Daan Klomp, his club career stalling in his native Netherlands, was considering quitting football for a day job in 2020.
Klomp's contract with NAC Breda had come to an end and the club's new coach had made it clear the defender was not part of his plans. Not to mention the pandemic.
Then Cavalry FC called.
The 26-year-old has since found a home in Calgary and will go after the Canadian Premier League title Saturday when Cavalry hosts defending champion Forge FC.
And his trophy case may grow a little fuller Thursday at the CPL Awards show. Klomp, voted both the league's top player and defender last season, is up for both Defender of the Year and the Players' Player Award (voted on by the players and separate from the league's Player of the Year Award).
"I'll never regret coming here," said Klomp. "My football career in the Netherlands was almost coming to an end … Luckily Cavalry wanted to take a chance on me. I took it and here we are now, four years later."
It has been a sound move for both sides.
With Klomp anchoring the defence, Cavalry conceded a league-low 27 goals both this season and last year.
Cavalry was runner-up in the regular-season standings this season and in 2021. Last year, it finished atop the table only to lose 2-1 at Forge after extra time in a championship game thriller.
Klomp is looking for a different outcome on home soil Saturday.
Cavalry lost just once at home in league play this season (5-1-8) and recorded a win and draw when Forge came to town. The Calgarians lost both regular-season visits to Tim Hortons Field but downed Forge 1-0 there, thanks to a 27th-minute Tobias Warschewski goal, in the Oct. 27 qualifying semifinal that earned Klomp's side a direct path to the final.
Forge beat No. 3 Atletico Ottawa 1-0 in Saturday's semifinal to join Cavalry in the final.
In 2023, Klomp was the league’s only outfield player to appear in every minute of all 28 matches for his club. And Klomp made a difference on both ends of the field.
He scored four goals, added an assist and helped launch attacks for teammates, finishing second in the league in passes completed (1,494) and completing 90 per cent of his passes while playing 120 successful long balls.
Klomp was named to the league's team of the week 11 times in 2023.
It was more of the same this season.
The six-foot-two Klomp scored six goals, led the league in blocks (23), ranked second in aerial duels won (88) and third in successful passes (1,412).
Klomp will have family in the stands at ATCO Field on Saturday. His parents booked their plane ticket the day after the semifinal win over Forge.
"It's very special to have them come in," said Klomp. "Especially because they've been driving me around (for soccer) since I was four years old."
A native of the rural village of Wissenkerke, a young Klomp was an attacker until he was switched to defensive midfielder and centre back at the JVOZ academy, in the nearby city of Vlissingen, which was home to the best young players in the region.
NAC Breda scouted him and he joined its under-16 team, commuting the 90 minutes to get there. He spent five years there before things went south.
An agent dispatched by the CPL to find European talent then uncovered Klomp in 2020. "I fit the profile," he said.
It was timely given Klomp needed a team and hadn't played since February due to the pandemic, forcing him to train alone for months.
The door had closed at NAC Breda and Klomp had been sent out on loan to Helmond Sport, a team in the Dutch second tier.
The politics of the game had soured him on football. He had talks with some teams in Finland and Norway but the fit didn't seem right.
The first conversation with the CPL was in November 2020. But he didn't end up signing a deal with Cavalry until January 2021 and admits the delay had him thinking he might have to switch occupations.
But despite his situation back home, he wasn't ready to give up football. Cavalry came to the rescue, offering a contract that he was happy to accept.
"I had only heard good stories about Canada … Calgary looked like a very beautiful city and it turns out it is," he said.
Canadian Premier League Awards Finalists
Player of the Year: Kyle Bekker, Tristan Borges and Alessandro Hojabrpour, Forge FC; Tobias Warschewski, Cavalry FC; Brian Wright, York United FC.
Players' Player Award: Beni Badibanga, Kyle Bekker, Tristan Borges and Alessandro Hojabrpour (Forge FC); Daan Klomp, Ali Musse and Tobias Warschewski, Cavalry FC; Lorenzo Callegari, Halifax Wanderers; Ruben del Campo, Atletico Ottawa; Brian Wright,(York United FC.
Defender of the Year: Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson, Forge FC; Themi Antonoglou, Valour FC; Daan Klomp, Cavalry FC.
Golden Glove Award: Emil Gazdov, Pacific FC; Callum Irving, Vancouver FC; Thomas Vincensini, York United FC.
Best Canadian U-21 Player: Noah Abatneh, York United FC; Emil Gazdov, Pacific FC; Kwasi Poku, Forge FC.
Coach of the Year: Benjamin Mora, York United FC; Bobby Smyrniotis, Forge FC; Tommy Wheeldon Jr., Cavalry FC.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press