Whitecaps’ Davies to rep Canada again
Bayern Munich-bound Alphonso Davies is one of five teenagers summoned by coach John Herdman for Canada’s CONCACAF qualifying game against the U.S. Virgin Islands on Sept. 9.
The 17-year-old Davies, slated to join the German powerhouse after his MLS season with the Vancouver Whitecaps, is joined by goalkeeper Alessandro Busti, forwards Jonathan David and Liam Millar (all 18) and fullback Zachary BraultGuillard (19).
Brault-Guillard, Busti, David and 20-yearold centre back Derek Cornelius have yet to win a senior cap, although they have represented Canada at the youth level. Only Cornelius has had a previous call-up to the men’s team — in March.
Brault-Guillard is in the Olympique Lyonnais program in France, while Busti plays for the Juventus reserves in Italy, Cornelius for Serbia’s FK Javor Ivanjica and David for Belgium’s KAA Gent.
Millar, who plays for Liverpool’s under-23 side, and midfielder Jonathan Wotherspoon (Scotland’s St. Johnstone) made their international debuts in Herdman’s first game as men’s coach — a 1-0 win over New Zealand in March.
The U.S. Virgin Islands game, one of four in the qualifying round, will serve as an appetizer for the 2019 debut of a competition showcasing teams from North and Central America and the Caribbean.
Eventually the participating CONCACAF countries will be divided into three tiers with promotion and relegation.
Veterans on the Canadian squad include goalkeeper Milan Borjan (Red Star Belgrade), defenders Dejan Jakovic (Los Angeles FC) and Marcel de Jong (Vancouver), midfielders Scott Arfield (Glasgow Rangers), Junior Hoilett (Cardiff City), Samuel Piette (Montreal) and Jonathan Osorio (Toronto) and forwards Tosaint Ricketts (Toronto) and Cyle Larin (Besiktas).
Whitecaps centre back Doneil Henry also returns to the senior side for the first time since 2016.
“It’s a great time and this is a talented group,” Herdman said in a statement. “It’s a period in time where every match matters, adding the sort of pressure that will help bind the group tighter.
“We know what we are here to do and as a group we will either choose to take this team to another level or we won’t, it’s that clear. This is a talented group who have a real shot at qualifying for (the World Cup in) Qatar 2022.”
Missing is veteran captain Atiba Hutchinson (Besiktas).
The only over-30 players called up are Borjan (30), de Jong and Ricketts (both 31) and Jakovic (33).
The Sept. 9 game was scheduled to be played in the U.S. Virgin Islands but has been moved to the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., because of a lack of a suitable venue.
After the U.S. Virgin Islands, which is ranked 199th in the world, No. 79 Canada will host No. 177 Dominica on Oct. 16 in Toronto. Canada will then play at No. 135 St. Kitts & Nevis on Nov. 18 and host French Guiana on March 26. No venue has been announced yet for the home game against French Guiana, which is unranked because it is not a FIFA member.
Whitecaps’ Kamara, Ghazal and Waston to play for national teams
VANCOUVER — A trio of Vancouver Whitecaps players are set to don the colours of their national teams next month.
Striker Kei Kamara has been named to Sierra Leone’s team and midfielder Aly Ghazal has been called up to play for Egypt.
Both countries are playing in qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations in early September, during the MLS international break.
Whitecaps captain Kendall Waston will also be on international assignment over the break, playing for Costa Rica in a pair of friendlies against South Korea and Japan.
It will be the second time in 2018 that the 30-year-old defender dresses for the Ticos, following the team’s World Cup run in June. Waston netted a goal for Costa Rica in its last match of the tournament, a 2-2 draw with Switzerland.
Suiting up for your country is a lot of fun, said Kamara, who was born in Kenema, Sierra Leone. The 33-year-old has five goals in 26 appearances for the national team.
“For me, every time I’ve been called up to represent Sierra Leone, it’s an honour,” he said. “To put on your country’s colour, your country’s flag, it’s such a special thing.”
Kamara has also been Vancouver’s top scorer this season, putting up 11 goals in league play, plus another three in Canadian Championship appearances.
He’s itching to score in next month’s match in Ethiopia, too, and help Sierra Leone get a step closer to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, set to be held in Cameroon.
Ghazal, a 26-year-old native of Cairo, hasn’t played for Egypt’s men’s team since September 2014. When Ghazal joins the Pharaohs against Niger next month, he’ll be part of a star-studded lineup that includes Orlando City SC defender Amro Tarek and Liverpool FC forward Mohamed Salah.
Ghazal has played alongside Salah before, starting when they trained with Egypt’s under-17 team.
Sounders striker Dempsey retires
SEATTLE — Clint Dempsey announced Wednesday that he’s retiring at age 35 after 15 years of playing professionally. He was mostly a sub with the Seattle Sounders this summer, and that, combined with age and injury, prompted him to decide now was the time to walk away even with two months left in the MLS regular season.
Dempsey is tied with Landon Donovan as the greatest U.S. goal-scorer, with 57 goals in 141 international appearances. He captained the U.S. in the 2014 World Cup and became the first American to score a hat trick in the Premier League.