Charles-Andreas Brym reflects on Eredivisie season as he pursues World Cup dream with CanMNT
It’s never easy to make the jump up to a top-flight European league like the Eredivisie, currently ranked as the sixth-best league in Europe based on UEFA’s coefficient rankings.
With top clubs like Ajax, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord, it’s a competitive circuit, one that has developed some of the top talent currently playing in the big five European leagues.
Because of that, Canadian forward Charles Andreas Brym was just looking to earn a regular role in the league heading into this season, his first full campaign with Eredivisie side Sparta Rotterdam. After signing with the club in 2022, he was unable to break through right away, leaving him to go on loan to the Dutch second division for 2022-2023, where he was tasked with furthering his development to try and crack Sparta’s first team the next year.
And it looks like that mission was successful, as Brym was able to carve out a regular role in 2023-2024, featuring in 30 matches out of 33 in the Eredivisie as of writing, along with 1 KNVB Beker match. His minutes varied in those appearances, as he finished with just over 1450 minutes, but that’s nothing to scoff at given that it’s his first campaign in the league.
As a result, heading into the final few weeks of the season, in which Sparta has the chance to push for the Europa Conference League with a strong finish, Brym can reflect on his campaign with pride.
Having scored four goals and added two assists in Eredivisie action to go along with another goal in the cup, he’s done well to find his feet at a good level on a good club.
After knocking on the door of a regular role in a top-flight league at past stints, such as at Lille, where he had a first-team contract but never played in Ligue 1, at Belenenses SAD, where he made one Liga Portugal appearance, and at Mouscron, where he made seven Jupiler Pro League appearances, this was a long-time coming for Brym.
Every young player dreams of playing regularly in a top circuit, and after several seasons of coming close, Brym finally got his chance at the age of 25, never looking back once he took that opportunity.
“Yeah, it was special for me,” Brym told OneSoccer when describing how it felt to make that jump up. “I felt that the transition was easier because I had made that step before when I played in the first division in Belgium, but I didn't have the playing time that I wanted there, so I felt (this year) I was back at the level that I was ready to play at and show my qualities. Here I am in the first division now, it was a very special (journey), I was happy to fulfill the objectives I had set for myself, we stuck to the plan and it worked out in the end.”
Plus, Brym can look back at his first full season and reflect on some fond memories, too.
The biggest? An August matchup with 2022-2023 champions, Feyenoord, who happen to be local rivals of Sparta, in which Brym had arguably his breakout performance to cement his role in the squad.
There, he was tasked with an emergency start, and he made the most of his opportunity, scoring a brace in a 2-2 draw. It was a bittersweet result, as his team had led 2-0 thanks to his goals, but it was a memory he’ll never forget, as it had shown - he had *arrived*.
In 2022-2023, he was unable to make a similar statement in a pair of early-season appearances for Sparta, which led them to send him back to FC Eindhoven in the second division, where he had impressed the year prior to help him earn that move to Sparta. Certainly, he wouldn’t have wanted to return there for a third stint, coming off an 11-goal and 9-assist campaign in league play for Eindhoven, and this moment allowed him to show the Sparta decision-makers - he was ready to make the jump up, making a statement in front of his fans and some people close to him.
“Yeah, it was a special day because I wasn’t supposed to start the game,” Brym explained when asked about that Feyenoord brace. So I trained the whole week as I always do, but then the number one striker got a little bit sick, he was not feeling 100%, so the morning of the game when we went to the hotel, the coach took me aside and told me that I was going to start the game.”
“It was a big game, too, because they were Eredivisie champions the season before, so they had a really good team, they looked good in preseason, but we had also worked hard in preseason, and I had played most of the games in the preseason because our striker was injured, so I was confident going into the game, even if I wasn’t supposed to start.”
“My family was coming over for the game, too, so I just sent them a text before the game to tell them ‘Don't be late for the game, I'm going to start today!’ and I had family and friends there, and it was also the first time that I was starting in front of the fans, so yeah, it was a special day overall, it went well for me, I wish we could have left with the three points, it’s a shame that they came back to draw, but it was still a special day for me.”
Have yourself a day, Charles Andreas Brym🔥
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) August 20, 2023
Brym made his 1st Sparta Rotterdam start today in a derby match vs Eredivisie holders, Feyenoord today, scoring his first 2 goals for the club+in the Eredivisie in a 2-2 draw
Great goals, too👀#CanMNT
pic.twitter.com/eVXO907LX4
Having established himself as an Eredivisie regular, however, Brym’s not satisfied with where he’s at. First, he wants to carve out a bigger role for Sparta going forward, earning more of a regular starting role after spending most of the year as a super sub.
From there, he wants to become more of a regular piece on the Canadian Men’s National Team, having only earned calls in three of their last six camps since the 2022 World Cup, which Brym narrowly missed out on.
Wanting to play at the 2026 World Cup at home, he wants to start earning more of a regular role with Canada, allowing him to build on the 11 appearances he has to date, adding to the one goal he’s so far tagged for his country.
To do that, however, he knows that starts at the club level, where he needs to keep growing, helping him keep pace in a competitive forward race in the Canadian pool.
“I need to take everything step-by-step over time,” Brym explained. “I want to get more and more minutes with my club, because at the end that's what's going to decide if you’re going to play with the National Team.”
“So that’s what I’m focused on, my own playing time, and my game with my team, trying to improve every day and get to the best level that I can, so that if I'm fit to make the squad at the time and the coach calls me in, it’ll be a pleasure to go in and defend our colours.”
NEW 🚨#CanMNT striker Charles-Andreas Brym joins us on OS YouTube to reflect on his Eredivisie season with Sparta Rotterdam and look ahead to the prospect of playing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup ✨
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 19, 2024
▶️ Watch FULL INTERVIEW 🎙️ on OS YouTube pic.twitter.com/GKLgTig7nB
And the best way for Brym to embark on that journey towards making the 2026 squad? This summer, when Canada plays at the 2024 Copa América, having earned a spot at South America’s marquee tournament as one of six Concacaf invitees.
There, it’s a huge chance to impress, both because of the opposition they’ll play in that tournament and the lead-up to it, which includes the Netherlands, France and Argentina, and the fact that there’s a new Canadian head coach in charge of those games, Jesse Marsch, who was hired on a two-year contract this week.
With Marsch’s appointment, that gives everyone in the player pool a fresh start, and Brym will hope he can impress his new manager, who mentioned in his opening media availability he wants to play direct and transitional attacking soccer, which seems tailor-made for Brym’s game.
He’ll be in tough to make the squad, as he’s going up against the likes of Jonathan David, Cyle Larin, Iké Ugbo, Theo Bair and Jacen Russell-Rowe to make the squad, but between his style and the level he’s playing at, he’s confident that he should at least be considered.
And with the Copa América squads looking set to expand to 26 players, that could be exactly what Brym needs to claw his way in, allowing him to get that key audition opportunity.
But while he admits it’d be a dream to play in that tournament, he’s not looking that far ahead quite yet, as he looks to finish off the year strongly for Sparta.
Because of that, keep an eye on him in those final matches, as he’d love nothing more than to find the net a few times, showing his new National Team manager that he’s ready to make his mark for Canada for years to come as he chases his 2026 dream.
“There's a big camp in the summer, a big opportunity to play at the Copa América,” Brym said. “When you're a kid and you’re playing football, that's the sort of competition you always dream about, so I would be very proud, it would be an honour to represent my country in a big competition like this.”
“So I’m going to try and keep myself fit and ready so that if the call is made, it’ll be a pleasure for me to step ahead.”
