Jonathan David, Alphonso Davies among big names missing from Canada’s Gold Cup roster
Canada will have to miss some big names for its Gold Cup campaign.
Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David, Cyle Larin, Tajon Buchanan, Alistair Johnston, Atiba Hutchinson and Ismael Kone will not make the move from the CONCACAF Nations League squad to the Gold Cup.
The 47th-ranked Canadians who lost the Nations League Final to the 13th-ranked USA on Sunday night in Las Vegas will open the Gold Cup game on June 27 against either No. 170 Guyana or unranked Guadeloupe at Toronto’s BMO Field. Canada then heads to Houston to complete its Group D game against No. 116 Guatemala and No. 165 Cuba.
Guadeloupe and Guyana will meet in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Tuesday to decide who will advance to the main draw.
Guadeloupe defeated No. 133 Antigua and Barbuda 5–0 in the first qualifier, as Guyana passed No. 175 Grenada in a penalty shootout.
Head coach John Herdman had warned changes to the roster were coming, with some players needing a break or time to recover from injuries.
“We’ve got some young guys we’re going to be looking at for this Gold Cup,” he said after Sunday’s defeat.
“I would like to see the same squad come along, but that’s not going to happen,” he added.
Hutchinson, 40, had said the Nations League would serve as his farewell after 104 international appearances. And Herdman said defender Johnston was injured from his club duty at Celtic.
LOOK | USA beats Canada in CONCACAF Nations League final
Goals from Folarin Balogun and Chris Richards were enough for an American side to beat Canada 2-0 in the CONCACAF Nations League final in Las Vegas on Sunday night.
Davies was sidelined for almost two months for the Nations League with a leg injury. David, meanwhile, is the subject of intense transfer speculation surrounding a move to a bigger club from Lille, France.
“It’s a tough time,” Herdman said. “Ahead of us, we have guys who are about to make big transfers.”
Others need the time off to recover, he added.
There are 16 holdovers from the Nations League roster.
LOOK | Davies wins Nations League semi-final over Panama
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Alphonso Davies scores with an absolute rocket to seal Canada’s 2-0 victory over Panama in the CONCACAF Nations League semi-finals.
Unlimited newcomers include 20-year-old Columbus forward Jacen Russell-Rowe, 22-year-old Vancouver Whitecaps defenseman/midfielder Ali Ahmed and Portland Timbers defenseman Zac McGraw.
FC Basel striker Liam Millar (17 caps), FC Eindhoven midfielder Charles-Andreas Brym (8 caps), CF Montreal defender Zachary Brault-Guillard (7 caps) and Nashville SC striker Jacob Shaffelburg (4 caps) return to the selection.
Canada Gold Cup selection
keepers: Milan Borjan, Red Star Belgrade (Serbia); Tom McGill, Brighton & Hove Albion (England); Dayne St Clair, Minnesota United (MLS).
Defenders: Samuel Adekugbe, Hatayspor (Turkey); Moise Bombito, Colorado Rapids (MLS); Zachary Brault-Guillard, CF Montreal (MLS); Scott Kennedy, Jahn Regensburg (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Zac McGraw, Portland Timbers (MLS); Kamal Miller, Inter Miami (MLS); Steven Vitoria, GD Chaves (Portugal); Dominick Zator, Korona Kielce (Poland).
midfielders: Ali Ahmed, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Junior Hoilett, Reading (England); Victor Loturi, Ross County (Scotland); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); David Wotherspoon, St Johnstone (Scotland); Charles-Andreas Brym, FC Eindhoven (Netherlands).
Forward: Lucas Cavallini, Club Tijuana (Mexico); Liam Millar, FC Basel (Switzerland); Jacen Russell-Rowe, Columbus Crew (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville, SC (MLS).
