| Tajon Buchanan | |
| Fullname: | Tajon Trevor Buchanan[1] |
| Birth Date: | 8 February 1999 |
| Birth Place: | Brampton, Ontario, Canada |
| Height: | 1.83 m |
| Position: | Full-back, wide midfielder, winger |
| Currentclub: | Inter Milan |
| Clubnumber: | 17 |
| Youthclubs1: | Brampton YSC |
| Youthclubs2: | Mississauga Falcons |
| Youthyears3: | 2015–2017 |
| Youthclubs3: | Real Colorado |
| Collegeyears1: | 2017–2018 |
| College1: | Syracuse Orange |
| Collegecaps1: | 33 |
| Collegegoals1: | 12 |
| Years1: | 2018 |
| Clubs1: | Sigma FC |
| Caps1: | 7 |
| Goals1: | 2 |
| Years2: | 2019–2021 |
| Clubs2: | New England Revolution |
| Caps2: | 50 |
| Goals2: | 8 |
| Years3: | 2021–2024 |
| Clubs3: | Club Brugge |
| Caps3: | 50 |
| Goals3: | 4 |
| Years4: | 2021 |
| Clubs4: | → New England Revolution (loan) |
| Caps4: | 10 |
| Goals4: | 2 |
| Years5: | 2024– |
| Clubs5: | Inter Milan |
| Caps5: | 10 |
| Goals5: | 1 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2021 |
| Nationalteam1: | Canada U23 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 4 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 2 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2021– |
| Nationalteam2: | Canada |
| Nationalcaps2: | 41 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 4 |
| Club-Update: | May 26, 2024 |
| Nationalteam-Update: | June 30, 2024 |
Tajon Trevor Buchanan (born February 8, 1999) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays for Serie A club Inter Milan and the Canada national team. Known for his speed and technical ability, he usually plays as a wide midfielder, but can also be deployed as a full-back and a winger.
Buchanan was born and raised in Brampton, Ontario and is of Jamaican descent.[2] His father died when Buchanan was seven years old.[3] He began playing soccer with Brampton Youth, when he was eight. Buchanan won the 2014 IMG Cup with the Mississauga Falcons.[4] At age 15, he moved with his best friend and his best friend's father (and his former coach), Chrys Chrysanthou, to Colorado where he joined the USSDA academy Real Colorado.[3]
Buchanan spent two years playing college soccer at Syracuse University between 2017 and 2018, making 33 appearances, scoring 12 goals and tallying six assists.[5] After two years with the Orange, Buchanan left early and signed a Generation Adidas contract with Major League Soccer ahead of the 2019 MLS SuperDraft.[6]
In summer 2018, Buchanan played for League1 Ontario side Sigma FC, making seven appearances and scoring two goals.[7]
On January 11, 2019, Buchanan was selected ninth overall in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft by New England Revolution.[8] He made his professional debut on March 9, 2019, as an 81st-minute substitute during a 2–0 loss to Columbus Crew.[9] On November 24, 2020, he scored his first MLS Cup playoffs goal, scoring the second and final goal in a 2–0 win over the Philadelphia Union.
On July 3, 2021 Buchanan scored the first goal in the history of Lower.com Field, in the Revolution's 2-2 draw against Columbus Crew.[10] During the 2021 season, Buchanan's continued good form for the Revolution earned him a nomination to the MLS squad for the 2021 MLS All-Star Game in August 2021.[11]
In August 2021, Buchanan signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with Belgian First Division A champions Club Brugge. Buchanan was loaned back to New England Revolution for the remainder of the 2021 MLS season.[12] [13] The $7 million transfer fee (with a 10% sell-on clause) paid by Club Brugge was a club-record received by the Revolution for one of their players.[14] He made his debut for Brugge against Sint-Truiden on January 15, 2022.[15] Buchanan scored his first goal for Brugge on April 24 against Royal Antwerp.[16]
On 5 January 2024, Buchanan officially joined Serie A club Inter Milan for a reported fee of €7 million, plus €3 million in add-ons,[17] signing a four-and-a-half-year deal with the Italian club.[18] [19] In the process, he became Serie A's first ever Canadian player. Buchanan made his debut for his new club on February 16, as a substitute for Alessandro Bastoni in a 4-0 victory over Salernitana.[20] On 10 May 2024, Buchanan scored his first goal for Inter, scoring the third goal in a 5–0 victory against Frosinone.[21]
Buchanan was named to the Canadian U-23 provisional roster for the 2020 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship on February 26, 2020.[22] A year later, he was named to the final squad for the rescheduled tournament on March 10, 2021.[23] In Canada's opening match, Buchanan scored a brace in a 2–0 victory over El Salvador.[24] He was named the 2020 Canada Soccer Youth International Player of the Year.[25]
He accepted an invite for the Canadian senior national team camp for January 2021.[26] Buchanan was called up in June 2021 for the coming World Cup qualification matches against Aruba and Suriname, and subsequently made his senior-team debut against Aruba, setting up two goals in a 7–0 victory.[27] On June 18, Buchanan was named to Canada's 60-man preliminary squad for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[28] On July 1 he was called up to the final 23-man squad.[29] He scored his first goal for the senior team on July 29 against Mexico in the semi-final stage of the Gold Cup, netting the equalizer in an eventual 2–1 defeat.[30] Buchanan's play at the tournament was widely praised by the region's media and at the conclusion of the competition he was named as the recipient of the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup Best Young Player Award.[31]
In November 2022, Buchanan was named to Canada's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[32] In Canada's second match on November 27 against Croatia, the team scored their first ever goal at a men's World Cup, with Buchanan sending in a cross that was met by the head of Alphonso Davies and sent into the back of the net.[33]
In June 2023, Buchanan was named to the 23-man squad for Canada ahead of the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals.[34] In June 2024, Buchanan was named to the Canadian squad for the 2024 Copa América.[35] After Canada advanced to the knockout phase, Buchanan would suffer a broken tibia while training for the quarterfinal match against Venezuela, and would undergo surgery to repair the fracture.[36]
| Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Sigma | 2018 | League1 Ontario | 7 | 2 | — | — | — | 7 | 2 | ||||
| New England Revolution | 2019 | MLS | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | |||
| 2020 | 23 | 2 | — | — | 5 | 1 | 28 | 3 | |||||
| 2021 | 27 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 9 | |||
| Total | 60 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 67 | 12 | |||
| Club Brugge | 2021–22 | Belgian Pro League | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 1 | |||
| 2022–23 | 24 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 1 | |||
| 2023–24 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | — | 20 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 50 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 5 | |||
| Inter Milan | 2023–24 | Serie A | 10 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 127 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 151 | 20 | |||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 2021 | 16 | 3 | |
| 2022 | 13 | 1 | ||
| 2023 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2024 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Total | 41 | 4 | ||
Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Buchanan goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NRG Stadium, Houston, United States | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup | |||
| 2 | BMO Field, Toronto, Canada | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | |||
| 3 | BMO Field, Toronto, Canada | 3–1 | 4–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | |||
| 4 | BMO Field, Toronto, Canada | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
New England Revolution
Club Brugge
Inter Milan
Canada
Individual
2020[42]