Herdman opts for youth on national soccer roster
TORONTO — Confident in the young talent at his disposal, Canada coach John Herdman says he’s not going to beg players to wear the Maple Leaf.
“If you don’t feel it in your heart to come and pull that shirt on, don’t bother,” he told a media conference call Thursday. “I don’t want you here for commercial reasons. I don’t want you here for other reasons, because someone told you it was the right thing to do.
“I won’t beg you to be here. It’s got to be right for you,” he added. “And there’s enough players out there now and there’s enough young players coming through our system that I can be patient.”
He said he has had “consistent” talks with former Montreal Impact teenager Ballou Tabla, who is now playing for the Barcelona B team. The 19-year-old Tabla has represented Canada at the under-17 level but is also eligible to play for the Ivory Coast, where he was born.
Saying he understands how difficult it is for players to choose their international allegiance, Herdman said he’s not interested in wining and dining players.
Youth will be on display when Canada faces the U.S. Virgin Islands on Sept. 9 in the first of four CONCACAF Nations qualifying games.
Herdman has summoned Bayern Munich-bound Alphonso Davies and four other teenagers for the match in Florida.
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 Brault-Guillard (19).
Brault-Guillard, Busti, David and 20-year-old centre back Derek Cornelius have yet to win a senior cap, although they represented Canada at the youth level. Only Cornelius has had a previous callup 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 four qualifying games 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 Whitecaps), midfielders Scott Arfield (Glasgow Rangers), Junior Hoilett (Cardiff City), Samuel Piette (Montreal Impact) and Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC) and forwards Tosaint Ricketts (Toronto FC) and Cyle Larin (Besiktas).