“We want to play for the fans and win for the fans, it is that simple,” said John Herdman, Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team Head Coach. “We hope the fans can join us on our journey towards the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™.”
Canada will face Dominica in Matchweek 2 in 2018-19 Concacaf Nations League Qualifying, the second of four matches from September 2018 to March 2019. The upcoming home match is Tuesday 16 October at BMO Field in Toronto, with tickets starting as low as $20 (plus applicable fees) via Ticketmaster.ca or by phone at 1.855.985.5000. Group discounts are available by organising a group of 10 or more tickets, giving fans a discount of up to 30% off the regular price. There is also a special Me+3 ticket offer in Price Category 2 which gives fans four tickets for the price of three.
Out of town fans can watch the match across Canada on TSN, TSN.ca, and the TSN app, and RDS2 starting at 19.00 ET / 16.00 PT, with additional behind-the-scenes coverage available across Canada Soccer’s digital channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube.
KEY PLAYERS AT BIG CLUBS
An exciting mix of youth continue to push their way into the Canada lineup, including teenagers Jonathan David of KAA Gent, Alphonso Davies of Vancouver Whitecaps and soon FC Bayern, Liam Millar of Liverpool FC, and first-time call up Ballou Tabla of FC Barcelona. Stars like Scott Arfield, Junior Hoilett, Jonathan Osorio and Atiba Hutchinson are also featured in the Canada squad.
Davies made his debut in 2017 (he was Best Young Player at the Concacaf Gold Cup), David made his debut with a two-goal performance in September while Millar made his debut with a man-of-the-match performance in March.
The squad features plenty of skill from professional clubs in Canada, USA, Mexico and across Europe. Amongst the European stars are midfielder Arfield from Glasgow Rangers FC, winger Hoilett from Cardiff City FC in England’s Premier League, and six-time Canadian Player of the Year Hutchinson from Be\u015fikta\u015f JK. North American-based veterans include Lucas Cavallini from Puebla FC and Jonathan Osorio from Toronto FC.
“We want to be in that top-6 of qualifying to get into Group A of Concacaf Nations League, so we won’t be putting any result at risk and we won’t be taking anything for granted,” said Herdman. “We will be working harder than any other team to make sure that, when we get to Toronto for the 16 October match, those fans will get another positive performance from our players.”
Canada’s Hutchinson returns to the Canada lineup for the first time since last year’s 2:0 home victory over Jamaica at BMO Field. Hutchinson has made 78 career international “A” appearances, fifth most on Canada’s all-time list. The Brampton talisman has recently led Be\u015fikta\u015f to back-to-back Turkish Süper Lig titles.
Along with Hutchinson, other Ontario players making a “homecoming” on 16 October include Hoilett, Cyle Larin of Be\u015fikta\u015f, Manjrekar James of FC Fredericia, Doneil Henry of Vancouver Whitecaps FC, and Jay Chapman, Ashtone Morgan, and Osorio of Toronto FC.
Other notable veterans are Russell Teibert of Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Samuel Piette of Impact de Montréal, Tosaint Ricketts of Toronto FC, and Simon Thomas of Kongsvinger in Norway.
NEXT GENERATION
\u200bCanada’s exciting group of young talent features eight players aged 21 or younger, including six teenagers. David, Davies, Millar and Tabla are complimented by teenagers Zachary Brault-Guillard and Alessandro Busti, both of whom have yet to make their international debuts. Derek Cornelius is just 20 while James Pantemis is just 21.
Both Busti and Pantemis will challenge Simon Thomas for goalkeeping minutes in the October match. Busti of Juventus U-23 and Pantemis of Montréal are both hoping to make their debuts.
Centre back Cornelius of FK Javor Ivanjica in Serbia made his international debut on 9 September, an 8:0 victory over US Virgin Islands in the opening match of Concacaf Nations League Qualifying. Fullback Brault-Guillard of Olympique Lyonnais in France hopes to make his debut in October.
