

Posted by

Armen Bedakian ,

November 8, 2013 Email

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Remember Oscar Cordon?‬



‪He was a part of Toronto FC’s first generation of TFC Academy graduates, alongside players like Keith Makubuya, Nicholas Lindsay and Matt Stinson. In his time with the club, Cordon played in six games, but was often talked about as a symbol of how the academy system in the city was developing. ‬



‪Cordon played in central midfield for the team. He was known for his smart touch, accurate passing and for the curls on his head, which made him stand out on the field. Nowhere near as poufy as David Luiz’s hairdo, but in his own way, Cordon was a fan favourite at the club. ‬



‪The club released him during the tenure of Paul Mariner. He, alongside five other players, including Adrian Cann, and fellow academy signings Lindsay and Makubuya, departed from Toronto FC. Within a month of his release, the club also cut Mariner. ‬



‪RedNation Online had a chance to catch up with Oscar Cordon, who spoke about the opportunities he has found since parting ways with Toronto FC. ‬



‪“I came back in January and in January I just started up my high school, because of my soccer, I wasn’t about to finish high school,” said Cordon. ‬



‪During this time, he found a trial opportunity in Germany, which he took up.‬



‪“I went to Germany for like three weeks, and it went well,” said Cordon. “It was a good experience. The team I went on trial, it was really hard, we weren’t even training with the team, it was more of 10 other guys in an open trial. It wasn’t what we expected, but we did go see some games so it was good.”‬



‪Cordon also found opportunities in Guatemala, with Deportivo Iztapa, a team newly promoted to the Guatemalan first division. ‬



‪“In June, I went to go back to Guatemala. I was there for two, almost three months. I did preseason with the team and everything was in line, and we were just waiting, to sign a contract. I was waiting on my international transfer certificate and other little details.”‬



‪“They announced officially that I had signed with them and everything, and I was with them for two and a half months,” said Cordon. “I did preseason, I got in games, I was starting and everything was going well. I was going to sign a one-year contract.” ‬



‪Ultimately, though, that contract wasn’t signed. ‬



‪“We didn’t reach an agreement,” said Cordon. He returned to Toronto again, his hometown, with one goal in mind – to graduate. ‬



‪“I just came back in September to finish my high school, and I finished a couple days ago!” ‬



‪Earlier in the year, there were rumours that Oscar Cordon had been called up to the Guatemalan National Team. Cordon confirmed he was in talks with the U-20 national team, but said he remains focused on making Canada’s roster again. ‬



‪“Canada was always my main objective,” said Cordon. “I’d been called up to the U-18 team, to the U-20 team. But, after not getting called up to the camps for the U-20 qualifiers and not going, it was just hard to take. I felt I had earned myself a spot there. I was disappointed.”‬



‪“When I was in Guatemala, the [Guatemalan] U-20 coach reached out to me,” said Cordon. “Now I have my passport and everything, but I’m not saying I’m dedicated to them, just that I’m going to keep my options open. I also have family from Honduras, I’m part Honduran, so that’s another option there.”‬



‪Now that he has graduated, and with a potential spot in the U-20 national team for Guatemala awaiting him, Cordon is looking forward to stepping back into the world of football. ‬



‪“We just started talking to my agent again,” said Cordon. “There is the possibility of going back to Guatemala with Heredia – they beat San Jose and Montreal in CONCACAF – so they reached out to me. I spoke to one of the directors not too long ago. It’s just a little talk, nothing confirmed but there’s a possibility of going back there.”‬



‪“It’s a better club than the one I was at in the summer, and if they were to play in the CONCACAF Champions League, so that would be good.” ‬



‪Looking back at his time at Toronto FC, Cordon ‬



‪“As a soccer player, I wouldn’t say it was something I wanted, but it was something that I felt I had to have,” said Cordon. “The way it was working at TFC at that moment, with the coach, I wasn’t even training, man; I wasn’t in any games, I wasn’t in nothing. In training, I was working on my own. ‬



‪“In training, I was working on my own. The other guys were training in one field and a couple players and I are just on the field,” said Cordon. “It gets to you man, just day after day, going into training like that. You’re working hard, you’re busting your balls, and for that to happen, my mentality was like, this needs to change. I want to go somewhere else and see how it is.” ‬



‪“Thank God I went in December, then, to Guatemala, and honestly, it’s only done me well,” said Cordon. “I demonstrated that I can play down there, I got back into form and got into contact with the national team coach.”‬



‪“I was just happy,” said Cordon. “It’s what I needed.”‬



‪“I felt like I wanted to finish my high school, too, because that’s important. Because of soccer, with TFC…” Cordon paused. “They didn’t help us that much with school. That’s how it is, I guess.”‬



‪We asked Cordon if he regretted signing with Toronto FC? ‬



‪“No, no regrets,” said Cordon. “I’m so thankful, to be honest. From the day that I came to the TFC Academy with Stuart Neely, that first game against Bolton, and preseason, no, it opened so many doors. I look at it like, there’s so many kids here, in Toronto, in Canada, that would love to have that opportunity to play in front of a full stadium and play against some big players.”‬



‪“On top of that I was doing it here, at home, in my town!” said Cordon. “No, I don’t regret it at all. It’s been a learning experience.” ‬



‪Has Cordon been keeping up with his former club?‬



‪“When I was in Guatemala, they show more of the Mexican league,” said Cordon. “But, I went to the final home game. I was there with a friend and went to go watch the game. There are still some guys I speak to. I don’t think the season went too well, right?”‬



‪So, is Cordon happy with how his career has progressed, with how life is like, after Toronto FC? ‬



‪“I mean, yeah, I’m happy,” said Cordon. “There’s other things that could be worse. I didn’t let it get to my head, I went down to Guatemala, I went to Germany and I still look at it with positive eyes. I still have dreams and goals. I just think, ‘what if I had stayed at TFC?’ It would be the same situation, right? It wouldn’t have done me any good. You just have to look at it positively.” ‬



‪“Now, it’s just about what I feel like doing,” said Cordon. “I just want to keep trying, going to new places. I love soccer, and I want to keep going at it.”‬ Related: ‪Life After Toronto FC: Matt Stinson ‬