Canada coach Jesse Marsh continues to give opportunities to youth, with Jamie Knight-Level, Santiago Lopez and Kwasi Poku being called up for the first time in the October international transfer window.
The Canadian men, currently ranked 38th in the world, will face 37th-ranked Panama at BMO Field in Toronto on October 15 in their first non-friendly match since finishing fourth at the Copa America in July.
The Panama match is a warm-up match for the second leg of the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals, scheduled to be played at BMO Field on November 19. And although it is a friendly match, it has implications for the CONCACAF standings, which play an important role in the quarter-final draw.
The Canadians jumped the United States to second place behind Mexico in the FIFA rankings and other CONCACAF ratings. Panama ranked 4th.
The Canadian national team will open a camp in Montreal ahead of the Toronto friendly and hold an open training session at Saputo Stadium on October 9. The players will also visit local youth football clubs.
“This is a team of people,” Marsch said in a virtual availability from Austria. “And we want people to feel that way. We want the public and the community to feel that way. We want them to be able to touch and see and feel the players. And we hope that this can generate more and more energy in people. “What do we want to be in 2026 (at the World Cup)?”
Of the 26 players called up to the Canadian camp, 17 are under the age of 25, with goalkeeper Max Crepo (30) and midfielder Jonathan Osorio (32) being elder statesmen.
Knight-Lebel and Lopez are both 19 years old and Poku is 21 years old. All three are Canadian youth international players.
Wales was interested in Knight-Lebel.
There is also a recall for Zorhan Bassong. The 25-year-old defender, who has made 19 MLS appearances for Sporting Kansas City this season, made two senior appearances for Canada under John Herdman in January 2020.
Marsch noted that there was interest from Wales for Knight-Lebel, who has a Canadian father and Welsh mother. Born in Montreal, Knight-Lebel was five years old when her family moved to England.
“We felt like this was a great opportunity to get him into camp and expose him to what we’re doing,” Marsch said. “And see how he reacts.”
The list also includes 18-year-old Fulham defender Luc de Fougerolles, 20-year-old Nathan Saliba and 21-year-old Niko Sigur.
Knight-Level, who is currently on loan from Bristol City to English fourth tier side Crewe Alexandra, and Poku, who joined Belgian side Molenvik from Forsey FC in a Canadian Premier League record move last August, have both made four appearances for the under-20s. . Helped Canada advance to the knockout stages of the 2022 CONCACAF U-20 Championship.
Marsh added Nico Sigur (Hajuk Split, Croatia), Saliba (CF Montreal) and forward Steven Afrifa in the September transfer window, when Canada drew 17th-place Mexico 0-0 and beat 18th-ranked United States 2-0. (Sporting Kansas City) debuted. Arlington, Texas, and Kansas City, respectively, ranked first.
Marsch’s camp roster this time includes 12 MLS players, including CF Montreal’s Saliba, Jonathan Sirois and Joel Waterman, Vancouver Whitecaps’ Sam Adekugbe and Ali Ahmed, and Toronto FC’s Osorio and Richie Laryea.
Marsh expects to have his roster lined up ahead of the Panama game.
The Canadians went 5-2-6 against Panama, with the most recent result being a 2-0 win for Canada in the semifinals of the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League.
Marsh revealed that fullback Alistair Johnstone (back) and midfielder Ismael Kone (ankle) are recovering from injuries. Veteran defender Kamal Miller and midfielder Samuel Piette were not called up this time around to make room for young talent.
canada roster
goalkeeper: Maxime Crepo, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dane St. Clair of Minnesota United (MLS).
defender: Sam Adekugbe, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Jorhan Basson, Sporting Kansas City (MLS); Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Derek Cornelius, Olympique Marseille (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Luc de Fougerolles, Fulham (England); Jamie Knight-Level, Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Joel Waterman CF Montreal (MLS)
midfielder: Ali Ahmed, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stefan Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Nathan Saliba, CF Montreal (MLS); Nico Sigur, Haduk Split (Croatia).
forward: Theo Bear, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, Lille; Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Santiago Lopez, UNAM Cougars (Mexico); Liam Miller, Hull City FC (England); Tani Oluwasei, Minnesota United (MLS); Quasi Poku, RWD Molenbeek (Belgium); Jacob Schappelberg, Nashville SC (MLS)
