Krutzen Returning To Canada Following Swedish Trials

Swedish news agency Kvallsposten is reporting that Forge FC defender Daniel Krutzen has finished his trial period in Sweden and is returning to Canada.

The crucial Forge defender was revealed to be trialing with Swedish top flight side Orebro SK last week, with a report yesterday from the Kvallsposten revealing that he had then joined Helsingborgs IF on trial. The side were relegated from the top flight last season after spending two years in the Allsvenskan following promotion in 2018.

The key Forge defender impressed enough in training at Helsingborgs this past week to make a second half appearance against Torns IF in a friendly today, replacing Emil Hellman in the second half and even providing an assist for Simon Bengtsson in the 61st minute.

Shortly after the match, however, Helsingborgs IF coach Jorgen Lennartsson downplayed the potential of Krutzen joining the team, telling the Kvallsposten that Krutzen’s trial had ended and that the 24-year-old defender was now flying back to Canada.

Now he has a flight back to Canada and we do not mess with that. He takes it home, otherwise he might have trained with us another day. He exists as another name on the block, no more than that.

Jorgen Lennartsson

Krutzen, a product of the GRC Genk Academy, is an inaugural member of the Forge FC squad who has established himself as a league-leading centre-back over the past two title-winning seasons.

There’s no player who’s clocked in more minutes for the Canadian Premier League side than Krutzen, who has made 49 appearances across all competitions for the team – a figure that ties him with team captain Kyle Bekker as the club’s all-time appearance leader.

Much like his trial today showed, Krutzen is also dangerous in the attacking third: he has scored five goals for Forge FC across all competitions, two of which came in the club’s most recent Concacaf League campaign.

Forge FC has started its returning roster announcements with a bang, confirming the re-signing of 2020 CPL MVP Kyle Bekker and Golden Glove winner Triston Henry over the past week. Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis has stated that he aims to keep the core of the Hamilton-based side’s roster together, sprinkling in new players ahead of the club’s eventual Voyageurs Cup Final against Toronto FC.

The Lanaken-born defender would be a big miss for the occasion, especially given that the club must also replace now-retired veteran defender David Edgar in the lineup.

While Krutzen reportedly boarding a plane back to Canada implies that he’s likely to re-sign with the reigning champions for a third year, it doesn’t completely rule out other possibilities. As a standout at the CPL level and the holder of a European passport, it still wouldn’t be surprising to see other foreign sides approach the 24-year-old.

Source: Kvallsposten