Canada Soccer have announced their 20-player roster for
\u200bConcacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying in Guadalajara, Mexico from 18-30 March 2021.
\u200bBuilding on the positive momentum from the Men’s National Team Program, Canada
\u200bwill challenge their rivals for one of two Concacaf spots up for grabs to this
\u200bsummer’s Olympic Games.
“This is a great opportunity for Canada and the Men’s
\u200bNational Team Program to have this chance to qualify for the Olympic Games
\u200bthrough Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying,” said Mauro Biello, Canada Soccer’s
\u200bMen’s Olympic National Team Coach. “We are in a competitive group ahead of a
\u200bdifficult knockout stage, but we have a chance to do something special with
\u200bthis group of young players.”
Canada’s squad will prepare for the competition with an
\u200bopportunity to become the first Canadian youth team to ever qualify for an
\u200bOlympic Games. Only players born 1997 or later are eligible for the qualifying
\u200btournament, whereas the Olympic Games may feature up to three overage players.
\u200bUnlike previous qualifying campaigns, nations may only feature 17 outfield
\u200bplayers (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
\u200b19 March (16.00 local / 18.00 ET / 15.00 PT), Haiti on 22 March (16.00 local /
\u200b18.00 ET / 15.00 PT), and Honduras on 25 March (19.30 local / 21.30 ET / 18.30
\u200bPT). Every Canada match at the tournament will be broadcast live on OneSoccer
\u200bwith extended coverage throughout the tournament on Canada Soccer’s digital
\u200bchannels including Youtube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter featuring the social
\u200bmedia hashtags #canm23 and #CMOQ.
Through an aligned Men’s National Team Program, Canada’s
\u200b20-player squad will feature 10 players with Men’s National Team experience,
\u200bincluding recent Canadian Youth International Players of the Year Derek
\u200bCornelius (2018) and Tajon Buchanan (2020) as well as former Canadian U-20
\u200bPlayers of the Year Ballou Tabla (2016) and Kris Twardek (2017).
Other players with Men’s National Team experience are James
\u200bPantemis, Theo Bair, Zorhan Bassong, Zachary Brault-Guillard, Charles-Andreas
\u200bBrym, and Marcus Godinho. Sebastian Breza, Matthew Nogueira, Michael Baldisimo,
\u200bAidan Daniels, Thomas Meilleur-Giguère, David Norman, and Ryan Raposo all have
\u200byouth teams experience while Lucas Dias, Patrick Metcalfe and Callum Montgomery
\u200bwill all feature in Canada’s youth team program for the first time.
Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying tournament is an important
\u200bnext step for Canada’s young players on their journey to the Men’s National
\u200bTeam. The competition provides players with a chance to gain valuable
\u200binternational experience as part of their progress to the Men’s National Team.
\u200bAs an all-in-one qualifying campaign with both a pre-camp and a match that
\u200bfalls just outside the FIFA window, several players were not eligible for the
\u200bofficial competition because they would not be released by their professional
\u200bclubs. Nations are not allowed to replace players once the competition begins,
\u200bwith the exception of injured players who can be replaced before the opening
\u200bmatch.
Unlike the last Concacaf tournament in 2015, only two (not
\u200bthree) nations advance beyond the Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying tournament,
\u200bso the Concacaf Semifinals on 28 March will be Canada’s one-and-only
\u200bopportunity to qualify for the Olympic Games. Canada have reached the Concacaf
\u200bSemifinals in each of the last three cycles (2008, 2012, 2015), but have not
\u200bqualified for the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament since Los Angeles 1984 when
\u200bthey reached the Quarterfinals (which at the time featured the full “A” team).
\u200bThat same 1984 Canadian team qualified for the FIFA World Cup just a year later
\u200bfor Mexico 1986.
“The Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament provides
\u200bCanada with the chance to continue the success of an aligned Men’s National
\u200bTeam Program,” said Biello. “This is an opportunity for our young players to
\u200bhelp Canada qualify for the Olympic Games and gain experience on their journey
\u200bto the Men’s National Team.”
Canada Soccer’s Men’s EXCEL Program channels our nation’s
\u200bexceptional players into the best soccer environments. The Canada Soccer
\u200bPathway works in collaboration with our provincial and territory partners as
\u200bwell as the professional clubs and academies. For Canada’s elite players, the
\u200bprogram emphasizes player development on the pathway to representing Canada’s
\u200bMen’s National Team in international soccer.
