Eikon Athletes continued to make waves in May, in both domestic Canadian soccer and international leagues.
Ollie Bassett
Currently one of the undoubted leading lights in the Canadian Premier League, Eikon Sports athlete Ollie Bassett continued his excellent form for his new club Atletico Ottawa, adding goals to his game and earning the league’s player of the month award. Bassett has continued to play in a deeper role for Ottawa, at least compared to where we saw him with Pacific, but it hasn’t stopped him from contributing in the final third. The Norther Irish midfielder scored twice in the CPL in May, as Ottawa’s form took a welcomed upturn. By the end of May, Bassett had been a part of the CPL’s team of the week 5 times out of 9 – an incredible record and a testament to the sort of form he is in. Arguably his best performance of the season came against Edmonton in May, where he scored a goal and provided 4 key passes in a winning effort.
The CPL Player of the Month for May is… @atletiOttawa's @OllieBassett28 🌟#CanPL pic.twitter.com/O8ZJZSawxR
— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) June 9, 2022
Myer Bevan
After a relatively slow start to the season, at least by his standards, Cavalry’s Kiwi striker and Eikon athlete Myer Bevan started turning heads in Canadian domestic soccer. He is slowly becoming a crucial player for Tommy Wheeldon Jr’s team up front, and his 2 goals in the CPL in May are a good example of that. Bevan’s best contribution however, came in the Canadian Championship against Vancouver Whitecaps (his former club), where he scored an absolute screamer to open the scoring. Although Cavalry went on to lose, that was one of the best goals ever seen from a CPL player (and that’s saying a lot, considering some of the bangers we’ve seen this season!).
GOLAZO 🐎#CANPL. BANGERS. ONLY. ™️
Another game, another beauty, as Myer Bevan stuns #VWFC to give @CPLCavalryFC a 1-0 lead in this #CanChamp QF 🇨🇦🏆
20 min. to go! | 🔴 https://t.co/7JFAUhgjL6 pic.twitter.com/WuzsK8SKyB
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 26, 2022
Moses Dyer & Andy Baquero
Having started the season as a centre-forward as expected, Moses Dyer shifted to more of an attacking midfield position for Valour towards the end of May, as Phillip Dos Santos looked to get the New Zealand international more involved in play. Dyer provided an assist for the Winnipeg-based club in May, and it will be interesting to see whether he continues in an attacking midfield role or moves back to being a striker. He now has the Chilean forward Walter Ponce to compete with in that regard.
Cuban international Andy Baquero has seemingly nailed down the starting right-back spot for Valour, holding off Federico Pena for the time being. Baquero featured in all 5 matches for Valour in May, all as a right-back, and he won an impressive 64% of his tackles, along with being a serious asset in possession as always.
Akeem Garcia
A consistent performer in the CPL, Akeem Garcia found the back of the net twice for HFX Wanderers during the month of May. Both of his goals were of importance to his team as well, as one came against Cavalry in a 2-2 CPL draw while the other helped HFX to a 2-0 win over amateur side Guelph United in the Canadian Championship. Garcia has a slightly different role for HFX now than what we saw a few years ago, but he continues to be one of their leading lights up top.
Jordan Wilson
When you think of the word “leader” in the context of the CPL, I’d bet that one of the first players that comes to mind is Jordan Wilson. The destructive defensive midfielder continues to lead by example for his team, as he scored his penalty in both of York United’s Canadian Championship matches in May, helping lead them to the semi-finals. Wilson also displayed his immense versatility in May, shifting to a role at centre-back for Martin Nash’s team.
Wesley Timoteo
Proving himself to be one of the best crossers in the CPL, Wesley Timoteo has continued to be one of the brighter spots for struggling FC Edmonton. Timoteo featured 4 times for Alan Koch’s team across the month, pitching in with a goal against defending champions Pacific on May 15th.
Look at that delivery from @WLancaTimoteo 👀 🎯 #Eikoη https://t.co/626vQbaMJ2
— EikonSportsGroup (@Eikon_Sports) June 1, 2022
Leaford Allen
He was signed up to play with leading League1 Ontario club Simcoe County Rovers this season, but we at Eikon Sports found a way to give Leaford Allen the opportunity to head down to New Zealand and play for the Napier City Rovers. He spent no time lounging about in his new environment either – Allen scored a brace on his debut for Napier City (formerly known as Hawke’s Bay United, who have had a strong connection to Canadian soccer in recent years) and is expected to continue shining down in New Zealand. Allen is one of the most prolific players in League1 Ontario history and thoroughly deserves his opportunity abroad.
Zachary Sukunda & Rony Argueta
Long-time Eikon client Zachary Sukunda, formerly of the HFX Wanderers, continued his journey in Finland last month. Now playing at a higher level than he was last season following the promotion of his club PEPO, Sukunda saw 90 minutes on three occasions in May. Although he played as a full-back during his time in the CPL, Sukunda has been operating in a midfield role for PEPO and continues to be a key player.
Eikon Sports was able to strike another deal with PEPO in May, facilitating the transfer of American midfielder Rony Argueta to the Finnish side, to join up with Eikon athletes Sukunda and Jeannot Esua. Argueta had previously only played in the United States, and was eager for an opportunity abroad. With over 150 appearances in the USL Championship, Argueta is an impressive pickup for PEPO and we cannot wait to see what he accomplishes in Finland!
Always good vibes😀 @PEPOedustus @Eikon_Sports @ZacharySukunda ##pullapulla🤲🏿⚡️ pic.twitter.com/6SnIAiWbST
— Jeannot Esua3 (@JeannotEsua) May 13, 2022
Ahinga Selemani
The last of our updates for May comes from the Maltese Premier League, where Canadian striker and Eikon athlete Ahinga Selemani has extended his contract with Gudja United for 2 years. Selemani joined the Maltese club earlier this year, featuring in 12 of their matches during the 2nd half of the 2021-22 season. In those 12 appearances, Selemani racked up 4 goals and 2 assists, once again proving his quality in front of goal.