LAUDERHILL, Fla. – Forgive Jaineil Hoilett if he doesn’t quite know where he is right now.
The younger brother of Queens Park Rangers winger and potential Canadian international Junior Hoilett, Jaineil Hoilett has had a whirlwind last few days. He received a late invite to the 2015 adidas MLS Player Combine on Thursday night, flew from Toronto to Ft. Lauderdale late on Friday, underwent a physical and attended meetings on Saturday, then played a lightning-shortened first half for Nitro Charge in their 2-0 win over adiZero on Sunday.
“It’s been a crazy process," Hoilett told MLSsoccer.com on Sunday. "Of course I would’ve loved to have the heads up so I had time to prepare, but I’m just happy to be here and have a chance.”
An ex-Canadian youth international, the 22-year-old Hoilett has had a long, winding path to the Combine. The Brampton, Ontario native moved abroad when he was just 13, starting his European career in the Blackburn Rovers academy.
He stayed there for three years, moving to German club St. Pauli in 2008. He switched to the youth program of Bundesliga side Mainz 05 a year later, playing there for three seasons before going on a year-long loan to FSV Frankfurt in the summer of 2013.
He didn’t catch on at Frankfurt and wasn’t brought back to Mainz, leaving him in a place no player wants to be: Without a club.
Hoilett wasn’t idle for long, however, quickly arranging with his brother a training stint last June at Toronto FC. The sessions quickly turned into a trial for the younger Hoilett, who scored a goal in TFC’s friendly win over USL Pro club Wilmington Hammerheads and left a good impression on former Toronto boss Ryan Nelsen.
“I usually went with my brother [to Toronto FC] for a couple trainings between [European] seasons to try and stay fit,” Hoilett said. “I had a friendly match with them, always had good feedback from Ryan Nelsen ... but they had a full roster at the time, and that there wasn’t room for me to have a contract.”
A quick winger, Hoilett looked good on Sunday, creating several chances from his position on the right wing and nearly scoring a goal of his own before a lightning delay ended the first half six minutes early.
“He had a good first day, he’s interesting addition to the combine,” a high-ranking member of an MLS technical staff said after watching Hoilett play on Sunday. “He’s a livewire of a player. Obviously need to see if he can do it consistently, but he’s got pace and he can go at players – those are skills that are always desirable.”
Considering his last minute addition to the Combine, Hoilett unsurprisingly isn’t harboring any expectations heading into next Thursday’s MLS SuperDraft. He did make one thing clear, however: He’d love to be picked up for a second look with his hometown Toronto FC.
“That would be excellent,” he said, “I would love to play for my hometown.”
