Tajon Buchanan is a Canadian football player who began his youth career at Brampton Youth Soccer Club and rose to play for New England Revolution and Brugge. He was invited by the Canadian National Team in January 2021, ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The 26-year-old is the first of two boys who were raised by a single mother, after the death of their father. He had to leave his family and move to Colorado to chase his dream of being a soccer player at the age of 15. Tajon was named the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup Best Young Player Award.
Who is Tajon Buchanan?
Tajon Trevor Buchanan famously called “the Pride of Brampton”, was born in Brampton, Ontario, on February 8, 1999. He is the oldest of 2 boys born to Bill Buchan and his wife, both of Jamaican descent.
He was raised alongside his younger brother Bay Buchanan. The young athlete took an interest in sports at a very young age. His folks were very supportive of him, as they made sure he created a balance between his education and his chosen sport.
He attended Legacy High school, where he joined the Legacy soccer program. Upon graduation from high school, he went to Syracuse University, New York, where he majored in Physical Education.
Shocking Facts About Tajon Buchanan
1. Tajon Was Raised by a Single Mother
At the age of 7, the young Tajon, lost his father, Bill Buchan. It was a trying moment for his mother, as he and his brother were still little. Subsequently, his mother was left to raise him and his siblings.
Fortunately, he had a father figure who stepped in and tried to fill the gap. His best friend’s father and his coach, Chrys, made sure he was excelling both in his academics and his budding soccer career.
On the other hand, his mother worked extra hard to care for her boys, including working odd jobs. These tough times taught the young footballer some valuable lessons about love and family.
2. He Started His Youth Career at the Age of 8
At the age of 8, Tajon began his journey to stardom when he started playing with the Brampton Youth Soccer Club, which was located in his neighborhood. In addition to Tajon, the youth club nurtured some of the best Canadian football stars.
He later joined the U-12 Brampton Blast 99s Blue, where he played in the Summer lake Simcoe Soccer Tournament. The team defended their title after winning with 28 goals in 5 games.
The young player displayed great prowess which led him to be signed by the Mississauga Falcons. There, he played a vital role in the team winning the IMG Cup.
3. Tajon Buchanan Moved to Colorado at the Age of 15
After graduating from high school, the budding footballer moved from his hometown in Ontario to Colorado with his best friend, Anthony, and his father and coach, Chrys Chrysanthou.
In Colorado, he joined the United States Soccer Development Academy (USSDA), Real Colorado. Subsequently, he received the necessary training to kick off his college career.
4. He Won a Soccer College Scholarship
Tajon got admission to Syracuse University, after graduating from high school and moving to colorado. While at the university, he played college soccer between 2017 and 2018. Due to his football-playing skills, Tajon was offered a scholarship by the university.
Prior to that, the University discovered that the youngster had not completed the requirements to be a student. This led him to work even harder to meet up. Tajon put in extra effort in his work that made him complete a year and a half of work in just 6 months. He achieved that by taking both online and onsite classes.
At the end of his first year in college, he had already scored 4 goals and 2 assists in 18 matches. Subsequently, he became a member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll during the spring semester. Similarly, in 2018, he became the 1st player in to record 20 points in a season since 2015.
5. Tajon Buchanan Signed a Generation Adidas Contract While in His Sophomore Year in College
In 2018, The Canadian footballer signed a Generation Adidas contract with Major League Soccer ahead of the 2019 SuperDraft. Subsequently, Tajon was selected as the 9th overall player in the 2019 SuperDraft and was signed to the New England Revolution.
He scored his first goal for the team in 2020 in a match against Philadelphia Union. In the 2021 season, he was nominated to the MLS Squad for the MLS All-Star Game in August of the same year.
Similarly, he signed a 3 and half year deal with the Belgian club, Brugge. While at Brugge, he was loaned out to his former team, New England Revolution for the rest of the 2021 season. Subsequently, he made his debut for Brugge in January 2022 and scored his first goal for the club in April 2022.
6. Tajon Buchanan’s Family has not Seen Him Play Many Times
The footballer revealed that his family has not seen him play many times. He said is been years since they saw him play. This is owed largely to the fact that he moved from Ontario to Colorado to chase his college career.
While in college, he said they only came up to watch him a few times and after he got signed to New England, Covid struck and they could not travel anymore. However, his whole family was able to attend his game against Toronto FC.
He added that his whole family was at the game. The Canadian soccer player added that he got 50 tickets for his family. Subsequently, he learned that they got an additional 30-40 more tickets.
See Also: Jonathan David: 10 Facts About The Canadian Soccer Player
7. He Was Listed Among the Players for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Tajon began his international career in the Canadian under-23 team in 2020, a year later, he was named the Canada Soccer Youth International player of the year. Subsequently, he was invited by the Senior national team in January 2021, ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.
While on the senior team, he played in the 2021 CONCACAF Gold cup, where he scored his first goal for the team in a match against Mexico. Eventually, he was awarded the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup Best Young Player Award.
After 36 years of not attending the world cup, Tajon’s home country, Canada, qualified for the 2022 World Cup hosted by Qatar. The last time Canada attended the world cup was in 1986, years before the soccer player was born. Fortunately, the 26–year-old player got listed as one of the players to attend the historical event.
The 26–year-old Canadian Player is in his prime and his career seems to be progressing rapidly. We hope that in no distant time, he’ll be signed to bigger clubs and win more titles and awards.
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