First it was the Canadian women who qualified for the London Games. Now it’s the men’s turn.
With the 2012 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament set to kick off this week, it’ll be interesting to see which players make up the core of the Canadian team and who will see the majority of the minutes when Canada faces off against Cuba, El Salvador and the United States in Group B.
Outside of the obvious benefit and achievement of a possible Olympic qualification, the way that the players on coach Tony Fonseca’s U-23 side perform will be interesting to watch for other important reasons as well.
Given that Canadian men’s coach Stephen Hart will likely be assisting Fonseca in some capacity and with it being a certainty that he will be watching the qualifying matches on a type of de facto scouting mission, it’s not a stretch to believe that some strong performances could plant a seed for future senior team call-ups and maybe even appearances in Canada’s World Cup qualifying matches later this year against Honduras, Panama and Cuba.
Furthermore, a large number of the key players on this U-23 squad are products and/or current members of the academies and development environments of Canada’s four professional teams: Toronto FC, the Montreal Impact, the Vancouver Whitecaps and FC Edmonton.
Therefore, how the players on this squad perform at a pressure filled international tournament could provide some reinforcement to the idea that the advent of the professional teams and their respective academies will greatly improve both the depth and quality available to the Canadian national team.
Five years later, it is interesting to look back at where the members of Canadian team that played at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup on home soil in Toronto are now. While that side went winless, pointless and goalless in a disappointing set of performances at BMO Field, it did produce several players who are key members of the current Canadian team in Simeon Jackson, David Edgar, Tosaint Ricketts and Will Johnson.
So who are the players to watch in this tournament? The short answer to that question is obviously all of them. However, if I had to pull together a list of 10 players who could have a big impact not only in Olympic qualifying, but also in the coming years with the senior team, it would include the following.
Nana Attakora: The former Toronto FC fan favourite has been capped three times by the senior side but hasn’t established himself as more than a depth option. Given that he has all of the athletic attributes to be a solid defender at internatonal level, a good performance in the Olympic qualifiers could push him up into Hart’s pool of starting central defenders . As the most experienced defender on Fonseca’s squad, this is also a fantastic opportunity for Attakora to assert himself as a team leader.
Marcus Haber: The six-foot-three-inch striker has recently found his form with St. Johnstone in the Scottish Premier League. Like Attakora, the former Vancouver Whitecaps fan favourite has been capped three times by Canada at the senior level, but is yet to establish himself as one of Hart’s top forward options. A good showing by Haber at the Olympic tournament would not only be good for his standing at the national team level, but would also serve notice to clubs in Europe that he would be a valuable signing when his contract with St. Johnstone will expire this summer.
Randy Edwini-Bonsu: Speed kills is an axiom that rings true in pretty much all professional sports. Edwini-Bonsu, a Vancouver Whitecaps Residency product, possesses incredible pace and he has an excellent chance of being one of Canada’s most potent offensive weapons during the tournament. The Eintracht Braunschweig striker was not announced as part of Canada’s pre-tournament roster, but the player himself has indicated that he will be joining Canada when the qualifying proceedings begin.
Matt Stinson: Battle hardened from strong performances in MLS and CONCACAF Champions League with Toronto FC, the academy graduate is expected to play a major role for Canada in this tournament. His unflappable nature, and the confidence and proficiency he has shown when defending against top players in the MLS will be a major boon for Canada. Given the positional flexibility he has shown at MLS level, it will be interesting to see where Fonseca deploys him this time out. Stinson has received one call-up from Hart but had to decline due to injury. So he is on Hart’s radar and a strong showing would not hurt his chances of future call-ups.
Russell Teibert: Teibert has long been heralded as one of Canada’s top emerging talents. While injuries slowed him down last year in his first season in MLS with Vancouver, he showed enough to highlight the fact that he is capable of being an impact player at the highest levels. As the heir apparent to Josh Simpson on the left side, the Whitecaps Residency Program graduate will be a vital component of the Canadian attack.
Kyle Porter: The 22-year-old striker is expected to be a key threat for Canada up top. As a player many consider MLS calibre, Porter is a stalwart player for a very competitive FC Edmonton side and an offensive player with the potential and athleticism to be an X-Factor for Canada in the tournament. Hart will likely to be watching him closely over the next few weeks.
Shaun Saiko: A product of English side Middlesbrough, Saiko is one of the top players in the North American Soccer League. A quality two-way central midfielder, he brings the full package, including significant experience playing for Canada at various youth levels. Saiko is another FC Edmonton player who is generally considered to be MLS quality and he will likely be a player that Fonseca will lean on to lead Canada in the middle of the pitch.
Andres Fresenga: While not as much of a known quantity as some of the other players listed here, Fresenga is considered by some in the know to be the right back of the future for Canada. Currently playing in Uruguay with Racing Club de Montevideo, the 19-year-old is a rare Canadian player who is being developed in South America.
Doneil Henry: The first player from the TFC Academy to graduate to Toronto FC’s professional team has struggled to play regular minutes since making the jump. That said, there have been a number of MLS and Champions League games in which the 18-year-old defender has clearly illustrated his quality, athleticism and potential. This tournament presents a wonderful opportunity for Henry to play a key role and make a case for a more consistent and prominent role with Aron Winter’s TFC.
Bryce Alderson: The 18-year-old graduate of the Whitecaps Residency program was team captain at the 2011 CONCACAF U-17 Championship and at the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup. As a very talented two-way central midfielder, Alderson is considered to be one of Canada’s top young players.
Samuel Piette: A 17-year-old midfielder who plays with the FC Metz youth team in France, Piette is another player who impressed greatly for Canada at the 2011 CONCACAF U-17 Championship and at the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Fresh off his first call-up with the senior side for the friendly against Armenia, Piette will be looking to show that he can be an impact player playing at a higher international level.
Steve Bottjer is a Toronto-based writer, podcaster and editor for RedNation Online, on online magazine covering all aspects of Canadian soccer. Follow RedNation Online on Twitter.