Canada announce squad for the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup

Canada have announced their squad for the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup, the confederation’s championship for National Teams that runs this summer from 27 June in Toronto through to the Concacaf Final on 16 July at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California near Los Angeles. Coach John Herdman has selected a squad of 23 footballers that features a mix of returning stars and Concacaf Gold Cup debutants.
 
All of Canada’s matches at the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup will be broadcast in Canada LIVE via OneSoccer, available as a linear channel on Telus’ Optik TV (Channel 980), on the fuboTV Canada platform as well as online at OneSoccer.ca, and through the OneSoccer app. Fans will find extended coverage for the matches across Canada Soccer’s digital channels on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube featuring the hashtag #CANMNT.

Canada will open their 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup on Tuesday 27 June in Toronto against the winner of the Guadeloupe-Guyana Preliminary Round match (to be played 20 June). From there, Canada will head to Houston where they will face Guatemala on Saturday 1 July and then Cuba on Tuesday 4 July. From the four nations in Group D, the top two will advance to the Concacaf Gold Cup Quarterfinals scheduled for Sunday 9 July in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Concacaf Semifinals are Wednesday 12 July in San Diego, California and Paradise, Nevada near Las Vegas, just four days ahead of the Sunday Concacaf Final.

Tickets for the Tuesday 27 June match in Toronto are on sale now via Concacaf.com/gold-cup/tickets.

CANADA’S SQUAD FOR THE CONCACAF GOLD CUP
For the second Concacaf Gold Cup in a row, there is a near even split of 12 returning players and 11 tournament debutants. Of note, Jonathan Osorio is just the third six-time participant (after retired stars Julian de Guzman and Atiba Hutchinson) while Milan Borjan is the 12th five-time participant (third goalkeeper after Pat Onstad and Lars Hirschfeld).

Along with Borjan and Osorio, there are four other veterans taking part in their third of fourth Concacaf Gold Cup: forwards Lucas Cavallini and Junior Hoilett (fourth each) as well as centre backs Kamal Miller and Steven Steven Vitória (third each). Borjan, Hoilett, Osorio and Vitória have all worn Canada’s captain’s armband in the past while all six players were part of the recent Concacaf Nations League Finals as well as last year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

In all, 16 of the 23 players were part of the recent Concacaf Nations League Finals squad in June while 12 of the 23 were part of last year’s FIFA World Cup in November.

The six other returning players to this year’s Concacaf Gold Cup squad are Samuel Adekugbe, Zachary Brault-Guillard, Richie Laryea, Liam Millar and Dayne St. Clair.

From the group of 11 Concacaf Gold Cup debutants, Scott Kennedy and David Wotherspoon were both part of the Concacaf Nations League Finals and both would have been part of the FIFA World Cup had it not been for Kennedy’s injury (Wotherspoon featured in Canada’s last group match). Two other Concacaf Gold Cup debutants, Charles-Andreas Brym and Jacob Shaffelburg, were part of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in 2021-22.

The seven other debutants are all hoping to make their international “A” debuts with Canada. Centre back Moïse Bombito, midfielder Victor Loturi, goalkeeper Tom McGill and right back Dominick Zator were all part of the recent Concacaf Nations League Finals, but they have yet to make their “A” debuts. Winger Ali Ahmed, centre back Zac McGraw and forward Jacen Russell-Rowe are also hoping to making their “A” debuts, but are also making their first appearance at a Concacaf tournament.

Russell-Rowe from Columbus Crew SC is the youngest player in the squad at age 20. He is a graduate from the FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019 and he was the 2022 MLS NEXT Pro top goalscorer with 21 goals. The next two youngest at age 22 are Victor Loturi of Ross County FC who recently led all Canadians in the Scottish Premiership minutes Ali Ahmed of Vancouver Whitecaps FC who won the 2023 Canadian Championship Best Young Player Award.

At age 23, Moïse Bombito is a pro rookie with the Colorado Rapids in MLS, Tom McGill is a goalkeeper with England Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion, Jacob Shaffelburg is a winger with Nashville SC who previously won the Canadian Championship Best Young Player Award in 2021, and Liam Millar is a FIFA World Cup winger who helped FC Basel reach the Semifinals in 2022-23 UEFA Conference League.

While Canada’s squad does feature a mix of experienced stars and young talents, the summer tournament will miss a few key stars that will remain in Europe to prepare for the 2023-24 pre-season with existing or new clubs.  From Canada’s recent Concacaf Silver Medal performance at the Concacaf Nations League Finals, six players that will miss the Concacaf Gold Cup are Tajon Buchanan, Jonathan David, Alphonso Davies, Alistair Johnston, Ismaël Koné and Cyle Larin.

