So previously I talked about how the USA is having a major breakthrough in American football players leaving their mark on European football.
We spoke about how Germany has been one of the most popular destinations for American footballers to start their careers. German giants Bayern Munich are one of the top teams that players choose, but recently the Bavarian club has also displayed for us the talents of Alphonso Davies. The Canadian left-back who impressed mostly during the 2020 Champions League campaign, which took place in August due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Surely Canada is mostly known for winter sports such as ice hockey, but today I will be having a look at some of the players which we might see represent Canada during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, if they manage to qualify, and what they have to offer to global football. Most players who are on Canada's team list hold a dual nationality which makes this team more interesting considering the fact that almost all players have a particular story on how they made it to the Canadian National Team and how they managed to find their feet in football in a country where this sports does not stand in the nation's spotlight. Canada has only participated in the World Cup of 1986, held in Mexico. Now they seek to join the top countries on the big stage as they are currently first with six points in Group B of the World Cup Qualifiers from the North, Central America and Caribbean area. Who is Leading the Pack? - John Herdman
As Canada is hosting the 2026 World Cup alongside the USA and Mexico, Herdman puts his faith in his new upcoming team, especially in rising star Alphonso Davies who he describes as a "trailblazer" for Canadian football.
In Goal: Dayne St.Clair
At the Back: Let's start with Alphonso Davies
At 14 he was chosen to join the Whitecaps FC Academy and as Davies explained to BBC Sport, "My mum wasn't too fond of the situation because I was going to Vancouver, by myself, at 14 years of age and schooling is a big one for my parents because they wanted me to have something to fall back on.
"I promised my parents I would stay the same and I wouldn't change. I am happy they let me go and glad it worked out. "But I will never forget where I came from and I want my story to give hope and excitement for other refugees to say, if he can do it, I can do it too." Davies made his Canadian international debut in a 2-1 friendly win against Curacao in which he played 37 minutes. He later on had his first start in the first Group A match of the 2017 Gold Cup in which he netted in two goals for Canada in a 4-2 win over French Guiana. Alistair Johnston
Johnston is an exciting prospect who is very mature about football, adjustable and flexible in positioning for the age of 22.
As Nashville Head Coach Gary Smith explained after his debut against Dallas FC, "I think we view Alistair more so as a right back but what he has shown us in a very short period of time, is that he is an incredibly genuine character, and his quality and understanding of numerous roles is getting better and better. He is very adaptable, but most importantly of all, he's a very intelligent boy. "For 90 minutes, Alistair was able to take on board exactly what was required of him. He applied himself fantastically well and in fact, he actually had a couple of reasonable opportunities and supplied a couple as well. When I remember the good save from Maurer in the first half and a wonderful cross-field ball to Hany. The boy's had a terrific debut, full debut. And if I was him, I certainly wouldn't be going to sleep tonight, I'd be looking at that game again and you know getting excited all over again." His debut was in a World Cup qualifier match against Bermuda in which he came in to play for 21 minutes during a 5-1 win. He then got his first start in another qualifier against the Cayman Islands in which he played for 68 minutes before being substituted. He contributed as a right-back in an 11-0 win in which he scored his first international goal and also assisted one of the 11 goals. Frank Sturing
Canadian Head Coach Herdman describes Sturing as "Just a young pro who's showing he could be someone Canada needs in the future."
Ricardo Ferreira
"Ricardo Ferreira is a modern centre back who has played at good levels in Europe, so we look forward to adding his experience to the Men's National Team Program in 2021."
In Midfield: Marcelo Flores
He started his footballing career when he attended a training camp by Ipswich Town youth development coach Steve Faley. He then went on to join the Arsenal Academy and immediately left his mark after scoring three goals in two games at the beginning of the U18 2020-21 season. This urged Arsenal to offer him his first professional contract which he signed in October 2020 after attending a training session with the first team.
