Edgar ready to compete in Nashville
David Edgar is on a mission to prove he can still be an effective defender.
So when a sweet sounding soccer deal sprung up in Music City, the Kitchener native didn’t hesitate to take his fancy footwork south of the border to sign a contract with Nashville SC in the United Soccer League.
His addition to the first-year franchise was officially announced Wednesday.
“I’m fit and ready to go,” he said. “I’m at the point where I need minutes and to play football and to prove my knee is OK.”
Nashville SC is three games into its inaugural campaign in the 16-team professional loop, which is considered one rung below Major League Soccer in North America.
Edgar spent the past two seasons in the MLS with the Vancouver Whitecaps but parted ways with the club earlier this year.
The goal remains getting back to the MLS or another higher pro circuit, but first Edgar has to show that his surgically repaired knee can hold up.
“The knee feels good,” he said. “Like anyone I have good days and bad days but it’s just something that I have to look after.”
Edgar’s 2017 season was wiped out after he was hit by a car while on holiday in Arizona. The 30year-old suffered a torn posterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament and meniscus in his right knee in the collision and spent the past year in rehab.
“David is a very experienced centre back who offers real physical and central experience,” Nashville SC head coach Gary Smith said in news release. “He has played at the top level for his country and in his club career and he is a good addition to our already strong backline.”
Edgar cut his teeth with the Premier League’s Newcastle United before moving on to other top clubs in Britain and North America. Along the way, he picked up 42 caps with Canada’s national men’s team.
Sitting out the past year wasn’t easy for the footballer.
“It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life,” admitted Edgar. “It taught me a lot about myself.”
The smile of his soon to be five-year-old daughter Lila and pregnant wife Natalia — who is due in 10 days — made the comeback easier.
“It was nice to have a year with my daughter,” said Edgar. “My knee was never off my mind until I saw her.”
Nashville SC is seventh in the USL’s top tier with a record of 1-1-1 and is hoping to debut their new Canadian back in league action this weekend.
“The city has been welcoming,” said Edgar. “I was looking around for a cowboy hat with a friend. I’m excited to get going.”