[nas] Scouting Canada

Soccer teams from Italy to U.S. cast eye on young Canadian midfielder

By Neil Davidson 
Canadian Press - Monday, December 22, 2003

Canadian midfielder Atiba Hutchinson, who has drawn interest from big-name
clubs from England to Italy, was honoured Monday by being named to the
all-star team at the recently concluded world under-20 soccer championships.

He was joined on the all-star roster by Canadian striker Iain Hume.

"They were two key players for us," Canadian coach Dale Mitchell said from
Vancouver. "They really came through and didn't look out of place amongst
any of the players that were in the tournament.

"And I don't think that anyone will be more delighted than their teammates.
Because that's the type of kids they are. They fit in really well with the
group." 

Clubs interested in Hutchinson include Italian Serie A side Udinese. There
is also a team in Portugal, three in France, three in Germany, a couple in
Denmark, "almost every team in Sweden" and one in Major League Soccer in the
U.S., according to agent Barry MacLean.

"A bit of a frenzy," is how MacLean describes the interest.

"We've got a lot of interest in him, that's for sure," MacLean said Monday.
"Probably more than any other Canadian player I've dealt with. . .. The fact
that he did so well at the World Cup, that didn't hurt for sure."

The Toronto midfielder is smooth on the ball and has poise and good speed.

The skinny six-foot 153-pounder has already won six caps for the under-23
Olympic team and four for the senior side.

Hutchinson, 20, has a year left on his contract with Osters in Sweden. The
team was relegated from the top level last season but the young Canadian
scored five goals in 23 games from a defensive midfield role.

With the transfer window opening in January, Osters has to decide whether
any of the offers are acceptable.

Nothing concrete has happened, MacLean stresses, but he is collecting plenty
of options. 

If he doesn't move, Hutchinson can finish out his contract with the Swedish
side and become a free agent next fall. Then he could basically pick his
team. 

That explains why "Osters is very amenable to the possibility of selling.
They just won't do it for nothing," MacLean said.

England's Southampton and Manchester City were also interested in
Hutchinson, said MacLean. But because Hutchinson does not have a European
Union passport, he would need a work permit.

Given Canada's lowly standing in the world rankings - 87th at last count -
and Hutchinson's relative inexperience, that would be a gamble. MacLean is
not willing to miss out on the January transfer window because of red tape.

The fact that Canada put two players on the 20-man all-star roster speaks
volumes for the success of Mitchell's squad, which reached the
quarter-finals in a Canadian men's first at a FIFA world championship.

Especially when champion Brazil accounted for six of the all-stars with
three coming from Spain and two from Argentina, the U.S. and the host United
Arab Emirates. 

Colombia, Egypt and Japan, with one apiece, were the only other of the 20
teams to furnish all-stars.

Hume, a 20-year-old from Brampton, Ont., holds down a starting role with
Tranmere Rovers of the English Second Division. He had three goals in five
games at the world under-20 championships.

The 5-7 155-pounder has already won three caps for Canada at the senior
level. 

Hutchinson is normally a midfielder but was slotted into the backline during
the tournament by Mitchell to solidify the defence.

"Our fortunes took a turn for the better when we moved Atiba into our back
three and made it a back four," said Mitchell. "We stopped leaking goals at
that point and started to win some games. That was one of the turning points
for us." 

Hutchinson was chosen as one of four defenders on the all-star team while
Hume was chosen to a four-man extra pool to make up a 20-man squad.

Notes: MacLean says an MLS team and a couple of Swedish clubs are interested
in Vancouver defender Kevin Harmse, also a member of the under-20 national
team. He was with Tromso in Norway most recently. Another MacLean client,
forward Sita Taty-Matondo, also has some MLS interest. ... Two Canadians
will be at the MLS combine Jan.11-13 in Carson, Calif.: Marin Pusek of the
University of Alabama-Birmingham and Adrian Cann of the University of
Louisville. Pusek was drafted by the Toronto Lynx in the recent A-League
college draft while Montreal took Cann. Both went in the first round. 


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