Some surprising names are on the Canadian provisional roster, but who makes the cut down to 23?
If we’re being honest, there is a lot more intrigue to the Canadian provisional roster than the American one. That doesn’t mean it’s the better side, but there are a lot more variables in this line up equation. We’ve got a 17-year-old wonder kid, previously exiled players back without warning, people looking to fill the shoes of long time regulars.
This roster has a little bit of everything, but like the US roster it has to be trimmed down to 23. Unlike the US roster, expect the Canadian side to have some more European based players. There is still a heavy dose of MLS, over half the roster will be domestically based.
Goalkeepers
Making the Roster: Milan Borjan, Jayson Leutwiler, Maxime Crepeau
Getting Cut: Simon Thomas
Octavio Zambrano brought in Borjan and Crepeau for their most recent friendly against Curacao, so they’re in. That leaves one more keeper spot and Leutwiler plays for his club more often and isn’t going to have to leave midseason like Thomas would.
Defenders
Making the Roster: Wandrille Lefevre, Juan Cordova, Marcel de Jong, Adam Straith, Dejan Jakovic, Manjrekar James, Fraser Arid
Getting Cut: Samuel Adekogbe, Andres Fresenga, Milovan Kapor, Tyler Pasher, Steven Vitoria, Nik Ledgerwood
Arid, Jakovic, James, and de Jong were the back line against Curacao and that doesn’t look to change. Cordova is an interesting young prospect playing in Chile. The 22-year-old got his debut with Canada in their most recent friendly.
Zambrano could opt to bring in a more youthful group, but I’d expect a more experienced back line with greater pressure on Canada just to get out of the group.
Midfielders
Making the Roster: Patrice Bernier, Scott Arfield, Alphonso Davies, Will Johnson, Russel Tiebert, Samuel Piette, David Junior Hoilette, Tesho Akindele
Getting Cut: David Chionere, Nicolas Galvis, Mark-Anthony Kaye, Michael Petrasso, Kwame Awuah, Marco Bustos, Kianz Froese, Jonothan Osorio
This is where things really get interesting as far as selection goes. Canada looks to be going all in with youth in the midfield. The average age of this group is just over 23.
With a few veterans sprinkled in to provide some leadership, there will be plenty of chances to get the children on the field. Davies and Piette could be the future for Canada in the midfield and will get their first chance to log some major minutes together.
Forwards
Making the Roster: Tosaint Ricketts, Cyle Larin, Anthony Jackson-Hamel, Lucas Cavallini, Raheem Edwards
Getting Cut: Simeon Jackson, Marcus Haber
The return of Cavallini was the biggest shock of the Canadian roster announcement. His unfortunate debut was the 8-1 debacle in Honduras, since then he has made two more appearances, and been the center of many rumors and uncertainty. He’s playing club soccer for Peñarol, one of the top clubs in Uruguay.
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Outside of that it’s all of the usual suspects, including Cyle Larin. There will be plenty of youth on the field for Les Rouges at all times. Despite recent World Cup qualifying mishaps, the Gold Cup presents a new opportunity for them.