Davies returns to B.C. for qualifier

Canada perfect in run-up to CONCACAF

In his return to Vancouver, Bayern Munich teenager Alphonso Davies will look to help complete Canada’s perfect CONCACAF Nations League qualifying run against French Guiana on March 24 at BC Place Stadium.

At stake is a place in the top tier of the CONCACAF Nations League and a berth in the 2019 Gold Cup.

Canada is ranked 79th in the world while French Guiana is unranked since it is not a member of FIFA.

The 23-man Canadian roster includes nine players from Major League Soccer, with a recall for Orlando midfielder Will Johnson. Other veterans in the squad include captain Scott Arfield, former skipper Atiba Hutchinson, goalkeeper Milan Borjan and defender David Edgar.

Current Va n c o u v e r Whitecaps players called up are goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, centre backs Derek Cornelius and Doneil Henry, and midfielder Russell Teibert.

Davies, 18, is one of seven call-ups aged 21 or younger, including fellow teenagers Jo n a t h a n D av i e s (KAA Gent), Liam Millar (Kilmarnock FC) and Ballou Tabla (Albacete Balompie).

There are six teams with 3-0-0 records in CONCACAF Nations League qualifying play.

Canada stands third in the 34-team standings with a goals difference of plus-14. Curaçao (plus-21) tops the table ahead of Haiti (plus-16). Cuba (plus-14, but has played two home games to Canada’s one) is fourth, followed by Jamaica (plus-11) and Martinique (plus-6),

French Guiana (2 -1- 0) stands 12th. The four-game qualifying round sets the stage for a three-tier competition, complete with promotion and relegation, that kicks off in the fall of 2019 in the confederation covering North and Central America and the Caribbean.

The top six teams out of qualifying will join Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, the U.S., and Trinidad and Tobago in the top-tier CONCACAF Nations League A. Those six countries skipped qualifying by virtue of reaching the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.

Alphonso Davies