VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau, defenders Derek Cornelius and Doneil Henry, and midfielder Russell Teibert have been named to Canada MNT’s Concacaf Gold Cup roster, the club confirmed on Thursday.
Also on the 23-man roster is 'Caps Homegrown product Alphonso Davies, now with FC Bayern Munich.
The national team will assemble in Los Angeles on June 3 to begin preparations for the tournament. Group stage runs from June 15 to 23, then the knockout stage begins with the quarterfinals on June 29 through the final on July 7.
Following the club's 1979 NASL Soccer Bowl championship anniversary match against Toronto FC tomorrow, May 31, the 'Caps are off during the FIFA international break. They return to league play on June 22 versus Colorado Rapids.
“We laid a good foundation culturally and tactically through Concacaf Nations League Qualifying and the team seem focused and ready to push each other and the country as far as they can in the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup,” said John Herdman, Canada MNT head coach. “The tournament will be tough with the quick turnaround of games, the travel schedule and playing at altitude in Denver against a very good opponent, then to the heat and humidity of Charlotte, but this is what you want as a team to be tested and then to grow from those experiences. We’ve been tested in different ways through Concacaf Nations League and now we head into a tournament setting where things will move at a rapid pace. It’s going to be great to see the team come together in this moment.”
Canada will play in the first match of the tournament when they face Martinique on June 15 in Pasadena before facing Mexico on June 19 in Denver, and Cuba on June 23 in Charlotte. From 16 nations divided into four groups, the top two nations from each group will advance to the 2019 Quarterfinals.
Crépeau, Cornelius, Henry, and Teibert all represented Team Canada as recently as March, in the Concacaf Nations League qualifier match against French Guiana at BC Place. Henry and Cornelius started as the centre back paring, and Teibert played out the last 30 minutes as a second half substitute. Crépeau was on the bench for the 4-1 win that qualified Canada in Group A for this upcoming Gold Cup.
Crépeau has two appearances for Canada MNT, one of which was in the 2017 Gold Cup, subbing in to help seal the 4-2 group stage win against French Guiana.
Cornelius, who made his Canada MNT debut in September 2018, has four caps under his belt, all in Concacaf Nations League qualifying competition. He played the full 90 minutes in each, where Canada outscored their opponents 18-1.
Looking to add to his 24 caps, Henry resumes international duty after making three starts in the Concacaf National League qualifying, and helping man the Canada backline that allowed only one goal in those fixtures.
Teibert has one goal in 23 caps, and was a member of the Gold Cup teams in 2013, 2015, and 2017.
CANADA AT THE CONCACAF GOLD CUP
The Concacaf Gold Cup is the official national team championship of the confederation. Drawing large crowds and millions of television viewers from across the region, the Concacaf Gold Cup is a celebration of soccer, sportsmanship, and culture. For the first time, the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup will feature 16 participating nations, three host countries, and 17 venues.
Beyond the group phase, the top-two nations in each group will advance to the competition’s Quarterfinals to be played in Houston and Philadelphia. The Concacaf Gold Cup continues with the Semifinals on July 2 in Glendale and July 3 in Nashville followed by the Final on July 7 in Chicago.
CANADA SQUAD
GK- Milan Borjan | SRB / FK Crvena zvezda (Red Star Belgrade)
GK- Maxime Crépeau | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
GK- Jayson Leutwiler | ENG / Blackburn Rovers
CB- Derek Cornelius | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
CB- Doneil Henry | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
CB- Kamal Miller | USA / Orlando City SC
FB- Zachary Brault-Guillard | CAN / Impact de Montréal
FB- Marcus Godinho | SCO / Heart of Midlothian FC
FB- Ashtone Morgan | CAN / Toronto FC
M- Scott Arfield | SCO / Glasgow Rangers FC
M- Atiba Hutchinson | TUR / Beşiktaş JK
M- Will Johnson | USA / Orlando City SC
M- Mark-Anthony Kaye | USA / Los Angeles FC
M- Noble Okello | CAN / Toronto FC
M- Jonathan Osorio | CAN / Toronto FC
M- Samuel Piette | CAN / Impact de Montréal
M- Russell Teibert | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
F- Lucas Cavallini | MEX / Puebla FC
F- Jonathan David | BEL / KAA Gent
F- Cyle Larin | TUR / Beşiktaş JK
W- Alphonso Davies | GER / FC Bayern München
W- David Junior Hoilett | WAL / Cardiff City FC
W- Liam Millar | ENG / Liverpool FC U-23
