Canada Soccer announces squad for Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying

Canada Soccer have announced their 20-player roster for
​Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying in Guadalajara, Mexico from 18-30 March 2021.
​Building on the positive momentum from the Men’s National Team Program, Canada
​will challenge their rivals for one of two Concacaf spots up for grabs to this
​summer’s Olympic Games.

“This is a great opportunity for Canada and the Men’s
​National Team Program to have this chance to qualify for the Olympic Games
​through Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying,” said Mauro Biello, Canada Soccer’s
​Men’s Olympic National Team Coach. “We are in a competitive group ahead of a
​difficult knockout stage, but we have a chance to do something special with
​this group of young players.”

Canada’s squad will prepare for the competition with an
​opportunity to become the first Canadian youth team to ever qualify for an
​Olympic Games. Only players born 1997 or later are eligible for the qualifying
​tournament, whereas the Olympic Games may feature up to three overage players.
​Unlike previous qualifying campaigns, nations may only feature 17 outfield
​players (instead of 18) and three goalkeepers.

Both Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying and the Olympic Games were originally scheduled for 2020, but postponed because of the global Covid-19 pandemic. As such, both Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying and the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers featuring Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team will be played at the same time in March 2021.

In the Concacaf group phase, Canada will face El Salvador on
​19 March (16.00 local / 18.00 ET / 15.00 PT), Haiti on 22 March (16.00 local /
​18.00 ET / 15.00 PT), and Honduras on 25 March (19.30 local / 21.30 ET / 18.30
​PT). Every Canada match at the tournament will be broadcast live on OneSoccer
​with extended coverage throughout the tournament on Canada Soccer’s digital
​channels including Youtube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter featuring the social
​media hashtags #canm23 and #CMOQ.

Through an aligned Men’s National Team Program, Canada’s
​20-player squad will feature 10 players with Men’s National Team experience,
​including recent Canadian Youth International Players of the Year Derek
​Cornelius (2018) and Tajon Buchanan (2020) as well as former Canadian U-20
​Players of the Year Ballou Tabla (2016) and Kris Twardek (2017).

Other players with Men’s National Team experience are James
​Pantemis, Theo Bair, Zorhan Bassong, Zachary Brault-Guillard, Charles-Andreas
​Brym, and Marcus Godinho. Sebastian Breza, Matthew Nogueira, Michael Baldisimo,
​Aidan Daniels, Thomas Meilleur-Giguère, David Norman, and Ryan Raposo all have
​youth teams experience while Lucas Dias, Patrick Metcalfe and Callum Montgomery
​will all feature in Canada’s youth team program for the first time.

Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying tournament is an important
​next step for Canada’s young players on their journey to the Men’s National
​Team. The competition provides players with a chance to gain valuable
​international experience as part of their progress to the Men’s National Team.
​As an all-in-one qualifying campaign with both a pre-camp and a match that
​falls just outside the FIFA window, several players were not eligible for the
​official competition because they would not be released by their professional
​clubs. Nations are not allowed to replace players once the competition begins,
​with the exception of injured players who can be replaced before the opening
​match.

Unlike the last Concacaf tournament in 2015, only two (not
​three) nations advance beyond the Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying tournament,
​so the Concacaf Semifinals on 28 March will be Canada’s one-and-only
​opportunity to qualify for the Olympic Games. Canada have reached the Concacaf
​Semifinals in each of the last three cycles (2008, 2012, 2015), but have not
​qualified for the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament since Los Angeles 1984 when
​they reached the Quarterfinals (which at the time featured the full “A” team).
​That same 1984 Canadian team qualified for the FIFA World Cup just a year later
​for Mexico 1986.

“The Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament provides
​Canada with the chance to continue the success of an aligned Men’s National
​Team Program,” said Biello. “This is an opportunity for our young players to
​help Canada qualify for the Olympic Games and gain experience on their journey
​to the Men’s National Team.”

Canada Soccer’s Men’s EXCEL Program channels our nation’s
​exceptional players into the best soccer environments. The Canada Soccer
​Pathway works in collaboration with our provincial and territory partners as
​well as the professional clubs and academies. For Canada’s elite players, the
​program emphasizes player development on the pathway to representing Canada’s
​Men’s National Team in international soccer.

In 2019, Canada reached the Quarter-finals of back-to-back
​Concacaf Gold Cups for the first time since 2009 and finished second in their
​group of the inaugural Concacaf Nations League A (tied on points with USA, but
​second on goals difference). Along with a historic 2:0 victory over USA in
​Toronto, Canada also qualified for the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup and the next
​season of Concacaf Nations League A. At the youth level, Canada had top-four
​finishes at the Concacaf Men’s Under-17 Championship (after eliminating Costa
​Rica) and Concacaf Boys’ Under-15 Championship (after eliminating Mexico).

Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Youth Teams have won two Concacaf titles: both the 1986 and 1996 Concacaf Men’s Youth Championships. Canada have now qualified for 15 FIFA men’s youth tournaments: eight editions of the FIFA U-20 World Cup and seven editions of the FIFA U-17 World Cup. Canada most recently qualified for the FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019.

