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Recap: Trophy Wins Abroad For Former CPL, MLS Talent
By The spoils of silverware came hard-fought in all cases as two different Canadians and a former three-time CPL champion all picked up trophies in their respective competitions last night.
St. Patrick’s Athletic defender David Norman Jr, Malmo FF’s Derek Cornelius, and Phoenix Rising’s Daniel Krutzen all had plenty to celebrate sa their clubs won big. All three of those players had an influence on the deciding match, so without further ado here’s a highlight of how their trophy wins came to be:
David Norman Jr. Wins FAI Cup With St. Patrick’s Athletic
Former Cavalry defender David Norman Jr. has ended 2023 on a high with his second medal of the campaign, and his first trophy: having helped St. Patrick’s Athletic secure European continental football through a third-placed league finish, the 25-year-old had the start as the club bested Bohemians 3-1 in a historic FAI Cup Final.
A record crowd of 43,881 took in the scene as St. Patrick’s came back from a goal down to win 3-1, with David Norman Jr. playing every minute of the final. Having also helped Northampton Town to promotion earlier this year, it remains what to seen what will come next for the soon-to-be out-of-contract Canadian.
Derek Cornelius Wins The Swedish Top Flight With Malmo FF
Canadian international Derek Cornelius had a big role to play all season long for new Swedish champion Malmo FF, and last night was no different: playing all ninety against in a must-win match over runners-up IF Elfsborg, the club won the league level on points and up by goal difference after a thirty-match season.
Cornelius had four clearances, three tackles, and one shot blocked on the night, with the defender making 29 appearances for Malmo this year. He even tallied up 3 goals throughout the summer, one of which proved decisive against Brommapojkarna and, thusly, gave them just enough points to make last night’s narrow league win possible.
Daniel Krutzen Keeps His Title Winning Strike Going
How fitting that Phoenix Rising uses a Gareth Wheeler-ism to describe last night’s trophy win for Daniel Krutzen, a three-time Canadian Premier League champion. It was just one year ago that the Dutch defender captained Forge to a dynasty win over Atletico Ottawa, with 2023 see him move to Pheonix Rising to test himself in a new environment.
The Dutch defender slotted in immediately as a consistent starter, but a summertime knock saw Krutzen get sidelined and struggle to get back in. As the season came to a climax he had drifted to a late-game sub role, and it was no different last night: he came on to shepherd the team through extra time, and with the scores level of 1-1 would taste his silverware following a tense penalty shootout – though his own spot kick would be saved as Phoenix came back from two-nil down in the PK shootout.
Like David Norman Jr, Krutzen – who has his permanent residency – could be on the move following the title win, as his contract expires at the end of the month.
It’s not often one gets to see so three players known to Canadian soccer circles all celebrate trophy wins abroad on the same day, so last night’s achievements are certainly worth celebrating for the former CPL and MLS talent.
It’s also fitting that both David Norman Jr. and Daniel Krutzen’s former clubs were the two who made it to the CPL Final, while Cornelius’ prevous Whitecaps side were the only Canadian team to reach playoffs this season.