Canada's hometown boy kick-starts Gold Cup in 6-0 demolition of Honduras
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The last time he was in B.C. Place, Niko Sigur was a wide-eyed ball boy, watching Jonathan David and the Canadian men's national team thump French Guiana 4-1 in Nations League qualifying.
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Tuesday night, the Burnaby native was on the receiving end of a give and go with the star Canadian striker, scoring his first goal for the Reds in a 6-0 domination of Honduras. It was Canada's opening match in the Gold Cup tournament, which will continue for them next week in Houston.
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It was the sixth cap for the 21-year-old, who had dozens of friends and family who were part of the 24,286 in the stands at B.C. Place. He'd said Friday he wasn't just here to soak up the experience. He wanted to contribute.
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GOAL 🇨🇦
NIKO SIGUR SCORES HIS FIRST FOR THE #CANMNT 😎
Canada go up 1-0 over Honduras with a smooth give-and-go, finished perfectly 💪
🔴 Watch Gold Cup on OneSoccer & TSN pic.twitter.com/ywuwiVMXEG
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 18, 2025
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When he was that ballboy watching play in 2019, he wasn't just soaking up the experience. He was judging, assessing, comparing, and pondering if he had the technical ability to play at that level on this day.
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'I always knew in the back of my mind that I could play there one day, and here I am,' said the utility back, who held down the right side of Canada's back line on Tuesday.
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'I'm not really happy just being here and being a part of it. I want to contribute, and I know I can contribute. It's nice to be here, but I also want to make an impact and help the team.'
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For Sigur, it's been a long and winding road to the national team. From the Whitecaps academy, to York University, to a stint with the League One Vaughn Azzuri in Ontario, he moved to Slovenia, playing for Radomlje's youth team, eventually transferring to the academy of Croatia's Hajduk Split in 2022. By 2023, he'd played his way onto the first team. A year later, the Croatian-Canadian dual citizen switched his national team allegiance to Canada.
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