CANADA
GK- Milan Borjan | SRB / FK Crvena zvezda (Red Star Belgrade)
GK- Tom McGill | ENG  / Brighton & Hove Albion FC
GK- Dayne St. Clair | USA / Minnesota United FC
CB- Moïse Bombito | USA / Colorado Rapids
CB- Scott Kennedy | GER / SSV Jahn Regensburg
CB- Zachary Mcgraw | USA / Portland Timbers
CB- Steven Vitória | POR / GD Chaves
CB- Dominick Zator | POL / Korona Kielce
FB- Samuel Adekugbe | TUR / Galatasaray SK
FB- Zachary Brault-Guillard | CAN / CF Montréal
FB- Richie Laryea | CAN / Toronto FC
FB- Kamal Miller | USA  / Inter Miami FC 
M- Ali Ahmed | Vancouver Whitecaps FC
M- Stephen Eustáquio | POR / FC Porto
M- Victor Loturi | SCO / Ross County FC
M- Jonathan Osorio | CAN / Toronto FC
M- David Wotherspoon | Unattached / sans club
F- David Junior Hoilett | ENG / Reading FC
F- Charles-Andreas Brym | NED / FC Eindhoven
F- Lucas Cavallini | MEX / Club Tijuana
F- Liam Millar | SUI / FC Basel
F- Jacen Russell-Rowe | USA / Columbus Crew
F- Jacob Shaffelburg | USA / Nashville SC

#CANMNT STATISTICS / LES STATISTIQUES
https://canadasoccer.com/national/camps/?camp_id=1606

CANADA A-Z
Player name | Age | Where they grew up | Active start/first club
Nom du joueur | Âge | Lieu où il a grandi | Début d’activité/premier club
Adekugbe, Samuel | 1995 | Calgary, AB, CAN | Manchester United Grassroots
Ahmed, Ali | 2000 | Toronto, ON, CAN | 
Bombito, Moïse | 2000 | Montréal, QC, CAN | Cs saint-laurent
Borjan, Milan | 1987 | Hamilton, ON, CAN | Radnicki JP
Brault-Guillard, Zachary | 1998 | Montréal, QC, CAN & Lyon, FRA | CS Lagnieu
Brym, Charles-Andreas | 1998 | Saguenay, QC, CAN | CS Jonquière (Mistral)
Cavallini, Lucas | 1992 | Mississauga, ON, CAN | Club Uruguay Toronto
Eustáquio, Stephen | 1996 | Leamington, ON, CAN | Leamington MS
Hoilett, David Junior | 1990 | Brampton, ON, CAN | Brampton YSC
Kennedy, Scott | 1997 | Calgary, AB, CAN | Calgary West SC
Laryea, Richie | 1995 | Toronto, ON, CAN | Club Uruguay Toronto
Loturi, Victor | 2001 | Calgary, AB, CAN | Calgary Northside SC
McGill, Tom | 2000 | Brighton and Hove, ENG | Cuckfield Cosmos
McGraw, Zac | 1997 | Torrence, CA, USA | 
Millar, Liam | 1999 | Brampton, ON, CAN | Brampton YSC
Miller, Kamal | 1997 | Scarborough, ON, CAN | Scarborough Malvern SC
Osorio, Jonathan | 1992 | Brampton, ON, CAN | Toronto Futsal League
Russell-Rowe, Jacen | 2002 | Brampton, ON, CAN | Brampton YSC
Shaffelburg, Jacob | 1999 | Port Williams, NS, CAN | 
St. Clair, Dayne | 1997 | Pickering, ON, CAN | Ephinay Church Soccer League
Vitória, Steven | 1987 | Sudbury & Mississauga, ON, CAN | Sudbury Lions
Wotherspoon, David | 1990 | Bridge of Earn, SCO | Abernethy Cubs
Zator, Dominick | 1994 | Calgary, AB, CAN | Cal-Glen SC

CANADA AT THE CONCACAF GOLD CUP
Canada have reached the knockout phase in each of the past three editions of the Concacaf Gold Cup, a first in program history. They reached the semifinals in 2021 for the fourth time, but they were eliminated after a narrow 2:1 loss to Mexico.

While Osorio is just the third Canadian to feature at six Concacaf Gold Cups, Herdman is just the third Head Coach to lead Canada at three editions. Herdman has five wins from nine matches and like both Holger Osieck and Stephen Hart, he has reached the knockout phase twice (Quarterfinals 2019, Semifinals 2021). Before Herdman, both Osieck and Hart led Canada to six wins from 12 matches, with “Holger’s Heroes” the Concacaf Gold Cup champions in 2000.

CANADA SOCCER’S MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM
Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team are Concacaf runners up after taking Silver at the 2022-23 Concacaf Nations League Finals in Las Vegas. Before this year, they made their return to the men’s FIFA World Cup after finishing first in the Concacaf Final Round of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. Canada previously won titles when they lifted the Greg Kafaty Trophy at the 1985 Concacaf Championship and the Concacaf Gold Cup in 2000.