CANADA
1- GK- Simon Thomas | NOR / Kongsvinger IL
\u200b2- FB- Zachary Brault-Guillard | FRA / Olympique Lyonnais
\u200b3- CB- Manjrekar James | DEN / FC Fredericia
\u200b4- CB- Derek Cornelius | SRB / FK Javor Ivanjica
\u200b5- CB- David Edgar | CAN / Ottawa Fury FC
\u200b6- M- Samuel Piette | CAN / Impact de Montréal
\u200b7- M- Russell Teibert | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
\u200b8- M- Scott Arfield | SCO / Glasgow Rangers FC
\u200b9- F- Cyle Larin | TUR / Be\u015fikta\u015f JK
\u200b10- M- David Junior Hoilett | WAL / Cardiff City FC
\u200b11- F- Tosaint Ricketts | CAN / Toronto FC
\u200b12- W- Alphonso Davies | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
\u200b13- M- Atiba Hutchinson | TUR / Be\u015fikta\u015f JK
\u200b14- W- Liam Millar | ENG / Liverpool FC U-23
\u200b15- CB- Doneil Henry | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
\u200b16- M- Jay Chapman | CAN / Toronto FC
\u200b17- FB- Ashtone Morgan | CAN / Toronto FC
\u200b18- GK- James Pantemis | CAN / Impact de Montréal
\u200b19- F- Lucas Cavallini | MEX / Puebla FC
\u200b20- F- Jonathan David | BEL / KAA Gent
\u200b21- M- Jonathan Osorio | CAN / Toronto FC
\u200b22- GK- Alessandro Busti | ITA / Juventus FC U-23
\u200b23- M- Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla | ESP / FC Barcelona B
CANADA A-Z
\u200bName | Age | City where they grew up | First club/active start
\u200bArfield, Scott | 29 | Livingston, SCO | Murieston Boys Club
\u200bBrault-Guillard, Zachary | 19 | Montréal, QC, CAN | Club Sportif Lagnieu
\u200bBusti, Alessandro | 18 | Toronto, ON, CAN | Lascaris
\u200bCavallini, Lucas | 25 | Mississauga, ON, CAN | Club Uruguay Toronto
\u200bChapman, Jay | 24 | Campbellford, ON, CAN | Brampton East SC
\u200bCornelius, Derek | 20 | Ajax, ON, CAN | Ajax SC
\u200bDavid, Jonathan | 18 | Ottawa, ON, CAN | Gloucester
\u200bDavies, Alphonso | 17 | Edmonton, AB, CAN | Edmonton Inter
\u200bEdgar, David | 31 | Kitchener, ON, CAN | Kitchener Minor SA
\u200bHenry, Doneil | 25 | Brampton, ON, CAN | Brampton YSC
\u200bHoilett, David Junior | 28 | Brampton, ON, CAN | Mississauga SC
\u200bHutchinson, Atiba | 35 | Brampton, ON, CAN | Brampton YSC
\u200bJames, Manjrekar | 25 | North York, ON, CAN | North York Azzurri
\u200bLarin, Cyle | 23 | Brampton, ON, CAN | Brampton YSC
\u200bMillar, Liam | 19 | Brampton, ON, CAN | Brampton YSC
\u200bMorgan, Ashtone | 27 | Toronto, ON, CAN | West End United
\u200bOsorio, Jonathan | 26 | Brampton, ON, CAN | Toronto Futsal League
\u200bPantemis, James | 21 | Montréal, QC, CAN | Pierrefonds
\u200bPiette, Samuel | 23 | Le Gardeur, QC, CAN | Lionceaux de le Gardeur
\u200bRicketts, Tosaint | 31 | Edmonton, AB, CAN | Edmonton Juventus
\u200bTabla, Ballou Jean-Yves | 19 | Montréal, QC, CAN | Panellinios
\u200bTeibert, Russell | 25 | Niagara Falls, ON, CAN | Niagara Falls SC
\u200bThomas, Simon | 28 | Victoria, BC, CAN | Bays United SC
OCTOBER’S CANADA SOCCER ACTION
\u200bThe month of October features important international competitions for both the Men’s National Team and Women’s National Team as well as the coast-to-coast Toyota National Championships for premier amateur clubs. Canada #CANMNT are at home for a Concacaf Nations League Qualifying match on 16 October while Canada #CANWNT are competing in the Concacaf Women’s Championship from 4-17 October, with a spot at the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 on the line. The Toyota National Championships, meanwhile, cap off the 2018 amateur season in which more than 640 clubs and 12,000 players competed for a chance to win a national title.
As with all home international soccer matches, tickets to Canada’s Tuesday 16 October match in Toronto at BMO Field are available via migmultidev-canada-soccer.pantheonsite.io/tickets.
ABOUT CANADA SOCCER
\u200bCanada Soccer, in partnership with its membership and its partners, provides leadership in the pursuit of excellence in soccer, both at the national and international levels. Canada Soccer not only strives to lead Canada to victory, but also encourages Canadians to a life-long passion for soccer. For more details on Canada Soccer, visit the official website at migmultidev-canada-soccer.pantheonsite.io.