A brace from Tani Oluwaseyi helped Minnesota United secure a rare victory in Seattle. Meanwhile, Olivia Smith was honoured by Liverpool, and Zorhan Bassong continued to establish himself as a key defender for Sporting Kansas City. Here’s a look at Canadians in action over the weekend.

Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United

An action-packed eight-minute span early in the second half decided an entertaining match between the Seattle Sounders and Minnesota United, with Mississauga, Ontario’s Tani Oluwaseyi once again playing a key role for the Loons.

The match was full of notable moments, with one of the biggest happening before kickoff. As the Sounders stepped onto the pitch for warmups on Sunday evening, they wore brand-new t-shirts instead of their usual pre-match gear.

The t-shirts read “Club World Cash Grab.” For those unfamiliar, the Sounders are one of three MLS teams scheduled to participate in the 32-team Club World Cup later this month. However, the Sounders have raised concerns about their potential earnings from the tournament.

The issue arises from language in the MLS collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that was finalized before the expanded Club World Cup was introduced. Under the current CBA, the maximum amount a team can earn from a tournament is \$1 million, which must be shared among the players.

The main attraction of the Club World Cup is the financial reward, with the winners expected to earn over \$100 million. Even if the Sounders don’t make it past the group stage, they would still receive a \$10 million payout.

The fact that they are currently eligible for only a tenth of that amount is understandably a source of contention. With just days remaining before the tournament begins, it is still unclear whether the dispute will be resolved.

In the ninth minute, the Loons came close to scoring. Julian Gressel, a recent addition from Inter Miami in late April, delivered a well-placed cross to Oluwaseyi, whose header struck the crossbar.

The opening goal came in the 51st minute, thanks largely to the efforts of Robin Lod. Oluwaseyi played a ball to Bongokuhle Hlongwane at the edge of the box, who then found Lod. Lod skillfully beat Nohou Tolo with a Cruyff turn and set up Oluwaseyi, who slotted the ball past former Toronto FC goalkeeper Stefan Frei to make it 1-0.

Minutes later, the Loons doubled their lead from the penalty spot. Joaquin Pereyra looked to play in Hlongwane inside the box, but he was brought down by Jon Bell. Despite Bell’s protests, the referee awarded the penalty. Lod stepped up and, with a slight hesitation in his run-up, sent Frei the wrong way to make it 2-0 in the 54th minute. However, the Sounders responded almost instantly.

Almost immediately after the restart, Pedro de la Vega bypassed Anthony Markanich on the right and delivered a precise cross to Kalani Rienzi, who scored to make it 2-1 in the 55th minute, reigniting the crowd’s energy. However, Oluwaseyi responded quickly. In the 58th minute, Pereyra caught both Frei and the Seattle defense off guard with a low shot from outside the box.

While Frei managed a diving save, Oluwaseyi caught the Sounders defenders off guard and was first to the rebound, poking it in to restore the two-goal lead at 3-1. An own goal by Nicolas Romero in the 83rd minute brought the hosts within one, but that was as close as they got. The win marked the Loons’ first-ever victory in Seattle. Oluwaseyi’s brace brought his season total to eight league goals, along with four assists in 16 league matches.

Olivia Smith, Liverpool

Although the Women’s Super League season concluded on May 10, Olivia Smith has received an award nearly a month later. After scoring a goal in the Canada Women’s National Team’s victory over Haiti on Saturday, the 20-year-old forward was named Liverpool’s Player of the Season. Smith earned the honour over her teammates Taylor Hinds and Marie Hobinger.

Toronto-born Smith was previously honored as Liverpool’s Young Player of the Year. She joined the Reds after an offseason transfer from Sporting, where she earned the title of Campeonato Nacional Feminino’s Young Player of the Year for the 2023-2024 season. Smith led Liverpool in scoring with nine goals across all competitions, including two goals against Manchester United at Anfield.

Smith also added one assist. She finished her season in the 98th percentile for successful take-ons at 2.01 per 90 minutes, in the 95th percentile for interceptions at 0.80 per 90 minutes, and in the 99th percentile for tackles at 2.75 per 90 minutes. Smith’s goal in Canada’s 4-1 win on Saturday was her fourth senior goal in 17 appearances.

Zorhan Bassong, Sporting Kansas City

Toronto’s Zorhan Bassong has yet to make a significant impact at the senior international level. The Sporting Kansas City left-back has been capped just twice by Canada, with both appearances occurring in 2020. Ahead of the Gold Cup, manager Jesse Marsch has cast a wide net in selecting his squad.

Bassong will have the chance to impress after being named to the 23-man squad that will play Ukraine and Cote d’Ivoire at BMO Field in Toronto next week in the inaugural Canadian Shield.

He will be part of a defensive group that lacks experience, alongside Crewe Alexandra’s Jamie Knight-Lebel (one cap), Joel Waterman of CF Montreal (six appearances), and Fulham’s Luc de Fougerolles (two caps), who are also included in the squad.

In his second stint in MLS following a season in Romania, Bassong is now in his second year with SKC and has established himself as a reliable presence in the defense. Bassong played the entire 90 minutes in the team’s 3-1 away victory against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday. The visitors secured the win thanks to a brace from Dejan Joveljic.

During his shift, Bassong had a team-leading 71 touches with four tackles and two interceptions. He completed 48 of his 55 pass attempts. Bassong has averaged just over 53 minutes of play in his 13 league appearances this season, and Saturday’s match marked his fourth consecutive full 90-minute game. Opportunity is knocking for Bassong, and he is ready to answer.

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