There are plenty of storylines awaiting Tuesday night's international soccer match at Stade Saputo in Montréal as Canada faces Curaçao in their send-off match before the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup (4:30 p.m. PT kickoff on TSN 1, 3, 4, and 5).
Take your pick: Octavio Zambrano's men's national team coaching debut for Canada; possibly the last home international match for hometown hero Patrice Bernier; and anywhere from one to six international debuts of young international players, including a 16-year old teenager named Alphonso Davies.
Davies, who just received his Canadian citizenship last week, is one of three Vancouver Whitecaps FC players on the roster, including fellow Whitecaps FC Residency grad Russell Teibert, who could make his first national team appearance since September 2015, and Marcel de Jong, one of the most experienced players on the roster with 50 caps.
“It should be an exciting match and the players have received the message that this is a very important match,” said Zambrano said. “It is the beginning of a new era and we have exciting, attacking, fast players. We have really good players here, so it will be an interesting time to decide the starting lineup for Tuesday.”
This will mark the first-ever international meeting between the two nations. It also marks Curaçao's first appearance in the final round of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Since 2015, Canada has an international record of eight wins, five draws, and six losses in 22 matches; Curaçao, meanwhile, have a record of six wins, three draws, and three losses in 12 matches, including five straight wins in 2016.
Tuesday’s match also represents Canada's first match in Montréal since September 2010 when they won 2-1 over CONCACAF rivals Honduras. This time, Canada's squad features a trio of Montréal-based players in Patrice Bernier, Maxime Crépeau, and Anthony Jackson-Hamel.
“It is a new start with so many young players included in the squad,” said Bernier, whose last international match was in January 2015 against Iceland. “We have been learning what Octavio Zambrano wants to instill as part of his philosophy and with each training we have been putting things together to ensure we put forth the best performance on Tuesday.”
CANADA
1- GK- Maxime Crépeau | CAN / Impact Montréal FC
2- FB- Fraser Aird | Unattached
3- CB- Manjrekar James | HUN / Vasas Budapest
4- CB- Dejan Jaković | USA / New York Cosmos
5- M- Kianz Froese | GER / Fortuna Düsseldorf
6- M- Samuel Piette | ESP / CD Izarra
7- M- Russell Teibert | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
8- M- Will Johnson | USA / Orlando City SC
9- F- Cyle Larin | USA / Orlando City SC
10- M- David Junior Hoilett | WAL / Cardiff City FC
11- F- Marcus Haber | SCO / Dundee FC
12- M- Alphonso Davies | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
13- M- Jonathan Osorio | CAN / Toronto FC
14- M- Mark-Anthony Kaye | USA / Louisville City FC
15- M- Adam Straith | CAN / FC Edmonton
16- M/F- Anthony Jackson-Hamel | CAN / Impact Montréal FC
17- FB- Marcel de Jong | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
18- GK- Milan Borjan | POL / MKS Korona Kielce
19- M- Raheem Edwards | CAN / Toronto FC
20- M- Patrice Bernier | CAN / Impact Montréal FC
21- FB- Juan Córdova | CHI / CD Huachipato
23- FB- Andrés Fresenga | URU / Cerro Largo FC
24- FB- Tyler Pasher | USA / Sporting Kansas City
