Canadian men’s national soccer team coach Benito Floro is thinking ahead—not just for this month’s friendly against Colombia but also for next year’s qualifying tournament for the 2016 Olympics.
Floro on Friday announced his 22-man team for Canada’s friendly against Colombia on Oct. 14 at Red Bull Arena, home of MLS’s New York Red Bulls. Included on the roster are a number of youngsters who have yet to earn their first cap for Canada: Glasgow Rangers defender Luca Gasparotto (on loan with Airdrieonians in Scotland’s League One), and midfielders Manuel Aparicio (Toronto FC, on loan with the Wilmington Hammerheads), Dylan Carreiro (Dundee) and Hanson Boakai (FC Edmonton).
Also called into the squad was Cyle Larin, a forward from the University of Connecticut who has played twice for Canada’s senior team, as well as fellow prospects Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare and Karl W. Ouimette, both defenders with the Montreal Impact.
Since taking over the coaching reins last summer, Floro has been committed to rebuilding the Canadian program by giving as many young players a chance to earn international experience. His latest roster continues that trend.
It’s also a strategic move on Floro’s part. The CONCACAF qualifying tournament for the 2016 Olympics in Rio is scheduled for next year. By calling in players who will feature for Canada’s under-23 team in the CONCACAF competition, Floro hopes to give Canada’s youngsters experience in senior matches that will stand them in good stead on the U23 stage.
“We have youth players with us and I want to show and teach these players how to play in the first team,” Floro said in a news release.
“My goal for this match against Colombia is to prepare the team and continue to improve how we press our opponents. We need to improve a lot in these situations.”
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Boakai won’t celebrate his 18th birthday until Oct. 28. He was a key member of Canada’s squad at the most recent FIFA U-17 World Cup, and starred for FC Edmonton against the Montreal Impact in this year’s semifinals of the Amway Canadian Championship. Before the NASL season started, Boakai trained with Fortuna Düsseldorf of the German second division.
Canadian players are scheduled to meet in Cancun, Mexico this Sunday for a training camp in preparation for the Colombia game.
Colombia is No. 3 in the current FIFA World rankings, having reached the quarterfinals of this past summer’s World Cup in Brazil. Canada is ranked a dismal 120th, sandwiched between Haiti and Lebanon.
The game on Oct. 14 will be the second half of a doubleheader at Red Bull Arena, following a match between Ecuador and El Salvador.
Canada is coming off a 3-1 win over Jamaica last month, a result ended that ended the Reds’ 16-game winless streak.
Canada’s previous encounter with Colombia was memorable: A 2-0 win in the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup final in Los Angeles.
“The match against Colombia will be very difficult for us, due to the quality of the opponent. At the same time, the game will be a very interesting test for us as we need to see our competitive level and our spirit against top teams,” Floro said. “The most important question for us is the attitude and at the same time to keep confidence in our capacity to create chances in the attack.”
CANADA’S ROSTER
Goalkeepers: Lars Hirschfeld (Valerenga/Norway), Milan Borjan (Ludogorets Razgrad/Bulgaria), Quillan Roberts (Toronto FC)
Defenders: Nik Ledgerwood (Energie Cottbus/Germany), Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare (Montreal Impact), Andre Hainault (VfR Aalen/Germany), Doneil Henry (Toronto FC), Adam Straith (unattached), Karl W. Ouimette (Montreal Impact), Luca Gasparotto (Glasgow Rangers/Scotland)
Midfielders: David Edgar (Birmingham City/England), Julian de Guzman (unattached), Pedro Pacheco (Santa Clara/Portugal), Kyle Bekker (Toronto FC), Manuel Aparicio (Toronto FC), Issey Nakajima-Farran (Montreal Impact), Marcel de Jong (Augsburg/Germany), Dylan Carreiro (Dundee/Scotland), Hanson Boakai (FC Edmonton)
Forwards: Tosaint Ricketts (Hapoel Haifa/Israel), Cyle Larin (University of Connecticut), Marcus Haber (Crewe Alexandra/England)