Davies back in for national team
Bayern Munich star to join Canada for June matches
Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies, sidelined from international play since November, will return to action with Canada’s national team for June games against Iran, Curaçao and Honduras.
The 21-year-old from Edmonton missed Canada’s last six outings with a heart condition, following a bout with COVID-19. The CONCACAF men’s player of the year returned to Bayern’s starting 11 for an April 6 Champions League quarterfinal against Villarreal, his first club appearance since Dec. 17.
There is also a place in coach John Herdman’s 25-man squad for fullback/wingback Raheem Edwards, who has been in fine form with the Los Angeles Galaxy. The 26-yearold Edwards, who has four caps for Canada, last played for the national team in March 2018 — a 1-0 win over New Zealand in Spain, Herdman’s debut as coach.
And there is a first senior call-up for 17-year-old forward Luca Koleosho, who made his La Liga debut for RCD Espanyol de Barcelona in the club’s May 22 season finale against Granada CF. Koleosho was also on Canada’s recently released provisional roster for the CONCACAF under-20 championship. Born in the U.S. with an ItalianCanadian mother, he moved to Spain when he was 11.
Canada, ranked 38th in the world, is scheduled to open the June FIFA window with a friendly against No. 21 Iran on June 5 at B.C. Place Stadium, before kicking off its CONCACAF Nations League campaign four days later against No. 79 Curaçao at the same venue. The Canadians continue Nations League play against No. 82 Honduras in San Pedro Sula on June 13. The matches are the first for Herdman’s team since it wrapped up CONCACAF World Cup qualifying on March 30 in Panama. The World Cup starts Nov. 21 in Qatar.
“These are three opportunities to take steps forward with this group of players in preparation for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar,” Herdman said in a statement. “Every minute together is crucial.”
The Canadian men went 4-2-0 in World Cup qualifying without Davies, booking their ticket to the soccer showcase for the first time since 1986. Canada topped the final round of qualifying in North and Central America and the Caribbean at 8-2-4, posting a 14-2-4 record overall across three rounds while outscoring opponents 54-8.
The Iran friendly, however, has come under fire since it was announced. On Jan. 8, 2020, 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents died on Ukraine International
Airlines Flight 752, which was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile after taking off from Tehran. Hamed Esmaeilion, spokesperson for the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims, says his group has been against the match since it was first rumoured. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also spoken out against the game, and said this week that it will be up to the Canada Border Services Agency to decide whether the Iranian team is allowed into the country. Canada Soccer has had little to say about the controversy.
Herdman’s roster features several veterans with 50-plus caps: goalkeeper Milan Borjan plus midfielders Jonathan Osorio, Samuel Piette, Atiba Hutchinson and and Cyle Larin. Recently crowned club champions include Davies at Bayern, Borjan (Red Star Belgrade, Serbia), Tajon Buchanan (Club Brugge, Belgium) and Stephen Eustáquio (FC Porto, Portugal).