PROGRAMME DE L’ÉQUIPE NATIONALE MASCULINE DE CANADA SOCCER

Le Programme masculin EXCEL de Canada Soccer fait progresser les joueurs exceptionnels de notre nation dans les meilleurs environnements de soccer. Le Parcours de Canada Soccer travaille en collaboration avec nos partenaires provinciaux et territoriaux ainsi que les clubs et les académies professionnels. Pour les joueurs élites du Canada, le programme met l’accent sur le développement des joueurs sur le parcours en route vers une place au sein de l’équipe nationale masculine du Canada sur la scène internationale.

En 2019, le Canada a atteint les quarts de finale de la Gold Cup de la Concacaf pour deux éditions consécutives pour la première fois depuis 2009 et a pris le deuxième rang de son groupe dans l’édition inaugurale de la Ligue A des Nations de la Concacaf (à égalité aux points avec les États-Unis, mais deuxième en raison du différentiel de buts). En plus d’une victoire historique de 2-0 sur les États-Unis à Toronto, le Canada s’est aussi qualifié pour la Gold Cup de la Concacaf 2021 et pour la prochaine saison de la Ligue A des Nations de la Concacaf. Dans les rangs jeunesse, le Canada a terminé quatre fois dans le carré d’as aux Championnats U-17 de la Concacaf (après avoir éliminé le Costa Rica) et aux Championnats U-15 de la Concacaf (après avoir éliminé le Mexique).

Les équipes nationales masculines de jeunes de Canada Soccer ont remporté deux titres de la Concacaf, soit les Championnats jeunesse masculins de la Concacaf de 1986 et de 1996. Le Canada s’est maintenant qualifié pour 15 éditions des tournois jeunesse masculins de la FIFA, soit huit éditions de la Coupe du Monde U-20 de la FIFA ​ et sept éditions de la Coupe du Monde U-17 de la FIFA. Le Canada s’est plus récemment qualifié pour la Coupe du Monde U-17 de la FIFA, Brésil 2019.

CANADA
​1- GK- James Pantemis | CAN / CF Montréal
​2- FB- Zachary Brault-Guillard | CAN / CF Montréal
​3- FB- Zorhan Bassong | CAN / CF Montréal
​4- CB- Thomas Meilleur-Giguère | CAN / Pacific FC
​5- CB- Derek Cornelius | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
​6- M- Michael Baldisimo | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
​7- F- Tajon Buchanan | USA / New England Revolution
​8- M- David Norman | CAN / Cavalry FC
​9- F- Charles-Andreas Brym | BEL / Royal Mouscron
​10- M- Aidan Daniels | USA / Oklahoma City Energy
​11- F- Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla | CAN / CF Montréal
​12- F- Kris Twardek | POL / Jagiellonia Białystok
​13- FB- Marcus Godinho | GER / FSV Zwickau
​14- M- Ryan Raposo | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
​15- F- Theo Bair | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
​16- CB- Callum Montgomery | USA / Minnesota United FC
​17- M- Patrick Metcalfe | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
​18- GK- Matthew Nogueira | POR / CS Maritimo
​19- GK- Sebastian Breza | ITA / FC Bologna
​20- AM- Lucas Dias | POR / Sporting CP U-23

CANADA A-Z
​Player | Age (on 19 March) | Where they grew up | First club/active start
​Bair, Theo | 21 | Ottawa, ON, CAN | Ottawa Royals
​Baldisimo, Michael | 20 | Burnaby, BC, CAN | Wesburn SA
​Bassong, Zorhan | 21 | Montréal, QC, CAN | CS Longueuil
​Brault-Guillard, Zachary | 22 | Montréal, QC, CAN & Lyon, FRA | Club Sportif Lagnieu
​Breza, Sebastian | 23 | Montréal, QC, CAN | FS Salaberry
​Brym, Charles-Andreas | 22 | Saguenay, QC, CAN | CS Jonquière (Mistral)
​Buchanan, Tajon | 22 | Brampton, ON, CAN | Brampton YSC
​Cornelius, Derek | 23 | Ajax, ON, CAN | Ajax SC
​Daniels, Aidan | 22 | Ajax, ON, CAN | Ajax Azzurri SC
​Dias, Lucas | 18 | Toronto, ON, CAN |
​Godinho, Marcus | 23 | Toronto, ON, CAN | North York Azzurri
​Meilleur-Giguère, Thomas | 23 | L’Assomption, QC, CAN | CS L’Assomption
​Metcalfe, Patrick | 22 | Richmond, BC, CAN | Richmond FC
​Montgomery, Callum | 22 | Nanaimo, BC, CAN | Nanaimo SA
​Nogueira, Matthew | 23 | Toronto, ON, CAN | Sporting Toronto
​Norman, David | 22 | Coquitlam, BC, CAN | Coquitlam Metro Ford SC
​Pantemis, James | 24 | Montréal, QC, CAN | Pierrefonds
​Raposo, Ryan | 22 | Hamilton, ON, CAN | Mount Hamilton YSC
​Tabla, Ballou Jean-Yves | 21 | Montréal, QC, CAN |
​Twardek, Kris | 24 | Ottawa, ON, CAN | West Carleton SC