In 2019, Canada reached the Quarter-finals of back-to-back
\u200bConcacaf Gold Cups for the first time since 2009 and finished second in their
\u200bgroup of the inaugural Concacaf Nations League A (tied on points with USA, but
\u200bsecond on goals difference). Along with a historic 2:0 victory over USA in
\u200bToronto, Canada also qualified for the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup and the next
\u200bseason of Concacaf Nations League A. At the youth level, Canada had top-four
\u200bfinishes at the Concacaf Men’s Under-17 Championship (after eliminating Costa
\u200bRica) 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
\u200b1- GK- James Pantemis | CAN / CF Montréal
\u200b2- FB- Zachary Brault-Guillard | CAN / CF Montréal
\u200b3- FB- Zorhan Bassong | CAN / CF Montréal
\u200b4- CB- Thomas Meilleur-Giguère | CAN / Pacific FC
\u200b5- CB- Derek Cornelius | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
\u200b6- M- Michael Baldisimo | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
\u200b7- F- Tajon Buchanan | USA / New England Revolution
\u200b8- M- David Norman | CAN / Cavalry FC
\u200b9- F- Charles-Andreas Brym | BEL / Royal Mouscron
\u200b10- M- Aidan Daniels | USA / Oklahoma City Energy
\u200b11- F- Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla | CAN / CF Montréal
\u200b12- F- Kris Twardek | POL / Jagiellonia Bia\u0142ystok
\u200b13- FB- Marcus Godinho | GER / FSV Zwickau
\u200b14- M- Ryan Raposo | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
\u200b15- F- Theo Bair | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
\u200b16- CB- Callum Montgomery | USA / Minnesota United FC
\u200b17- M- Patrick Metcalfe | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
\u200b18- GK- Matthew Nogueira | POR / CS Maritimo
\u200b19- GK- Sebastian Breza | ITA / FC Bologna
\u200b20- AM- Lucas Dias | POR / Sporting CP U-23
CANADA A-Z
\u200bPlayer | Age (on 19 March) | Where they grew up | First club/active start
\u200bBair, Theo | 21 | Ottawa, ON, CAN | Ottawa Royals
\u200bBaldisimo, Michael | 20 | Burnaby, BC, CAN | Wesburn SA
\u200bBassong, Zorhan | 21 | Montréal, QC, CAN | CS Longueuil
\u200bBrault-Guillard, Zachary | 22 | Montréal, QC, CAN & Lyon, FRA | Club Sportif Lagnieu
\u200bBreza, Sebastian | 23 | Montréal, QC, CAN | FS Salaberry
\u200bBrym, Charles-Andreas | 22 | Saguenay, QC, CAN | CS Jonquière (Mistral)
\u200bBuchanan, Tajon | 22 | Brampton, ON, CAN | Brampton YSC
\u200bCornelius, Derek | 23 | Ajax, ON, CAN | Ajax SC
\u200bDaniels, Aidan | 22 | Ajax, ON, CAN | Ajax Azzurri SC
\u200bDias, Lucas | 18 | Toronto, ON, CAN |
\u200bGodinho, Marcus | 23 | Toronto, ON, CAN | North York Azzurri
\u200bMeilleur-Giguère, Thomas | 23 | L’Assomption, QC, CAN | CS L’Assomption
\u200bMetcalfe, Patrick | 22 | Richmond, BC, CAN | Richmond FC
\u200bMontgomery, Callum | 22 | Nanaimo, BC, CAN | Nanaimo SA
\u200bNogueira, Matthew | 23 | Toronto, ON, CAN | Sporting Toronto
\u200bNorman, David | 22 | Coquitlam, BC, CAN | Coquitlam Metro Ford SC
\u200bPantemis, James | 24 | Montréal, QC, CAN | Pierrefonds
\u200bRaposo, Ryan | 22 | Hamilton, ON, CAN | Mount Hamilton YSC
\u200bTabla, Ballou Jean-Yves | 21 | Montréal, QC, CAN |
\u200bTwardek, Kris | 24 | Ottawa, ON, CAN | West Carleton SC