Soccer in Canada | Canada Hosting the 2026 World Cup

[elly63]

CANMNT Roster for Crucial 2024 Copa América Qualifier Unveiled
canadasoccer.com March 12, 2024

CANMNT roster features youngest squad since 2019, 22 of 23 players under 30 years old

Canada Soccer has announced today the selection of 23 players who will represent Canada at the 2023-24 Concacaf Nations League Play-In. The one-game playoff will take place Saturday, March 23 in Frisco, Texas and serve as a qualifier to the 2024 Copa América this summer.

Canada will play Trinidad & Tobago for one of the final two Concacaf spots at the 2024 Copa América, that is being jointly organized by CONMEBOL and Concacaf. The match will be played at Toyota Stadium in Frisco Texas on March 23 at 16:00 ET / 13:00 PT. The Canadian team will gather in Frisco on March 18 in preparation for the one-game play-in.

“We are excited to play in such a critical match with the chance to qualify for a major tournament. This is a great opportunity for the program to continue to play some of the elite teams on the world stage,” – said Mauro Biello, Canada Soccer’s Interim Men’s National Team Head Coach. “The squad is filled with young, in-form talent. This is a chance for guys to come in with a fresh attitude to form a new culture.”

The winner of the Play-In match will join already qualified Concacaf countries – Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, and the United States – along with the winner of the additional Concacaf Nations League Play-In match played on March 23 between Honduras and Costa Rica, for a total of six Concacaf guest nations in this summer’s tournament. Should Canada qualify, they will be placed in Group A alongside Argentina, Chile and Peru. They will also feature in the tournament’s debut match, against the current world champions Argentina.

Canada is looking to qualify for the Copa América for the first time in its history; formally known as South America’s continental football tournament. The Copa América is the oldest still-running continental football competition, as well as the third most watched in the world and determines the champions of South America. Teams hailing from North America and Asia have been extended invitations to participate and/or qualify since the 1990s.

CANADA SQUAD

Canada’s squad will be the youngest Men’s National Team selection since 2019, with all but one player being under the age of 30.

Canada’s three goalkeepers this window will be Maxime Crépeau from Portland Timbers, Jonathan Sirois from CF Montréal and Dayne St. Clair from Minnesota United.

Defenders selected are: Moïse Bombito from Colorado Rapids, Tajon Buchanan* from Inter Milan, Derek Cornelius from Malmo FF, Alphonso Davies* from Bayern Munich, Luc de Fougerolles from Fulham FC, Alistair Johnston from Celtic FC, Liam Millar* from Preston North End (on loan from FC Basel), Kamal Miller from Portland Timbers, Jacob Shaffelburg* from Nashville SC and Joel Waterman from CF Montréal.

Midfielders joining the group are: Mathieu Choinière from CF Montréal, Stephen Eustáquio from FC Porto, Ismaël Koné from Watford FC, Jonathan Osorio from Toronto FC and Samuel Piette from CF Montréal.

The rest of the squad will feature forwards: Thelonius Bair from Motherwell, Cyle Larin from RCD Mallorca, Jacen Russell-Rowe from Columbus Crew and Iké Ugbo from Sheffield Wednesday (on loan from Troyes).

*Note: Player is also listed as a forward

The Canada v Trinidad & Tobago match will air LIVE and exclusively on OneSoccer, available on the fuboTV Canada platform, as a linear channel on TELUS’s Optik TV (Channel 980), as well as online at OneSoccer.ca and through the OneSoccer app. Fans will find extended coverage across Canada Soccer’s digital channels on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube featuring the hashtag #CANMNT. 

CANADA

GK – Maxime Crépeau | USA / Portland Timbers
GK – Jonathan Sirois | CAN / CF Montréal
GK – Dayne St. Clair | USA / Minnesota United
FB – Alistair Johnston | SCO / Celtic FC
FB/F – Tajon Buchanan | ITA / Inter Milan
FB/F – Alphonso Davies | GER / Bayern Munich
FB/F – Liam Millar | ENG / Preston North End
FB/F – Jacob Shaffelburg | USA / Nashville SC
CB – Moïse Bombito | USA / Colorado Rapids
CB – Derek Cornelius | SWE / Malmö FF
CB – Luc de Fougerolles | ENG / Fulham FC
CB – Kamal Miller | USA / Portland Timbers
CB – Joel Waterman | CAN / CF Montréal
CM – Mathieu Choinière | CAN / CF Montréal
CM – Stephen Eustáquio | POR / FC Porto
CM – Ismaël Koné | ENG / Watford FC
CM – Jonathan Osorio | CAN / Toronto FC
CM – Samuel Piette | CAN / CF Montréal
F – Thelonius Bair | SCO / Motherwell
F – Jonathan David | FRA / LOSC Lille
F – Cyle Larin | SPA / RCD Mallorca
F – Jacen Russell-Rowe | USA / Columbus Crew
F – Iké Ugbo | ENG / Sheffield Wednesday

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New Canada kit.


https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.spo...tripes/sn-amp/

LOL!

