VANCOUVER, BC - Vancouver Whitecaps FC goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau, defenders Derek Cornelius and Doneil Henry, and midfielder Russell Teibert have been called up to Canada men’s national team for the highly-anticipated matchup with the United States in the Concacaf Nations League on October 15 at BMO Field in Toronto, ON.
The cross-border clash, which takes place following the conclusion of the MLS regular season, is the first competitive home-and-away football series in more than 20 years between Canada and USA. The scene shifts to Exploria Stadium in Orlando, FL on November 15.
“Normally, playing an old rival like the USA is enough to get the juices flowing, but there’s a lot more to play for in this match with Concacaf Nations League Group A positioning and FIFA ranking points on the line,” said John Herdman, Canada MNT head coach. “If there’s going to be an upset in this match, the Canadian fans will play a big part as they always do at home.”
Canada currently sit atop the Group A standings after sweeping their two matches with Cuba earlier this month. The US MNT kick off their Group A slate when they host Cuba at Audi Field in Washington, DC four days prior to visiting Canada.
The team with the best record in the group following a home-and-away round-robin advances to the four-team semifinals in June 2020, while the top two finishers qualify for the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup.
“The players will be doing everything in their will to achieve a result against USA and our fans play a big role in pushing the team forward in those tough moments and in games like this there’ll be few, so we hope to see a sea of red at BMO Field and feel their passion from whistle to whistle,” added Herdman.
The four 'Caps players were all called up for both legs against Cuba in September. Cornelius played the full 90 minutes of their 6-0 home shutout victory, and came off the bench to help seal the 1-0 away win. Crépeau and Teibert joined the national team camp but did not feature after sustaining injuries. Henry, who scored a goal in front of his hometown crowd at BMO Field versus Cuba, was sent off in the away leg with two yellow cards, resulting in an automatic one-match suspension. Henry will take part in camp but will be unavailable for the home leg against the United States.
Whitecaps FC play their final match of 2019 this Sunday when they host Real Salt Lake at BC Place. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. Visit whitecapsfc.com for ticket information.