Canada are fighting hard in order to convince Flores to join them in this exciting project of brining Canadian football to the top level with U23 Canada Coach Mauro Biello saying, "Marcelo Flores is a player that obviously we have been looking at, a player that for sure we would love to have in our group. "Again, he is a player that is being [sought] after by other organisations. "At the moment, for sure, Canada is interested in Marcelo as a player. Going forward, there will be opportunities down the road for this young player and Canada will do its best to try and bring him across to our team." Samuel Piette
Piette has great European experience to bring to the Canadian side along with his aggresive ball-winning and strong physique.
Making his debut at a very young age, Piette saw the Canadian team growing and told FIFA in an interview in 2020, "Not only the team, but the entire program has grown a lot in the past two, three years. Our new manager, John Herdman, made the switch from the women's side to the men's side and it's been really positive for us. He's trying to implement things that will bring us to the next level. We also have some highly talented young players: Alphonso Davies playing at Bayern Munich and Jonathan David playing in Belgium, for example. We haven't had these type of players before, and especially at young ages. I think this new generation of player will be very helpful for this country." Junior Hoilett
In 2009, he got promoted to the Blackburn Rovers Senior team and if you're a fan of English football, you might remember him from scoring the final penalty in the quarter final of the 2009 League Cup against Chelsea after they finished full-time in a draw of 3-3, which saw Blackburn make it to the semi-finals.
Hoilett also played for Queens Park Rangers, with whom he recorded 122 appearances which saw him score 13 goals and register 13 assists. Now he represents Cardiff City in the Championship with his best season being that of 2017/18 in which he scored nine goals and registered 11 assists in 46 appearances. Up Front: Jonathan David
Before joining Lille, he played for Belgian side KAA Gent recording an involvement in a goal every 93 minutes during the 2019/20 season. His movement and use of space is what makes him such an intelligent football player. He makes sure to make the most out of every opportunity in which he can score and also creates chances for the whole team.
He made his first appearance for Canada in the first Group A match of the 2018 CONCACAF Nationas League Qualifiers, which was an 8-0 win against the US Virgin where he scored two goals and also assisted one. In 12 appearances with Canada, he already scored 12 goals and recorded five assists. David had the choice to play for the USA since he was born there. When he was only three months, his parents moved to Haiti before deciding to settle in Canada when David was aged six years old. David is excited about what the future holds for Canadian football and the talents that are yet to be discovered as he explained, "Canada has a lot of talent. Maybe we just don't have the exposure yet. Let's say there's a player playing in the street, they may have more talent than all of us. We just don't know. We just have to give the players chances to really prove themselves." Theo Corbeanu
He came on at the 77th minute, to make it 5-1 four minutes later, urging Wolves fans to take on to Twitter and encourage Espirito Santo to finally start Corbeanu.
So far the Canadian has only been called up on the bench. This came after during his first season with the U23 Wolves side, he scored a brace in a 4-2 win to West Bromwich. This encouraged Santo to give him a first team call-up for the Premier League match against Burnley. U23 Coach James Collins is very fond of Corbeanu as he said, "He's athletic, tall, can head it, can defend, can dribble past people and score, he can shoot, he can pass, he's both footed, he's got a bit of everything. "Theo can be anything he wants to be. He's an outstanding prospect. But, and there's always a but with these players, he's got to learn to play within the system and play with the others, adapt his game for different scenarios and situations. "He's got to keep improving and he knows that, he's another good kid who wants to learn - but I think Theo can be as good as he wants to be." Cyle Larin
For the season of 2019/20, Lanir was loaned to Belgian side Zulte Waregem with whom he scored nine goals and recorded 11 assists in 33 appearances.
After that spell, he returned to Besiktas, featuring in 31 Super Lig matches this season so far, where he scored 15 goals and was involved in four other goals. Larin has been part of Canada's plans for a long time as his debut dates back to 2014 when he played 15 minutes of a 1-1 friendly draw to Bulgaria. Teamed up with David and Corbeanu, Canada seem to have one dangerous attack.
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