The time for tinkering is over – Benito Floro now needs to know what he’s working with.
While Canada’s manager has spent the better part of two years experimenting with his player pool, things are about to get serious with the team preparing to compete in its first CONCACAF Gold Cup under Floro’s watch. That’s all part of a busy summer for the Canadian men’s program, with two World Cup qualifiers in June and an Under-22 team competing in the Pan-American Games in July.
Thus far, in 14 friendlies at the helm, Floro has sent 44 different players onto the pitch in red and white. That total will likely bump up to 46 within the next few weeks, as Will Johnson and Tesho Akindele are expected to play their first games under Floro in Canada’s World Cup qualifiers against Dominica (June 11 and 16).
And while that may sound like a decent-sized pool from which to draw, the reality is that legitimate depth is a luxury rarely enjoyed by any manager of the Canadian men’s national team. Floro is no exception.
But that doesn’t mean the squad is completely bereft of surprises and controversies. So, operating under the assumption that Floro calls in four or five players who aren’t on this month’s World Cup qualifying roster, here’s my educated guess as to who’ll be on Canada’s 23-man squad for this year’s Gold Cup.
Goalkeepers: Milan Borjan (Ludogrets Razgrad), Kenny Stamatopoulos (AIK), David Monsalve (America de Cali)
While Floro was hesistant during a recent conference call to anoint Borjan as the squad’s No. 1 ’keeper, there is no real debate. Stamatopoulos (and Lars Hirschfeld, who was on the WCQ squad) provide a reliable veteran presence, but the 27-year-old Borjan is Canada’s go-to man for the foreseeable future.
He joined Radnicki Nis in Serbia partway through the season and became an instant starter, rattling off clean sheets in his first four games. He’d go on to concede just five goals in 15 matches. Both Stamatopoulos, 35, and Hirschfeld, 36, have had minimal playing time in recent years, but Floro will turn to one of them (I’m picking Stama) to provide a reliable hand in case anything should happen to Borjan.
Floro will give the third spot to a new hand, and I’m leaning towards the 26-year-old Monsalve. He parlayed two great seasons for AC Oulu in Finland into a contract with America de Cali in Colombia. He has only one Canadian cap (earned back in 2010), but Floro has had his eye on the former Toronto FC man since he moved to South America.
Other potential options are Simon Thomas (who’s earned the starter’s role for Strommen in Norway) and John Smits (last year’s NASL Golden Glove winner with FC Edmonton). MLS youngsters Quillan Roberts, Maxime Crepeau and Marco Carducci, while bright prospects for the future, are all eligible for the Pan-Am team, and one (or several) of them will likely be called for that tournament.
Left backs:Ashtone Morgan (Toronto FC), Marcel de Jong (Sporting KC)
Morgan, the self-proclaimed #NastyLeftBack, has played his way back into a starter’s role not only with Toronto FC but, it would appear, with the national team. The chemistry he's found with TFC's high-priced, high-IQ attackers has been hard to miss:
Of course, the vastly more experienced de Jong could still work his way back into a starting role with Sporting Kansas City by then, and subsequently give Morgan a run for his money.
Either way, de Jong is likely to find his way back into the Canada setup (he wasn’t on the WCQ roster) for the Gold Cup. But don’t worry, Impact fans who fear what this means for Maxim Tissot… I have a feeling (spoiler alert) that you might see his name soon, if you keep reading.
As for rising Whitecaps star Sam Adekugbe, don’t be surprised if the 20-year-old turns up on Canada’s roster for the Pan-Am Games.
Right backs: Nik Ledgerwood (Energie Cottbus), Doneil Henry (West Ham United)
Oh yes, the Doneil Henry RB Experiment will continue at the Gold Cup – if the 22-year-old is healthy. He joined West Ham United earlier this year and then went out on loan to Blackburn Rovers, where he was having some success before suffering a season-ending hamstring injury. He’s currently back in training, but wasn’t yet fit to be part of the WCQ squad. The only reason he wouldn’t be on the Gold Cup roster is if he’s not healthy; I choose to be blindly optimistic and say, yeah, he’ll be ready in time.
Ledgerwood, the 30-year-old veteran, will be there to serve as a fullback whether or not Henry is fit to play. While right back is hardly an area of strength for Canada at the moment (hence Floro’s ongoing attempts to use Henry in that position), there are others on the squad who could suitably fill the role if needed.
Central defenders: David Edgar (Birmingham City), Dejan Jakovic (Shimizu S-Pulse), Andre Hainault (VfR Aalen), Karl Ouimette (New York Red Bulls)
Edgar is the spine of the defence, and will be called upon to provide strength and leadership for the Canadian team after a club season spent with Birmingham City and Huddersfield Town (where he spent the second half of the campaign on loan).
He’ll be joined by a few faces familiar to MLS fans. Jakovic, the former D.C. United man, has thrived playing in Japan for Shimizu S-Pulse, while Hainault (formerly of the Houston Dynamo) has been a regular contributor for VfR Aalen in Germany. Hainault wasn’t on the World Cup qualifying squad, but he’ll likely return to the fold in place of youngster Manjrekar James (Pan-Am Games squad, maybe?)
