TUCSON, ARIZONA – When Fraser Aird was in Vancouver preparing for World Cup qualifiers with the Canadian national team in November, the last thing he expected was to be calling the city his new home two months later.
Aird was settled in Scotland, having moved there two days after his 16th birthday to join his “boyhood heroes” Rangers in 2011. But a change of management last summer had seen the Canadian go from being a first-team regular to a squad player.
A young player who was still developing, Aird needed regular playing time, and a mutual agreement between club and player saw him head back over the Atlantic to join Vancouver Whitecaps FC on a season-long loan with a transfer option at the end of it.