

Posted by

Steve Bottjer ,

May 6, 2014 Email

Steve Bottjer

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@BottjerRNO

With his TFC and MLS career still only a few weeks old, Issey Nakajima-Farran has already experienced a number of firsts, including his first MLS appearance, his first goal and his first win with his new club.



Given that Toronto will face off against Vancouver on Wednesday in the 2014 Canadian Championship tournament, the 29 year old winger is now excited about the likelihood that he could soon make his first appearance in Canada’s premier club tournament.



That said, the Canadian International, who played far away in Denmark, Australia and Cyprus in recent years, was also open in admitting that he is not especially familiar with either the tournament or TFC’s semifinal opponents, the Vancouver Whitecaps.



“I don’t know too much about the tournament yet,” Issey told RedNation. “I’m just getting used to everything here. But it is something new and I’m excited for it.”



“To be honest, I’m still settling in here in Toronto,” he added. “I just got myself a television two days ago, so I need to catch up on the games. I haven’t been watching any games and I have not seen Vancouver play. I’ve just been focused on getting settled and adapting to the team here in Toronto. That’s my main focus, adapting to my new teammates rather than worrying about the other teams.”



While his focus over the last few weeks has been strictly on integrating with his new club, the attack-minded veteran did admit that he is looking forward to the possible opportunity to play against some fellow Canadian Internationals in the Amway Canadian Championship tournament.



“It will be good to play against Russell Teibert on Wednesday,” Issey said. “It’s always nice to play against guys that you know.”



Should Toronto defeat Vancouver in the semifinal round, the Reds will likely face off against last year’s Canadian Champions, the Montreal Impact. That final matchup would enable Issey to play against another long time Canadian International and veteran of the Danish Superliga, Patrice Bernier.



“I played with Patrice at Nordsjælland and then I went to Horsens and played against Patrice in Denmark,” Issey explained. “It is always a pleasure to see that guy, whether we are on the same team or if I am playing against him. We’ve already talked about it and said that hopefully we will see each other soon on the same pitch.”



While a possible finals match with Montreal is still something down the road, the second leg against Vancouver is just over a week away.



With the Calgary native previously stating that his move to MLS would offer his family the rare opportunity of seeing him play in person and with Vancity just a short flight away from Cowtown, that match could represent another first for the personable footballer – a chance for family members to see him play up close as the newest player on Toronto FC.