Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.
Canadian coach Jesse Marsch continues to give his due to youth, handing Jamie Knight-Lebel, Santiago Lopez and Kwasi Poku their first senior call-ups for the October international window.
The Canadian men, currently ranked 38th in the world by FIFA, face No. 37 Panama on Oct. 15 at Toronto’s BMO Field in their first home trip since their fourth-place finish at the Copa America in July.
The Panama match is preparation for the second leg of the CONCACAF Nations League quarter-finals, scheduled for November 19 at BMO Field. And while it’s a friendly, it has implications for the CONCACAF rankings, which play a role in the quarter-final draw.
The Canadians have leapfrogged the United States into second place behind Mexico in the CONCACAF rankings, which are different from the FIFA rankings. Panama is fourth.
The Canadian team is holding a camp in Montreal ahead of the Toronto friendly with an open training session scheduled for October 9 at Saputo Stadium. Players will also visit local youth football clubs.
“This is the people’s team,” Marsch said in a mock availability from Austria. “And we want people to feel that way. We want the public and the community to feel that way. We want them to be able to touch and see and feel their players. And then we hope that this will generate more and more energy for what we want to be in 2026 (at the World Cup).”
Marsch is planning extended training time in camp, given that his team only has the Panama game during the October window. Canada Soccer said it was unable to find another opponent, citing “the global competition schedule.”
Seventeen of the 26 players called up to Canada’s camp are 25 or younger with goalkeeper Max Crepeau (30) and midfielder Jonathan Osorio (32) being the elder statesmen of the group.
Knight-Lebel and Lopez are both 19, while Poku is 21. All three are young international players from Canada.
There are also memories of Zorhan Bassong. The 25-year-old defender, who has made 19 MLS appearances for Sporting Kansas City this season, earned both of his senior caps in Canada under John Herdman in January 2020.
Marsch noted that Wales had been interested in Knight-Lebel, who has a Canadian father and a Welsh mother. Born in Montreal, Knight-Lebel was five years old when the family moved to England.
“We felt this was a good opportunity to get him into camp and expose him to what we do,” Marsch said. “And then see how he reacts.”
The list also includes 18-year-old Fulham defender Luc de Fougerolles, 20-year-old Nathan Saliba and 21-year-old Niko Sigur.
Knight-Lebel, currently on loan from Bristol City to Crew Alexandra in England’s fourth tier, and Poku, who joined Belgian side Molenbeek from Forge FC in a Canadian Premier League record transfer in August, have both four appearances for the national under-20 team. team, helping Canada reach the knockout stage of the 2022 CONCACAF U-20 Championship.
Lopez scored six goals in seven appearances at U-20 international level, finishing the 2024 CONCACAF U-20 Championship as joint top scorer.
Marsch discovered uncapped midfielders Niko Sigur (Hadjuk Hollt, Croatia) and Saliba (CF Montreal) and forward Stephen Afrifa (Kansas City Sports) in the September window when Canada drew No. 17 Mexico 0-0 and beat the 18th place 2- USA. 1 in Arlington, Texas, and Kansas City respectively.
Marsch’s camp roster this time around includes 12 MLS players including Saliba, Jonathan Sirois and Joel Waterman of Montreal CF, Sam Adekugbe and Ali Ahmed of the Vancouver Whitecaps and Osorio and Richie Laryea of ​​Toronto FC.
Marsch expects to cut his roster before the Panama game.
The Canadians are 5-2-6 against Panama, with the most recent result being a 2-0 win for Canada in the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League semi-final.
Marsch said full-back Alistair Johnston (back) and midfielder Ismael Koné (ankle) are rehabilitating injuries. Veteran defender Kamal Miller and midfielder Samuel Piette were not called up this time to allow room for young talent.
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Canadian Roster
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United (MLS).
Defenders: Sam Adekugbe, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Zorhan Bassong, Sporting Kansas City (MLS); Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Derek Cornelius, Olympique Marseille (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Luc de Fougerolles, Fulham (England); Jamie Knight-Lebel, Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Joel Waterman CF Montreal (MLS).
Midfielders: Ali Ahmed, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Mathieu Choiniere, Zurich Grasshoppers (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Nathan Saliba, CF Montreal (MLS); Niko Sigur, Split Hadjuk (Croatia).
Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Santiago Lopez, UNAM Pumas (Mexico); Liam Millar, Hull City FC (England); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS); Kwasi Poku, RWD Molenbeek (Belgium); Jacob Schaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS).
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This report was first published by The Canadian Press on October 2, 2024.
(Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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