
• Most goals – Tomasz Radzinski (35)
• First goal – Frank Yallop (Spurs 0-2 IPSWICH, January 27^th 1993)

Current Players – None

Junior Hoilett was the most recent Canadian to feature in the Premier League, making 31 appearances for Cardiff in 2018/19. Elsewhere, Scott Arfield left Burnley in 2018.

Trivia

• Three CONCACAF nations have had more than Canada’s 10 Premier League players; USA (45), Jamaica (38), Trinidad and Tobago (12).
• Craig Forrest and Frank Yallop both played for Ipswich Town in 1992/93, but no other Canadian featured in the Premier League until 2001.
• Four of the 10 Canadian Premier League players were born outside of Canada, each in a different country (Scotland – Scott Arfield, Jamaica – Simeon Jackson, Poland – Tomasz Radzinski, England – Frank Yallop).