Nana Attakora is not used to being one of the oldest players on the squad.
But that’s exactly the position he currently finds himself in with Canada’s Olympic side.
Attakora, who turns 23 next Tuesday, was one of only four players born in 1989 named earlier this week to coach Tony Fonseca’s 20-man roster for the upcoming CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying tournament.
Canada’s under-23 team is comprised mostly of players born in 1990 — and includes two 17-year-olds — which makes Attakora one of the team’s elder-statesmen. It’s a new role for the defender, one that he’s looking forward to taking on during the CONCACAF tournament.
“I have to be more of a leader and I’m fine with that,” Attakora told sportsnet.ca. “It’s just about being vocal. As a centre back you need to be vocal and it’s something that’s going to help me improve my game. So I’m looking forward to it.”
Canada will compete in Group A at the eight-team tournament that will see only the two finalists clinch a berth for this summer’s London Games. The Canadians play El Salvador on Thursday in Nashville, followed by matches against the United States and Cuba.
Taking an inexperienced side to the qualifying competition represents a bit of a gamble by Fonseca, who earlier this week told reporters it was a conscious decision to go so young in order to develop Canadian talent for the future.
Fonseca’s move caught Attakora by surprise, but the former San Jose Earthquakes defender, who is currently out of contract with the MLS club, believes this is a skilled squad.
“It’s a young team. It’s younger than I thought it would be. There are not too many (players born in 1989). … There are a lot of U17 and U20 players, but they’re all strong. It’s surprising how good these guys are,” said Attakora, a native of North York, Ont.
Attakora calls this Canadian team a “very disciplined group” and even though it faces some tough first-round opponents, especially the heavily-favoured U.S., he feels Canada can make it to the semifinals.
What Canada has going for itself, according to the defender, is an unmatched work ethic.
“This is a different team than most people are used to seeing from a Canadian side. It’s a very hard-working team and we have a lot of technical players, especially in the midfield who can play. I think we’ll surprise a few people,” Attakora said.
He also maintains that there are no egos on the Canadian side
“Above anything else, I think that’s the most important thing. Everyone is level headed and will do what’s best for team,” Attakora stated.
Another key for Canada, he insists, is to collect three points from its opening game in order to build some momentum going forward.
“The most important thing for us is getting our first win on Thursday,” Attakora affirmed. “If you get that first win, you always put yourself in a good position. So that’s a major thing for us — getting that win versus El Salvador.”
A strong performance in this competition would not only help Canada’s Olympic cause, but might also improve Attakora’s chances of earning regular call-ups to the Canadian senior team.
The former Toronto FC defender earned three caps for Canada since making his debut in 2010, but his club and national team careers have stalled. Canadian coach Stephen Hart has long maintained that players need to be playing regular first-team soccer for their pro clubs in order to be considered for national team duty at senior level.
Attakora is on the outs with San Jose, and asked the MLS club to trade him (the ‘Quakes still retain his rights even though he’s out of contract) to try to trade him to another team in the league.
Since January, he had two training trials with clubs in Europe — FC Union Berlin in Germany and Scottish outfit Hibs — but he hasn’t played a competitive club game this calendar year.
Still, Attakora is confident he can earn a regular spot on Canada’s senior roster.
“With Stephen the most important thing is that you’re playing throughout the year, no matter where it is. I sat down with him plenty of times before this camp, so I know where his mind is at and know what he expects of me,” Attakora said.
Group B features Honduras, Mexico, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago based in Carson, Calif., home of the LA Galaxy. If Canada finishes in the top two in Group A, it would play either the first- or second-place team from Group B on March 31 in Kansas City.
The Canadian men’s team hasn’t qualified for the Olympics since the 1984 Games in Los Angeles when it lost to Brazil in the quarter-finals.