Soccer continues to take Canada by storm as we are seeing more and more young players taking up the sport all in hopes of possibly reaching their Olympic dream making it a reality.
The sport continues to grow in part due to the three MLS teams, namely Vancouver Whitecaps, Toronto FC and the Montreal Impact that continue to develop young up and coming players.
Canadian fans have the chance to catch some of Canada Soccer young stars of tomorrow and talented veterans when the Men’s National Team line up for the Concacaf Nations League Qualifying match at BMO Field.
The #CanadaRED crowd will on hand to cheer the Canadian team who are in search of a top-six spot in the competition to qualify for both the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup and Concacaf Nations League Group A.
Canada faces Dominica on Match week #2 in 2018-19 Concacaf Nations League Qualifying, that is the second of four matches from September 2018 to March 2019.
Soccer Canada’s National Head Coach John Herdman mentioned “We have come here with our best players and they are all in and fully invested and they are coming to put on a performance So for our fans, be part of it, see Alphonso Davies, see Ballou Tabla, see Atiba Hutchinson and some of the most exciting players that Canada has produced.”
Among the 34 nations competing see’s Canada in fourth place on goal difference following their first away match in September, with their 8:0 win over US Virgin Islands.
The qualifying campaign runs through March 2019, after which the top nations will be ranked on points (three points for a win, one point for a draw), goal difference, goals scored, away goals, and then fewest yellow/red cards accumulated.
The top 10 Nations qualify for the Concacaf Gold Cup while the top six will also qualify for Concacaf Nations League Group A.
Canada’s squad features Toronto FC’s Jonathan Osorio, Premier League star Junior Hoilett, and six-time Canadian Player of the Year Atiba Hutchinson, all of which grew up and played near Brampton, Ontario.
The squad also features Puebla FC striker Lucas Cavallini of nearby Mississauga, who on Tuesday hopes to make his first international appearance at home in Canada.
Atiba Hutchinson, Canada Soccer’s six-time Canadian Player of the Year mentioned “I’ve always enjoyed playing in front of friends and family, it’s important playing for them and playing for your country and I’ve always enjoyed it and hopefully we can go out there, put on a good performance, score some goals, and make it a good day for everyone.”
NEXT GENERATION
Among the younger players, Derek Cornelius, Jonathan David and Liam Millar are all hoping to make their first international appearance at home in Canada. Zachary Brault-Guillard and Tabla are also hoping to make their international debuts, as are goalkeepers Alessandro Busti and James Pantemis.
Tabla will be one to watch after winning multiple Canada Soccer Youth Player of the Year Awards. He is one of several young players signed to notable clubs in Europe, as is Alphonso Davies of FC Bayern Munich in Germany, Brault-Guillard of Olympique Lyonnais in France, Millar of Liverpool in England, Busti of Juventus in Italy, and Jonathan David of KAA Gent.
