Canada unveils domestic-heavy squad for Bahrain friendly ahead of World Cup

Peter Galindo @GalindoPWNovember 02, 2022 - 4:53pm

The Canadian men's national team has called up 21 players to face Bahrain in an international friendly on Nov. 11.

Twenty of the 21 players are based in MLS, with this friendly being used to build match fitness for Canada's out-of-season players before it takes on Belgium on Nov. 23 at the World Cup.

Squad regulars such as Maxime Crepeau, Alistair Johnston, Jonathan Osorio, Samuel Piette and Lucas Cavallini are on the roster. Toronto FC defender Lukas MacNaughton and CF Montreal midfielder Mathieu Choiniere were rewarded with their first senior call-ups as well.

MacNaughton, 27, joined TFC from 2021 Canadian Premier League champions Pacific FC during the previous off-season. He made 25 appearances, 20 of them starts, for Toronto at centre-back this past season.

Choiniere, 23, had 26 appearances (15 starts) with Montreal in 2022 in the midfield. He registered two goals and one assist.

Fellow Montreal players James Pantemis and Zachary Brault-Guillard also return to the national team. So, too, have TFC's Jayden Nelson and Ayo Akinola, along with the club's on-loan winger Jacob Shaffelburg, who is currently on loan at Nashville SC . L.A. Galaxy defender Raheem Edwards is back as well after missing out on the September window against Qatar and Uruguay.

Liam Fraser is the lone European-based player in this squad, joining up from Deinze in the Belgian second division. Fraser hasn't received a call since the March window of Concacaf World Cup qualifying. He has 14 caps for Canada.

With six midfielders in the squad, many of them familiar faces, Canada coach John Herdman mentioned that a midfield trio will start against Bahrain in order to bolster players' match fitness.

Canada Soccer also announced that defender Scott Kennedy will miss the World Cup after suffering a shoulder injury for Jahn Regensburg over the weekend. That will surely open up a spot at centre-back for the likes of Derek Cornelius and Joel Waterman.

"He was devastated this morning," said Herdman during a conference call on Wednesday. "He will be a big loss to this group on and off the field. Just one of those tough moments as a coach where you've got to share that grim reality with someone."

Meanwhile, Atiba Hutchinson continues to recover from a pre-season bone bruise. He has yet to play for Besiktas this season but could be close to a return to the pitch before the friendly.

“I was on the phone to him earlier this week,” Herdman said. “He feels good and when I hear those words, that's always a great sign. When you hear Atiba saying that then you know his mind’s right. He is a guy who if he sets his mind to something, he can achieve it. I've had conversations in previous windows where he hasn't felt good and when I know he hasn't felt good, his mind's not right. And if his mind's not right, he's not really going to be fully invested.

“I think we're just hoping that [Besiktas] have a cup game coming up, that we're hoping Atiba can get some serious minutes in that game to help him prepare.”

The rest of Canada's contingent will join the team's pre-World Cup camp after the Bahrain game. The Canadians face Japan on Nov. 17 in its final tuneup before the tournament.

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