Steven Sandor's Blog, page 107

Iceland beats Canada in battle of not-ready-for-prime-time players

Dwayne De Rosario

How to analyze Friday’s friendly between Canada and Iceland? That’s a very difficult question.

Sure, Iceland has been a rising power, and its success in Euro qualifying has been one of the great post-World Cup national-team success stories. But, for the first of two friendlies Iceland will play against Canada, the islanders started just two players who were part of the XI that beat the Netherlands 2-0 in 2014.

Meanwhile, Canada brought in a lineup that was a mishmash of selected MLS players, MLS academy prospects, some League1 Ontario talent, a select few guys who play off the continent and, of course, five unattached players.

These weren’t close to the teams that Icelanders will see when their team gets back to European qualifying or Canadians will see when their team begins World Cup qualifying in June.



So, Iceland’s 2-1 win in January Florida conditions that were nowhere near close to being Icelandic or Canadian in nature can be seen, as, well… hmm. A contractual obligation? A chance for Dwayne De Rosario to pad his national scoring record?

Really, for Canadians, that was the lone bright spot. Down 2-0 in the second half and with what seemed like no forward momentum, De Rosario scored his 21st career goal for Canada. On what was an awkward cross into the box, DeRo managed to contort himself so that he was able to get low to the ground and arch backwards so he could make contact with the ball. Going low, not high, for a header — that’s not something you see every day. The ball rolled across the line and coach Benito’s Floro’s charges went back to the task at hand of being toothless in attack.

While Canada was unimpressive going forward, it was far more unimpressive with inattentive play in the back which absolutely gifted the Icelanders two goal. Kristinn Steindórsson scored on free header after a cross came in from the right. He was left absolutely unmarked at back post.

Soon after Canadian Manjrekar James had an effort ruled out because of an offside flag, the Nordic opposition doubled its lead. This time, as a ball bounced in the Canadian penalty area, defender Dejan Jakovic got caught ball-watching, and keeper Kenny Stamatopoulos stayed rooted to his goal line. Matthías Vilhjálmsson took advantage of the hesitation and stabbed the ball across the line with his head.

But, for the most part, this game was hard to watch. And it’s really hard to tell how this affects the national program of either country involved going forward.

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Ecstasy and the agony: Larin feels the sting of defeat hours after being No. 1 MLS pick

Cyle Larin

Just hours after being taken first overall in the MLS SuperDraft, Orlando City SC striker Cyle Larin took to the field in Jamaica with the Canadian U-20 side.

And, deep into second-half stoppage time, Larin stood right next to Romilio Hernandez as the El Salvadoran forward buried the dagger-through-the-heart winner off a set piece. Keeper Nolan Wirth made a diving stop off the first attempt in the box. Larin, who was back in the box to help defend the set piece, had the rebound carom off of him before it fell to Hernandez, who slammed the ball in. Final score: El Salvador 3, Canada 2.

“It was a hard ball to handle and it came into the box really fast,” Larin said after the match. “It came over the first line and the ball bounced and it just it me and hit Nolan (Wirth) and it just kept bouncing everywhere and they just put it in. It went right to their player and he put it in. It was bad luck but hopefully in the next few games we’ll put this behind us and get the result we want and hopefully make it to the World Cup.”

With the heartbreaker, Canada’s under-20s now have two losses out of three games in group stage action at the CONCACAF Championships, and their hopes to qualify for the U-20 World Cup now hang by a thread.

Larin — who was one of two Canadians taken in the first round of the SuperDraft; Skylar Thomas went to Toronto FC — enjoyed a robust celebration with his teammates before the game. But Larin and the Canadian offence failed to trouble the El Salvadorans in the first half. Canada had only two shots toward target — and neither were on goal.



With just a couple of ticks left in the first half, a long ball was played up the gut of Canada’s defence. Wirth decided to come well out of goal to get the ball; but he was slow off the mark and was beaten to be ball by El Salvadoran forward Bryan Perez. With one flick of his boot, Perez lofted the ball over the out-of-position Wirth and into the empty goal. Canadian defender Alex Comsia, who had tried to chase down Perez, could only watch.

After lifeless first half, it was a couple of substitutes who brought Canada to life. FC Edmonton’s Hanson Boakai and Vancouver Whitecaps Kianz Gonzales-Froese each scored second-half goals.

Boakai came in at halftime; and less than two minutes into the second 45, the score was level. He gathered the ball on the right side, then beat three defenders as he across the top of the penalty area. When he got the tiniest of shooting windows, he unleashed a left-footed drive into the goal.

And, just a minute after Jose Villavicencio Marinero gave El Salvador the lead back, the Canadians drew level when substitute Kianz Gonzales-Froese scored on what was a mirror-image play of Boakai’s. Froese came in from the left side, shifted across the box, and scored with his right foot.

Froese is with the Whitecaps, but before going there he spent some time training with FC Edmonton.

But, in the dying minutes, El Salvador laid siege to Canada’s goal, with a series of close-range free kicks and corners hemming all of the Canadian charges deep in their own end. Finally, the pressure broke the dam. And, while Larin knew little about the ball that would rebound off of him and out to Hernandez, it’s a safe to say that he may have had the most tainted draft day out of any No. 1 pick in MLS history.