While leaving his hometown Montreal Impact couldn’t have been easy for Ouimette, the 22-year-old has seemingly settled in nicely with New York under former head coach Jesse Marsch. He’ll provide some good versatility along the backline.
Defensive midfielders:Julian de Guzman (Ottawa Fury), Adam Straith (Fredrikstad)
Though he’s picked up his share of detractors over the years, de Guzman will continue to be a key member of Canada’s midfield at this tournament (and, perhaps, beyond). Floro relied upon de Guzman last year, despite the 34-year-old’s extended stint with Unattached FC. Now a member of the Ottawa Fury of the NASL, the veteran will surely want to make the most of one of his last big tournaments with Canada.
Straith has also proven to be a favourite of Floro’s, turning in some good performances for Canada despite also being without a club for much of 2014. The 24-year-old has now found a role as a defender with Fredrikstad FK in Norway – and has played a similar role for the national team – but will likely serve as cover for de Guzman.
Center midfielders: Atiba Hutchinson (Besiktas), Will Johnson (Portland Timbers)
How far Canada goes in this tournament will be largely dictated by Hutchinson’s ability to affect the play. It’s that simple. He’s Canada’s most decorated (and, while such things are horribly subjective, many would say best) active player, and the 32-year-old always brings it when he suits up for the national team.
Will Johnson is no slouch himself, mind you. One of the few Canadians to regularly wear the captain’s armband for a club team (that’s the Portland Timbers, of course), he’ll be looking to bounce back from not only a terrible leg injury that kept him out for eight months, but from a difficult 2013 Gold Cup, from which he had to leave early due to sickness. His ability to push into the attack from midfield will be key:
And, of course, he's also pretty intense.
One wild card here (and don’t ask me where he’d fit into the lineup, because I don’t have a good answer for you) could be Keven Aleman. The dynamic 21-year-old has been to several training camps under Floro and has played twice, though not since September 2013. But he’s done well in his first year as a first-team pro, scoring four goals in 18 appearances for Belen in the Costa Rican Primera Division.
He also has Gold Cup experience – a brief cameo as a substitute back in 2013 (yes, he's cap-tied). So, while I’m not officially predicting Aleman as a Gold Cup roster member, remember, if it does happen, you heard it here first!
Wide midfielders:Russell Teibert (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC), Maxim Tissot (Montreal Impact), Simeon Jackson (Coventry City)
Let’s make a couple of things clear about this Simeon Jackson pick. First, he’s not really a midfielder, though he’s often played on the right for Canada. And I’ve been a big-time, unabashed fan of his for years, so perhaps putting him on this roster ahead of Randy Edwini-Bonsu represents a subconscious desire rather than a conscious belief.
But if Floro is looking for a player with experience (for both club and country), to help balance out some of the youthful exuberance on the wings, Jackson represents a solid choice. And speaking of that youthful exuberance, check out the rest of this group, huh? Three kids who were all Homegrown players, one from each Canadian MLS team – undeniable proof that the system works!
Seriously though, all three – Tissot, Teibert and Osorio – have impressed in their time under Floro, and it’s reasonable to see them as three key building blocks for the future of Canada’s midfield.
And yes, REB is only 25 and I would have no problem whatsoever with seeing him at the Gold Cup, and neither should you. But I’m still going with Jacko. So there.
Forwards:Cyle Larin (Orlando City SC), Tesho Akindele (FC Dallas), Tosaint Ricketts (Hapoel Haifa), Marcus Haber (Crewe Alexandria)
Hmmm, who’s this Akindele guy? I definitely haven’t heard Canadian fans talking about him at all over the past six months or so.
My flat attempts at hilarity notwithstanding, I do see Akindele as a regular call-up for the remainder of the year, given that about a week after this writing, he’ll be cap-tied to the Canadian side (unless something changes at the last minute again oh please, come on Tesho don’t do it, my heart can’t handle it).
Having the 2014 Rookie of the Year as part of the same strike force as, potentially, the 2015 Rookie of the Year (that’s 20-year-old phenom Cyle Larin, of course) is an absolutely tantalizing proposition for a Canadian side that, if we’re using the scientific language, has been pretty stinky at scoring goals for a while now.
Larin has had more ups than downs so far, and knows how to get into the right spots, especially in transition:
Haber and Ricketts get their share of criticism from Canadian fans, but both have regularly turned up and done the work for the national team over the past few years (and yes, found the net on numerous occasions along the way). They’ll get the call for the Gold Cup over the likes of Iain Hume (insert sad emoji here) and, yes, Dwayne De Rosario.
No, De Rosario will not be getting one last magical call-up to this tournament. Yes, I – like you – had hoped (and assumed) that he’d be shaking and baking his way onto the Canadian roster well past the age of 55, but alas, it’s not to be. Thanks for everything, DeRo; the kids will take it from here. (We hope.)