Canada Soccer unveiled its Nike-made national team home-and-away kits for the 2024 season on Monday, describing them as being “Inspired by Tomorrow.”

[elly63]

Canada has qualified for Copa America by beating Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 Saturday in Frisco, Texas.

Their first opponent will be the opening game of the tournament versus Argentina on June 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. They then play their other Group A opponents Peru on June 25 at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City and Chile on June 29 at Exploria Stadium in Orlando.

Canada has a pre tournament friendly with the Netherlands on June 6 in Rotterdam and will play Mexico September 10 in Arlington Texas.

So, now we have some tough opponents on tap to start testing our team before hosting the WC in 2026.

The youth movement has started as many of the players at the 2022 WC were not called and will not likely be called to the NT again.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by elly63

Canada has a pre tournament friendly with the Netherlands on June 6 in Rotterdam

[Coldrsx]

Any updates on tickets/pricing?

[elly63]

Canadian Men to Face No. 2 France in June Friendly
Neil Davidson The Canadian Press April 16, 2024

The Canadian men are getting another high-profile test in advance of this summer's Copa America.

Canada Soccer has confirmed the 49th-ranked Canadians will play No. 2 France on June 9 at the Matmut Atlantique in Bordeaux, a 42,115-capacity stadium that is home to Ligue 2's FC Girondins de Bordeaux. The France game comes three days after a previously announced friendly with the seventh-ranked Netherlands at Stadion Feijenoord in Rotterdam.

"It's by playing against the best teams, like Les Bleus, that we'll grow as a soccer nation. France is a nation we want to have strong links with for cultural, historical, and sporting reasons," Canada Soccer COO Mathieu Chamberland said in a statement.

Canada is preparing for Copa America, where it is one of six CONCACAF guest teams at the South American championship that runs June 20 to July 14 in 14 U.S. cities. France and the Netherlands are gearing up for Euro 24, which kicks off June 14 in Germany.

L'Equipe, the French sports daily, reported earlier this month that a France-Canada friendly was in the works as the last test for Didier Deschamps' squad ahead of its Euro Group D opener against No. 25 Austria on June 17.

The Canadian men have faced France just once before, in their first-ever game at the FIFA World Cup in 1986 in Mexico. A star-studded French side needed a 79th-minute goal by Jean-Pierre Papin to win 1-0.

The June games represent Canada's highest-ranked opponents since the 2022 World Cup when the Canadian men lost 1-0 to then-second-ranked Belgium.

With Canada opening Copa America against No. 1 Argentina on June 20 in Atlanta, the Canadian men will face three top-10 teams in two weeks.

Canada also faces No. 32 Peru and No. 42 Chile in Group A play at Copa America.

After Copa America, the Canadians are set to face No. 14 Mexico during the September international window with the Sept. 10 game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Canada Soccer says the Argentina, France and Netherlands games will bring the number of current top-20 opponents Canada will have faced to nine in a little more than 18 months, joining Belgium (No. 3), Croatia (No. 10), the U.S. (No. 11), Morocco (No. 13), Uruguay (No. 15) and Japan (No. 18).

Canada was beaten 2-0 by Uruguay and edged Japan 2-1 in warm-up matches for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar where it lost to Belgium (1-0), Croatia (4-1) and Morocco (2-1) in group play. The Canadians faced the U.S. twice in that time period, losing a penalty shootout in the 2023 Gold Cup quarterfinal and 2-0 in the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal.

Canada has become a more attractive opponent because of its role as 2026 World Cup co-host and the men's impressive run in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.

The summer schedule evokes memories of the buildup to the 1994 World Cup in the U.S. Canada, which did not qualify for the soccer showcase but was an attractive pre-tournament opponent due to geography if nothing else, hosted Brazil, German, Spain and the Netherlands over eight days.

It tied Brazil 1-1 in Edmonton and lost to Germany (2-0) and the Netherlands (3-0) in Toronto and Spain (2-0) in Montreal. The Canadians went into the Brazil match ranked 58th in the world, climbing to No. 54 in advance of the other three games.

Brazil went on to win the '94 World Cup, defeating Italy in a storied penalty shootout in the final before 94,000-plus at the Rose Bowl. Germany, the Netherlands and Spain lost in the quarterfinals.

