David Edgar calls on experience abroad to mentor Ottawa Fury teammates

There aren't many Canadian soccer players who can boast the kind of career that new Ottawa Fury recruit David Edgar's had.

The 31-year-old defender from Kitchener, Ont., has faced the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs.

He's scored thrilling goals against the Brazilian national team and Edwin van der Sar of Manchester United.

He's donned the captain's armband for the Canadian men's national team and represented his country in the FIFA U-20 World Cup and at the CONCACAF Gold Cup. 

Now, he's looking to be part of what Fury general manager Julian de Guzman has dubbed "The Project": a squad built around a nucleus of promising Canadian players that will both attract a local following and feed the national men's program for years to come. 

De Guzman says Edgar's influence will be felt immediately.

"He understands the situation Canada is in in terms of professional soccer and what we're trying to do here," he said.

"That's a huge bonus, and the game-changing reason why it makes sense to bring [in] a guy like him, with his qualities as a defender, as a player, as a leader."

Game changer

Edgar has been a game changer all his life. He proudly recalls the goal he scored against Manchester United at the age of 19, called into service by Newcastle United thanks to a string of injuries. 

It was his home debut playing for the team whose posters adorned his room as a child.

"First of all, that was probably the only time I got past the halfway line in that game ... As soon as I hit it and it took a slight, slight, deflection, I knew it was in," Edgar recalled.

"I almost turned around to celebrate, but I hadn't heard the stadium erupt yet. I don't think it shows it on the camera angle, but I've turned back to check, thinking I was celebrating and it hadn't gone in. Then [the crowd] just went wild and everything was a blur."

Paid his dues

Edgar didn't head for Europe until the age of 14. Two years after, he received his first academy offer — which his parents flatly dismissed, fearing he was too young. 

Unlike young academy stars of today, life in Newcastle for a young Canadian was difficult, Edgar said. You paid your dues by cleaning the cleats of senior team members. You washed your own kit. And you knew your place on the pecking order.

"They see a foreigner coming in and they're from Newcastle. They're Geordies. They're diehards," said Edgar.

"You're coming to take their spots. And it's dog-eat-dog out there."

More than a decade later, Edgar finds himself in Ottawa as the veteran leader on a team that features young Canadian players who never had to leave the country to play professionally.

He said he hopes that younger generation takes advantage of that opportunity.

"The only option we had was to go play abroad," said Edgar. "So to have that option here now, [it] needs to be a chance you grab with both hands."

Edgar is expected to make his Ottawa Fury debut this Saturday when the club takes on Indy Eleven at TD Place stadium.