{"id":84552,"date":"2026-06-11T22:03:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T22:03:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/84552\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T22:03:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T22:03:12","slug":"two-former-revolution-play-each-other-in-canada-vs-bosnia-match-boston-25-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/84552\/","title":{"rendered":"Two former Revolution play each other in Canada vs.\u00a0Bosnia\u00a0match \u2013 Boston 25 News"},"content":{"rendered":"

TORONTO, CANADA \u2014 Canada plays its first home match of the 2026 World Cup<\/a> against Bosnia and Herzegovina Friday afternoon. Former Revolution star Tajon Buchanan will make his second World Cup appearance for Canada. <\/p>\n

Buchanan was a great player in New England from 2019-2021. His speed made him a tough matchup for defenders and helped lead the Revolution to the best record in Major League Soccer in 2021. Buchanan had 13 combined goals and assists at just 21-years-old. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Canada v Iceland – International Friendly TORONTO, ON – MARCH 28: Tajon Buchanan #17 of Canada dribbles the ball during an International Friendly against Iceland at BMO Field on March 28, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley\/Getty Images) (Vaughn Ridley\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Since then, Buchanan has gone on to play for clubs in Belgium, Italy and Spain. He had a breakout year for Villareal in La Liga this past season, scoring seven goals in twenty-one starts.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe did extremely well here and just blossom. We sold him to Club Brugge and then he continued to move on,\u201d Revolution Sporting Director Curt Onalfo said. He\u2019s a great player for the Canadian National Team and an exciting player to watch. He keeps getting better so really excited to see how he does.”<\/p>\n

Onalfo says the winger has \u201csuperior athleticism\u201d and is very quick. The Revs drafted Buchanan 9th overall in the 2019 MLS Draft. One of his former teammates, Andrew Farrell, is not surprised to see how important Buchanan has become to his club and country. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe all saw the raw talent, the physicality, the physical attributes he had,\u201d Farrell said. \u201cEvery time he beat the guy one time in a game it was over. We knew feed the ball to Tajon. Once he like beat the first guy one time, he knew he could beat him every time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Farrell was a veteran starting defender when Buchanan was young and making a name for himself. Farrell is eager to see what Buchanan will do for Canada this summer. <\/p>\n

\u201cAmazingly talented player who\u2019s done it in so many different leagues at a high level and with the national team. I\u2019m sure he\u2019s so pumped to be able to play in front of his whole friends and family,\u201d Farrell said. \u201cCanada has a really good team. They\u2019ve given the USA a run for their money in this side of the World Cup qualifiers. I think they have a really good team.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the other side, Bosnia and Herzegovina will showcase a young, confident player Esmir Bajraktarevic. He was born in Wisconsin but decided to join Bosnia in order to play more minutes. At just 21-years-old, Esmir hit the game-winning penalty kick to eliminate Italy from World Cup contention back in March. The goal sent Bosnia to the country\u2019s second-ever World Cup appearance. <\/p>\n

The midfielder was signed into the Revolution Academy at 15-years-old. He spent four seasons in New England before he was sold to a Dutch club. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Bosnia & Herzegovina v Italy – FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers KO play-offs ZENICA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – MARCH 31: Esmir Bajraktarevic of Bosnia & Herzegovina scores a winning penalty during the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers KO play-offs match between Bosnia & Herzegovina and Italy at Stadion Bilino Polje on March 31, 2026 in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photo by Getty Images\/Getty Images) (Getty Images\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Revolution Captain Carles Gil knows what makes a good midfielder. <\/p>\n

\u201cAmazing talent. He was very young here with us. He improved a lot, and now he\u2019s doing very good in Europe,\u201d Gil said. \u201cIt\u2019s a guy who has a big personality. He likes the big challenge, so he feels good in this type of moments of games.\u201d<\/p>\n

Onalfo says it\u2019s awesome to see Esmir in big moments for a national team. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very proud of him. He was very ballsy. He was on a pathway to potentially be on the U.S. team, and he chose to go to Bosnia. Sure enough he ends up being the deciding factor to play in a World Cup here in the U.S. This is an incredible story,\u201d Onalfo said. <\/p>\n

Onalfo says he has exceptional skill. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been doing this my whole life and guys like him play at the highest level. They play on the national teams, and I\u2019ve been around those players and he has all those qualities,\u201d Onalfo said. \u201cYou have to have exceptional ball handling skills and that\u2019s what he has. But he\u2019s also got a major edge. When you combine that mentality and that edge with that exceptional talent, amazing things happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buchanan and Esmir are both going to play attacking roles in the midfield. During the game, we could see the two making chances or even scoring for their countries. For Farrell, it\u2019s cool to see former teammates on soccer\u2019s biggest stage. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so cool to see like former players you train with and play with being at high stages,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s cool seeing these moments for these guys who we shared a locker room with for a couple years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app<\/a> for breaking news alerts.<\/p>\n

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a92026 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n