One of the best players on the Canadian men’s team won’t take part in next month’s CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Interim coach Colin Miller on Tuesday announced his 22-man roster and conspicuous by his absence from the list was star midfielder Atiba Hutchinson, a two-time Canadian player of the year.
Canada doesn’t have to submit its final Gold Cup roster (up to 23 players) until Thursday, but Miller confirmed that Hutchinson, who is currently out of contract after spending the past three seasons at Dutch club PSV Eindhoven, won’t be added to the Canadian team.
Hutchinson and defender Andre Hainault, who is also out of contract at club level, were asked to take part in the tournament, which runs from July 7-28 in the United States. Both declined the invitation.
A source told sportsnet.ca that Miller was set to make the roster announcement on Monday before four unidentified players who are currently out of contract at pro level admitted they were hesitant about playing for Canada. The source said that the players feared if they suffer an injury while on international duty at the Gold Cup that it might hurt their chances of finding a new team.
"Not having Atiba is a big loss to the team … It’s not an easy time for the European-based players, especially if you’re out of contract at this time," Miller told reporters during a Tuesday conference call.
"Atiba was gutted about not coming in, but he’s in a situation where he’s out of contract and he has a chance of a move, which financially could help him for the rest of his career."
Though Hutchinson and Hainault aren’t on the squad, several other Canadian players out of contract are on the roster: defender Adam Straith, midfielder Julian de Guzman, and forwards Randy Edwini-Bonsu and Simeon Jackson.
Miller said he sympathized with the players who didn’t want to come out of fear of jeopardizing their professional futures.
"There’s guys that have chosen to stay [away] and try and solidify their future, and there’s guys that may see this Gold Cup as an opportunity to put themselves in the shop window. It really was the players’ decision," Miller said.
Aside from Hutchinson, other notable omissions include Patrice Bernier of the Montreal Impact (considered one of the best midfielders in MLS) and D.C. United forward Dwayne De Rosario (Canada’s all-time leading scorer with 20 goals in 73 appearances).
Miller admitted that he chose not to select De Rosario (35) and Bernier (33) because of their age. Miller talked at length to De Rosario about his decision to leave him off the team.
"He was disappointed as you would imagine, but it was something that I felt in this particular group it was a fantastic opportunity for us to give talented young players [a chance]," Miller explained.
Canada’s roster for the Gold Cup features midfielder Will Johnson (currently having a banner MLS season with the Portland Timbers), and veteran defender David Edgar of English club Burnley FC.
Also named to the squad were Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Russell Teibert and goalkeeper Simon Thomas, and four Toronto FC players: defenders Ashtone Morgan and Doneil Henry, and midfielders Jonathon Osorio and Kyle Bekker.
Teibert, a 20-year old from Niagara Falls, has been in fine form for the Whitecaps this season after spending the past two MLS campaigns trying to break into the starting 11.
"I’m hoping [Teibert] has the same impact that he’s had for the Whitecaps," Miller said. "I think Russell brings a great deal of enthusiasm, and the fact that he’s been training regularly now and been healthy for so long, it was just a matter of time before he got into [Vancouver’s] first team."
In total, the Canadian squad features 13 players that played in the recent FIFA World Cup qualifiers, as well as eight players that have yet to make their competitive debuts for Canada’s senior team.
One of the newcomers is Keven Aleman, a 19-year-old midfielder who recently signed his first professional contract with Real Valladolid in Spain’s La Liga. It’s important to cap Aleman at this tournament, as he is also eligible to play internationally for Costa Rica – if Aleman takes to the field at the Gold Cup, he would be cap-tied to Canada and would no longer have the option of representing Costa Rica.
"I’m excited to be working with Keven. From what I can gather he’s a terrific prospect for the future," Miller offered.
It’s clear that by drafting so many young prospects into the squad that Miller is looking beyond the Gold Cup, and is looking to prepare them for the next round of World Cup qualifying.
"There’s a terrific chance that these younger players will play," Miller stated. "During the time that I’ve been involved [with the team] this year, we’ve given a number of players their first opportunity and I think now is a fantastic opportunity to build on the experience these young players have had."
He later added: "We have to continue to give these guys the chance to play at this level and the more we do that the better our national team program is going to be."
Miller revealed that Lucas Cavallini, a 20-year-old forward with two caps to his credit, turned down an invitation to play for Canada at the Gold Cup.
"He chose at this moment and time to stay with his club [Uruguayan outfit Juventud] for a number of reasons. It’s unfortunate," Miller said.
De Guzman, 32, is the most experienced player on the Canadian team with 64 caps, and he was named tournament MVP at the 2007 Gold Cup.
"He still has a number of years left in him," Miller opined.
D.C. United defender Dejan Jakovic would have been named to the roster but was ruled out with a groin injury.
Miller back at the helm
Miller will return as Canada’s interim coach after leading the squad in a friendly against Costa Rica last month in Edmonton. He was also Canada’s coach in exhibition matches against Denmark and the U.S. in January. Canada has been without a fulltime coach since Stephen Hart stepped down last October following the team’s elimination from World Cup qualifying.
The team will gather in California on June 26 for a 10-day training camp ahead of the tournament. Canada kicks off Gold Cup play on July 7 against Martinique in Pasadena, Calif. It then plays Mexico in Seattle (July 11) and Panama in Denver (July 14).
The top two teams from each of the three groups, plus the two highest-seeded third-place teams, will advance to the quarter-finals.
Canada won the Gold Cup in 2000 and made it to the semifinals on two other occasions (2002 and 2007). It failed to advance beyond the group stage at the last Gold Cup in 2011.
While Miller is interested in how the team performs at the tournament, he’s also expecting results.
"We’re not going there to make up the numbers. Our seeding and FIFA ranking really become really important here for the next round of qualifying, so these results [matter]," Miller admitted.
"We’re going there to win. We’re not going to damage the limitations. … There’s no question that we’ll be going there to get results."
CANADA’S ROSTER
Goalkeepers: Milan Borjan (Sivasspor/Turkey), Lars Hirschfeld (Vålerenga Fotball/Norway) and Simon Thomas (Vancouver Whitecaps/MLS).
Defenders: Marcel de Jong (FC Augsburg/Germany), David Edgar (Burnley FC/England), Doneil Henry (Toronto FC/MLS), Ashtone Morgan (Toronto FC/MLS), Adam Straith (unattached) and Nik Ledgerwood (Hammarby Fotboll/Sweden).
Midfielders: Keven Aleman (Real Valladolid/Spain), Kyle Bekker (Toronto FC/MLS), Julian de Guzman (unattached), Will Johnson (Portland Timbers/MLS), Issey Nakajima-Farran (Alki Larnaca/Cyprus), Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC/MLS), Pedro Pacheco (C.D. Santa Clara/Portugal), Samuel Piette (Fortuna Düsseldorf/Germany), and Russell Teibert (Vancouver Whitecaps/MLS).
Forwards: Randy Edwini-Bonsu (unattached), Marcus Haber (Stevenage FC/England), Simeon Jackson (unattached) and Tosaint Ricketts (Sandnes Ulf/Norway).