It looks like Benito Floro is going to ride or die with his guys.
Much like Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey insisted he’d “ride or die” with his star players in the NBA playoffs, Floro is sticking with familiar faces in the run-up to Canada’s monumental World Cup qualifiers in September.
Floro’s 24-man roster for next month’s friendlies against Azerbaijan (June 3) and Uzbekistan (June 7) features 22 players who were on the squad for a pair of qualifiers against Mexico in March. These are Canada’s final preparatory games before showdowns with Honduras and El Salvador in September, and Floro clearly isn’t using them to experiment with a crop of fresh faces.
In other words, we’re into full-blown “what you see is what you get” mode with this Canadian team.
Now, there is still a bit of wiggle room for that September roster. Atiba Hutchinson, Canada’s finest player, isn’t on the squad for these friendlies, tending to a minor injury after a busy season with Turkish Super Lig champions Besiktas.
The specter of injuries perpetually looms over any team, meaning that no roster is ever set in stone. But with this roster selection, Floro has solidified his commitment to a core that, as recently as 18 months ago, no one would have been able to predict.
The headliner on these shores is Orlando City striker Cyle Larin, who first appeared for Floro from the collegiate ranks back in 2014. Larin’s hype machine was already humming along, but no one knew whether he’d live up to the expectations. (Spoiler alert: he did.)
Joining Larin on the MLS goal-scoring leaderboard these days is Tesho Akindele, who has been a regular fixture for his birth nation since committing to Canada in early 2015.
Looking further afield, Junior Hoilett is now indisputably the face of the Canadian program, which is still a double-take-inducing statement for long-time supporters to read (or type). He came on board last autumn after a decade of dithering over his national-team ambitions, and instantly proved his worth with an assist against Honduras in November.
Speaking of surprise newcomers, Scott Arfield made not only his debut appearance for the Canadian national team, but his debut appearance in the country of Canada (yes, seriously) in March at BC Place. With his club, Burnley, heading to the Premier League next season, you can be sure he’s an automatic call-up for Canada for the foreseeable future.
And let’s not forget the ageless wonder Julian de Guzman, whose 88 caps (and counting) have him atop the all-time appearances list for Canada.
There are others, players with lower profiles to whom Floro has shown similar dedication during his three years in charge. They range from youngsters like Samuel Piette and Manjrekar James to workhorses like Adam Straith and Tosaint Ricketts.
In a bygone era, it would be easy to suggest a Canadian manager was remaining loyal to his troops simply due to a lack of available options. These days, however, it’s not quite that simple.
Fans in Toronto continue to howl (probably in the comments section below) about the ongoing exclusion of TFC regular Jonathan Osorio, who hasn’t been with Canada since last summer’s Gold Cup. The perennial inclusion of Ricketts—whose club career can be charitably described as tumultuous—is often used as evidence of Floro’s ostensible cluelessness.
Also cited by those inclined to make such an argument is the 63-year-old Spaniard’s dogged insistence that Doneil Henry is a fullback (spoiler alert: he’s a center back). While the former TFC man’s usage on the outside was initially borne of necessity, his continued presence in that role—ahead of the likes of David Edgar or Fraser Aird (who isn’t on the squad for these friendlies)—is, suffice it to say, contentious.
Whether Floro’s decisions are a sign of the wisdom and talent-evaluation skills that come from 35 years in the business, or the mark of an obstinate taskmaster beholden to an outdated system, depends on who you ask. The truth, as is always the case, lies somewhere between the two extremes.
But while circumstances may shift sufficiently to see some changes between now and September, the squad Floro will run out against Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan is, for all intents and purposes, the squad he’ll choose for those do-or-die World Cup qualifiers. Fairly or not, those two outcomes will ultimately decide whether Floro’s tenure is vindicated or vilified.
So these friendlies might just give Canadians a clear idea of whether this core will ride into the Hexagonal round for the first time since 1997, or oversee the death of yet another round of World Cup dreams.