[svlt]

Awesome news for the national team. Netherlands, France and Argentina in a short span.

[elly63]

Just imagine having your biggest problem solved just when you need it.

Colorado Rapids defender hits sprint speed faster than any UEFA Champions League player this season
David Moore the18.com April 11, 2024

Colorado Rapids defender Moïse Bombito is one of the fastest soccer players in the world. The 24-year-old Canadian international posted an insane top speed of 23.16 miles per hour during the Rapids’ 2-2 draw vs. Inter Miami on Saturday.

The Rapids posted several clips of their speedster with Major League Soccer confirming Bombito’s top speed.

Bombito one of the fastest soccer players in the world

That sprint speed is faster than his Canada teammate Alphonso Davies who has a top speed of 22.69 mph. In fact, Bombito would be the fastest player in Bundesliga history surpassing Borussia Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi who can sprint at 22.77 mph.

Very few players in the world are capable of getting over the 23-mph mark. The Rapids have a special one on their hands.

A look at the top speeds posted in the 2023-24 Champions League reveals that Bombito has a faster speed than any of those players this season.

According to UEFA, the fastest speed recorded in Europe’s biggest competition this season is 23.11 mph posted by Paris Saint-Germain defender Nuno Medes. Bombito has a slight edge.

Kylian Mbappé is one of the players faster than Bombito as the Frenchman hit 23.61 mph during a game against Monaco several years ago. He hasn't posted a faster speed than the Rapids defender this season.

If you’re curious, Usain Bolt is still comfortably quicker than any player with a ridiculous top speed of 27.33 mph in his prime.

[elly63]

With 15 goals (so far) and in the top three in the Scottish Premiership in scoring, Bair has had a great season

[elly63]

[elly63]

Tajon Buchanan gets his first goal for Inter Milan in a 5-0 rout of Frosinone (Start at 1:49)

• Video Link

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When he went to Inter, I was glad because I figured he'd play more than if he went to Man City. But he pretty much rode the bench. Only 8 appearances. But hey, he got a Serie A title to go along with his Belgian title and MLS Supporter's Shield. Not too shabby.

But still, if he doesn't get significantly more playing time next season, he'll have to think about moving again.

[elly63]

Both Feyenoord and Ajax are looking at 26 year old Canadian defender Derek Cornelius. The Malmo defender is considered the best central defender in the Swedish Allsvenskan according to Sweden's FotbollDirekt.

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Originally Posted by elly63

Both Feyenoord and Ajax are looking at 26 year old Canadian defender Derek Cornelius. The Malmo defender is considered the best central defender in the Swedish Allsvenskan according to Sweden's FotbollDirekt.

He's from Ajax and played for Ajax Thunder so it's only natural that he go play for Ajax of Amsterdam. Or follow in the footsteps of his countryman Jonathan de Guzman at Feyenoord. But, too late to switch and play for the Dutch NT instead of Canada!

[elly63]

Originally Posted by megadude

But, too late to switch and play for the Dutch NT instead of Canada!

Why would he do that?

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Originally Posted by elly63

Why would he do that?

It's not a serious comment.

[Nicko999]

The GOAT is playing his first professional game in Canada in about 30 min.

Cheapest tickets are about 325$.

• Video Link

[elly63]

Jonathan David scored his 18th and 19th goals today vs Nantes. He is currently second in Ligue 1 scoring to Mbappe.

The latest rumour aside from the other Italian and English rumours comes from Aston Villa.

Premier danger for Jonathan David: Aston Villa on pole for the Lille striker
Raimondo De Magistris Serie A tuttomercatoweb.com/ April 29, 2024

Premier League danger for Jonathan David, Canadian striker born in 2000 linked to Lille by another year of contract. The Canadian center forward will leave the French club at the end of this season and in Italy he is especially liked by Napoli and Milan. At the moment, however, his move to England is more likely.

Above all, Aston Villa is following David's trail. The club coached by Unai Emery, close to qualifying for the next Champions League, is looking for a top center forward for next season and the Canadian footballer is a concrete target for the summer. Manchester United has also been surveyed in recent weeks, a club that will be the protagonist of yet another revolution in the summer.

Jonathan David, who scored 24 goals in the current season, asks for a salary of around five million euros net per year. The cost of the price tag is around 35 million euros, also because Lille - one year before the contract expires and without the possibility of renewing it - will not be able to drag it out too much.

[elly63]

Unfortunately, it looks like Stefan Kuntz is no longer in the running to be the NT manager.

[elly63]

It's now official and has been announced