After earning his first international cap for Puerto Rico in May, David Caban (Kenosha Tremper/UW) signed his first professional contract Monday.
The 23-year-old midfielder signed with Swedish fourth-division club Ånge IF, becoming the latest player from Chicago-based Bridges FC to join a pro team.
Caban, who had two goals and two assists in 75 appearances (66 starts) for the Badgers from 2011 to '14, will be part of a relegation battle.
Ånge (1-13-0) is last in the 14-team Division 2 Norrland, one of five leagues that make up Sweden's fourth division. The bottom two clubs will be relegated automatically, with the 12th-place team facing a playoff to keep its spot in the league for 2017. Ånge plays host to 11th-place Skellefteå FF on Saturday.
Bridges FC makes trips to Europe each summer and plays friendlies to help showcase players for pro clubs; Aaron Nichols (UW) was one such example – he signed with Swedish second-division club Ljungskile SK in 2013 after impressing the team during the tour.
Caban, a regular in U.S. youth national team camps, made his international debut in Puerto Rico's 3-1 loss to the U.S. in a friendly May 22 in Bayamón. However, he missed two second-round Caribbean Cup matches, a 3-3 draw at Grenada on June 1 and a 2-1 home victory over Antigua and Barbuda on June 4, due to a calf injury, he told the Kenosha News. (Read full article) Puerto Rico advanced to the third round, and will play Antigua and Barbuda on Oct. 7 and Curaçao on Oct. 10.
On Twitter: @david_caban