Davies emerges as new face of Canadian soccer
The Vancouver Whitecaps were on the UBC practice field on Wednesday, doing their usual lighthearted post-training shooting competition, when Canada coach John Herdman happened to stroll by.
The Caps quickly picked up on the presence of the national team boss just as Alphonso Davies stepped up to take his turn, leading to a litany of jokes and cries of “pressure’s on, Phonzie! Don’t miss!” as his teammates crowded around the dynamic winger.
He shanked his shot wide, drawing a loud chorus of catcalls and good-natured slaps, and shouts of “you’re cut!” from a grinning Herdman.
But there was no way the coach was going to leave the most exciting offensive player to come out of the system off the team.
Davies was one of four Whitecaps called up for a Sept. 9 friendly against the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Joining Davies for the game in Bradenton, Fla., the first of four dates in Canada’s 2018-19 CONCACAF Nations League qualifying series, will be fullback Marcel De Jong, midfielder Russell Teibert and centreback Doneil Henry.
The game will be the first for Davies under the Herdman regime, as the U.K. native took over the men’s team from Octavio Zambrano in January, after seven successful years running the national women’s program.
It will also be Davies’ first game with Canada since being signed to a record-setting transfer deal with Bundesliga power Bayern Munich, where he will move at the end of the Whitecaps’ MLS season.
Davies is the face of a Canadian program that has several young talents overseas in top-flight leagues, where Herdman says the development ground is more fertile.
“The move to Bayern Munich will be the critical piece now,” said Herdman. “For the MLS, he’s showed what he can do to almost every fullback in the MLS. And now what you’re going to see is his evolution with better players. And I think that’s always the case.
“When you surround yourself with better players, you evolve as a player. It’s just Darwinian theory. You adapt and evolve to your environment. I’m excited to see him develop. It will be a tough ride for him, that’s for sure, but I think he has the character to do it.”
There are four other teens on the squad for the USVI game, including Jonathan David, who’s been on fire for Belgian side KAA Gent. In one start and six sub appearances in his first pro season, the 18-yearold has six goals.
“This is the sort of pathway that tends to breed these top players, players who get out of their comfort zones and go and fight in top European environments,” said Herdman. “Alphonso is going to do something similar now as an 18-year-old.”
Herdman has drawn a mix of youth and experience in players like De Jong, who has made 55 appearances for Canada. Teibert has 20 caps, while Henry has 22, though none since 2016.
Herdman had high praise for the Whitecaps’ centreback, who has battled his way back from injuries that cost him two years of soccer to become a reliable fixture on the MLS team’s back line.
“If you listen to Doneil and you got back to what you see with his TFC days or with Canada, he’s developed a level of maturity, an IQ, which again has evolved in his time in the U.K.,” he said. “He felt it was a time of his career where the learning curve was pretty steep, and helped him mature as a player.
“When he’s come up against tough opponents in MLS, those $4-million players, those $2-million players, he’s managed them. He’s managed them well.”
Another name that’s always mentioned in the same breath as Davies is Montreal’s Ballou Tabla, the former Impact player who is making waves for Barcelona’s B side in Spain. An Ivory Coast native who has played in the Canadian national team system, Tabla has yet to decide which country he’ll represent at the senior level.
“They have to feel that it’s time to come and play for Canada. But at the same time, you’re not begging players. I’ve been clear … there are other players we’re speaking with that have that opportunity. We’re not begging people,” he said.
“If you don’t feel it in your heart to come and pull that shirt on, don’t bother. I don’t want you here. There are enough players out there now, and enough young players coming through our system, that I can be patient.
“We’re not going to beg you to come and play. You have to want it as bad as Russell Teibert wants it. Because if I don’t feel that, I don’t want you in here.”
Canada faces Dominica at Toronto’s BMO Field in October in their second qualifying game, followed by away games against St. Kitts and Nevis in November, then another home game with French Guiana next March.