news-engine

Former Toronto FC winger Jayden Nelson debuts for English Championship’s Bolton Wanderers Former Toronto FC winger Jayden Nelson made his EFL Championship debut for Bolton Wanderers on Saturday, coming off the bench in the 72nd minute of a 1-0 loss to Lincoln City FC. The 23-year-old was steady in his first minutes for his new club, creating two chances, making use of his tricky dribbling skills both times. He also had his first looks at goal, taking a long-range shot from just beyond the arc of the penalty area. “It wasn’t the result we wanted, but obviously I’m thankful for getting my debut,” Nelson told WanderersTV after the loss. “When I (got) into the stadium and everything, I felt the love already,.” “This is a place I want to be and I want to win games here, so, it’s the first step personally in the right direction but as a group we need to do better and we know that,” Nelson added, pointing to Bolton’s next match, away on Tuesday against Sheffield United, as an immediate opportunity to make things right. Nelson became the second homegrown Reds player in recent memory to take their skills overseas to England, following a $1.1 million transfer from Austin FC that was made official on Wednesday. Nelson departed Austin under difficult circumstances after falling down the pecking order. Former head coach Nico Estevez, who had been in charge when Nelson was added in a trade with the Vancouver Whitecaps in December 2025, was fired in May and replaced by Jim Curtin on June 10. Curtin, two-time MLS Coach of the Year, parted ways with the Philadelphia Union at the end of the 2024 season after failing to make the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons. Homegrown midfielder Liam Fraser was the other recent player to trade MLS for England after coming up through TFC’s academy, leaving FC Dallas at the end of the 2024 MLS season for Crawley Town, then in EFL League One. Fraser stayed in League One after Crawley’s relegation at the end of the 2024-25 season, joining Reading FC.