Four players from the Vancouver Whitecaps FC BMO MLS Academy have been named to Canada's pre-tournament squad ahead of the FIFA U-17 World Cup Indonesia 2023™. The week-long camp will provide Canada Soccer’s Men’s U-17 National Team with its final run-in and preparations before they move to Surakarta ahead of their opening match to the biennial tournament.
The roster includes fullback Aidan Fong, midfielders Jeevan Badwal and Liam Mackenzie, and forward Kyler Vojvodic. All four players were part of Canada's squad during Concacaf qualifying.
Canada will open the FIFA U-17 World Cup Indonesia 2023™ against Spain on Friday, November 10 at Manahan Stadium in Surakarta (5 a.m. PT). Across Group B, Canada will also face Uzbekistan on Monday, November 13 at Manahan Stadium (5 a.m. PT) and then Mali on Thursday, November 16 at Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium in Benowo (2 a.m. PT). Throughout the competition, fans will find coverage across Canada Soccer’s digital channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube featuring the hashtag #canm17.
"It is pinnacle events like this that our most talented young Canadians need to experience and to rise up on their journey towards the highest tiers of the global game,” said Andrew Olivieri, Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Youth Excel Director. “Putting together a collectively disciplined and brave run of performances in Indonesia will be what the squad needs to take this program to a knockout stage for the first time at a FIFA U-17 World Cup™. In achieving that, those performances can also help springboard some of these young men’s careers.”
This marks the first FIFA U-17 World Cup™ since the global pandemic and the first time Indonesia has hosted a FIFA youth tournament. Beyond the group stage which runs November 10-18 , the Round of 16 is scheduled for November 20-21, the Quarterfinals are scheduled for November 24-25, the Semifinals on November 28, the Match for Third Place on December 1, and the Final on Saturday, December 2.
From Canada’s pre-tournament camp in Indonesia, coach Andrew Olivieri will select his final squad of 21 players ahead of the opening match. Since October 2022, Olivieri has called in 41 young players born 2006 or later and they have taken part in 11 youth international matches with a record of five wins, one draw and five losses.
Canada Soccer’s Men’s EXCEL Program channels our nation’s exceptional players from the best soccer environments across the globe. Domestically, the Canada Soccer Pathway works in collaboration with our provincial and territory partners as well as our professional clubs and academies. For Canada’s elite players, the program emphasizes player development on the pathway to representing Canada’s Men’s National Team in international soccer.
The FIFA U-17 World Cup Indonesia 2023™ provides an important development step towards future Concacaf and FIFA youth competitions at the U-17 and U-20 levels and more importantly a step towards competing at the international level for Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team at Concacaf, FIFA and Olympic tournaments.
CANADA SQUAD
GK- Nathaniel Abraham | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
GK- Jean-Christophe Belzile | CAN / Académie de CF Montréal
GK- Dominic Kantorowicz | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
GK- Alexander O’Brien | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
CB- Victor Fung | CAN / Inter Miami FC Academy
CB- Étienne Godin | CAN / Académie CF Montréal
CB- Sergei Kozlovskiy | CAN / Académie de CF Montréal
CB- Chimere Omeze | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
CB- Lazar Stefanovic | CAN / Toronto FC 2
FB- Lino Aklil | FRA / HSC Montpellier
FB- Gaël de Montigny | CAN / Académie CF Montréal*
FB- Aidan Fong | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Academy*
FB- Theo Rigopoulos | CAN / Toronto FC 2
M- Jeevan Badwal | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Academy
M- Alessandro Biello | CAN / Académie de CF Montréal
M- Richard Chukwu | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
M- Philip Igbinobaro | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
M- Tyler Londono | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
M- Liam MacKenzie | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Academy
M- Taryck Tahid | CAN / Vancouver FC
F- Antoni Klukowski | POL / Pogon Szczechin
F- Lucas Ozimec | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
F- Erik Pop | GER / Karlsruher SC U-19
F- Kevaughn Tavernier | CAN / Forge FC Hamilton
F- Kyler Vojvodic | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Academy
CANADA (A-Z)
Player | Age | City in which they grew up | Notable youth clubs _
Nom de joueur | Âge | Lieu où il a grandi | Début d’activité/premier club_
Abraham, Nathaniel | 2007 | Toronto, ON, CAN | Vaughan SC Azzurri
Aklil, Lino | 2006 | Aix-en-Provence, FRA | US Puyricard
Badwal, Jeevan | 2006 | Surrey, BC, CAN | Surrey FC
Belzile, Jean-Christophe | 2008 | Winnipeg, Colorado Springs, Ottawa & Beloeil, QC, CAN | Winnipeg Bonivital SC
Biello, Alessandro | 2006 | Montréal, QC, CAN | CS St-Léonard
Chukwu, Richard | 2008 | Toronto, ON, CAN | Bradford Eagles SC
de Montigny, Gaël | 2006 | Montréal, QC, CAN | CS Mascouche
Fong, Aidan | 2006 | Vancouver, BC, CAN | Killarney YSA
Fung, Victor | 2007 | Caracas, VEN & Weston, FL, USA | Escuela Campo Alegre
Godin, Étienne | 2006 | Montréal, QC, CAN | CS Mont-Royal Outremont
Igbinobaro, Philip | 2006 | Toronto, ON, CAN | Glen Shields FC
Kantorowicz, Dominic | 2008 | Caledon, ON, CAN | Brampton Elite SA
Klukowski, Antoni | 2007 | Warsaw, POL & Palma Mallorca, ESP | Escola Varovia
Kozlovskiy, Sergei | 2008 | Montréal, QC, CAN | AS Dynamo Montréal, CS Longueuil, CF Montréal
Londono, Tyler | 2006 | Aurora & Toronto, ON, CAN | Hurricane Weston
MacKenzie, Liam | 2007 | Comox, BC, CAN | Comox Valley United SC
O’Brien, Alexander | 2006 | Toronto, ON, CAN | North Toronto SC
Omeze, Chimere | 2006 | Toronto, ON, CAN | Brampton East SC
Ozimec, Lucas | 2006 | Oakville, ON, CAN | Oakville SC
Pop, Erik | 2006 | Mississauga, ON, CAN | Mississauga Prostars FC
Rigopoulos, Theo | 2006 | London, ON, CAN | London Norwest
Stefanovic, Lazar | 2006 | Oakville, ON, CAN | Oakville SC
Tahid, Taryck | 2007 | Maple Ridge, BC, CAN | New Westminster Africa United FC
Tavernier, Kevaughn | 2006 | Brampton, ON, CAN | Brampton YSC
Vojvodic, Kyler | 2006 | Port Coquitlam, BC, CAN | Port Coquitlam Eurorite SA
