Four Whitecaps Players in Canada Squad to Face Korea
By Gareth Wolff
David Edgar, Marco Bustos, Fraser Aird, and Marcel de Jong have been included in the Canada squad to play an international friendly against Korea Republic on November 11th in Cheonan.
The MLS playoffs are in full swing, meaning the next official FIFA international date comes at an inconvenient time for teams still involved in the action. Interim Canada coach Michael Findlay has taken that into consideration with this squad selection. The only MLS players included in the 18-man roster are the four Whitecaps and forward Cyle Larin from Orlando City. Neither team made the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Canada are at the start of a new cycle of rebuilding. With the dream of Russia gone, after failing to make it into the final group stage of World Cup qualifying in CONCACAF, Findlay has one eye on the future with a mix of youth and experience. Eight players are 24 years old or younger, and seven players have four or fewer appearances at the top international (“A”) level.
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A Look at the Whitecaps
The four Whitecaps players who made the cut feature the same balance of youth and experience seen in the rest of the squad. De Jong (48 international appearances) and Edgar (40) are the two most experienced players in the squad. Despite that experience, neither player managed to lock down a starting position with the Whitecaps this season.
21-year-old Aird and 20-year-old Bustos, on the other hand, may well represent the future for Canada. Both players have made three senior international appearances. Aird had a challenging season as he struggled make Vancouver’s right back spot his own. It’s unclear if he will be staying with the Whitecaps for 2017 or heading back to Scotland.
Bustos racked up 21 appearances for the Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 in the USL, scoring seven goals. He will be hoping to get some more playing time with the senior team next year.
The match will kick off at 04.00 PT (07.00 ET), and will be broadcast live on CanadaSoccer.com.
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Full Squad:
Goalkeepers: Simon Thomas, FK Bodo/Glimt (Norway); Jayson Leutwiler, Shrewsbury Town FC (England).
Defenders: Manjrekar James, Vasas Budapest (Hungary); David Edgar, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Marcel De Jong, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Steven Vitoria, Lechia Gdansk (Poland); Karl W. Ouimette, Jacksonville Armada (NASL); Dejan Jakovic, Shimizu S-Pulse (Japan).
Defender-Midfielders: Jamar Dixon, Ottawa Fury FC (NASL); Fraser Aird, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Maxim Tissot, Ottawa Fury FC (NASL).
Midfielders: Marco Bustos, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); David (Junior) Hoilett, Cardiff City FC; Samuel Piette, CD Izarra (Spain); Adam Straith, Fredrikstad FK (Norway); Charlie Trafford, MKS Korona Kielce (Poland).
Forwards: Marcus Haber, Dundee FC (Scotland); Cyle Larin, Orlando City SC (MLS).