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Mind games or no mind games? Chinese utilized a strong lineup in loss to the Canadian women

Christine Sinclair

Canada’s final game of the BaoAn Cup was by far the most intriguing of the tournament, even though the Canadian had already clinched the championship.

Why? Because Canada had to face the tournament hosts from China. In a few months time, Canada will open the Women’s World Cup with a group-stage game against the Chinese at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium.

Before the BaoAn Cup, Canadian women’s team coach John Herdman mused that he could approach the game against China in one of two ways — he could play an experimental lineup that might keep the Chinese guessing all the way to June, or play a strong, first-choice team and get the psychological edge by beating the Chinese in their own stadium.

Canada won the game 2-1, with obviously first-choice striker Christine Sinclair scoring twice — one from the penalty spot. Herdman chose to start a strong lineup at least in terms of defending and attacking. But without the services of midfielders Sophie Schmidt and Diana Matheson, he had youngsters Jessie Fleming and Josee Belanger in the mix. Stephanie Labbe started in goal — and Erin McLeod has established herself as the clear No. 1; we’d expect to see McLeod playing the Chinese at the WWC. But, even though youngsters Fleming, Belanger and attacker Janine Beckie got significant minutes, you couldn’t guarantee that those wouldn’t be players you’d see facing China in June.



But, what about the Chinese? While we talk about whether Canada needed to play mind games or not, how did the home team take the game? Well, the Chinese started seven players who also started in a December’s International Tournament of Brasilia 1-1 draw against the United States. Judging China’s lineup in the Canada game against the one it recently utilized in a match with the top-ranked Americans offers the best barometer of their intent. The back line was pretty well unchanged, with the only differences coming in the attacking areas.

So, while neither side started what you’d consider its 100 per-cent-first-choice lineup, the two teams both put out what you’d consider strong teams. Does the win give a psychological edge to Canada? We’ll find out on a June afternoon in Edmonton.

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FC Edmonton signs Icelandic midfielder Oskar Orn Hauksson

Reykjavik’s Oskar Orn Hauksson, left.

Last year in Edmonton, Iceland was all the rage. After direct-flight service to Reykjavik was launched, there were Icelandic festivals in the Alberta capital, Iceland-themed scavenger hunts, and even the Prime Minister of Iceland, Sigmundur David Gunlaugsson, came to visit. Pretty well everyone in Edmonton was either going to Iceland or knew someone who was going to Iceland. It had replaced the all-inclusive in Mexico as our vacation destination of choice.

It’s 2015, and Iceland has yet to show any signs of jumping the shark. On the day the Oscar nominations were made, the Eddies made their own Oskar announcement.

On Thursday, FC Edmonton announced that Iceland national-team midfielder Oskar Orn Hauksson will join the team on season-long loan from KR Reykjavik. The FCE front office confirmed that Hauksson cannot be recalled by Reykjavik during the term of the loan.

Hauksson started all but two matches for Reykjavik in 2014. He scored four goals. He played for Reykjavik in a 2012 Champions League qualifier against HJK Helsinki, and has also spent time with Norwegian side, Sandnes Ulf — a team which once employed Edmonton’s Tosaint Ricketts.



“This is a significant signing for us,” said FC Edmonton head coach Colin Miller in a release issued by the club. “Oskar will be a game changer and a crowd pleaser, he has good pace and good energy. I’m excited about the chance to work with him this year.”

Hauksson is still in Iceland, but will be with the Eddies when they begin training camp on Feb. 18.

Hauksson’s signing brings the total of international players (that is, players who aren’t American or Canadian) on the Eddies to seven, the max allowed by the NASL.

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Canada will send just 13 allocated players to NWSL in 2015

The Canadian Soccer Association will use only 13 of its available 16 allocation slots in NWSL this season.

Since the launch of NWSL, the CSA has paid the salaries of up to 16 Canadian players in that league, guaranteeing them slots in the top pro circuit in North America. On Wednesday, the list of allocated players for the 2015 season was announced, and there were only 13 names on it. (Find the list at the bottom of the document).

The CSA confirmed that it retained the ability to allocate up to 16 players in 2015. A CSA representative told us that some of the player who could have been allocated have chosen instead to pursue other opportunities outside of NWSL.

According to the CSA, “Canadian National Team players will remain in the Centralized Development Program to begin and train in that environment throughout the season, but will have the opportunity to participate in the first three to four NWSL matches before the start of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The NWSL will also a take brief 12-day break during the group stages of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 in Canada.”

Midfielder Desiree Scott, who left NWSL last season to play in England with Notts County, is not on the allocation list. In the current issue of Plastic Pitch, she said that she will decide where she will go after the Women’s World Cup, but was enthusiastic over a possible return to England. Interestingly, Rhian Wilkinson, who withdrew herself from the NWSL last season, will return in 2015.



Last year, Canada allocated 16 players but ended up needing to use just 14 spots. Midfielder Selenia Iacchelli’s knee problems ruled her out of the Western New York Flash’s roster, and Scott’s move from Kansas City to Notts County came after the initial list of 16 came out. John Herdman, coach of the national women’s team, chose not to replace either player. He said that he simply didn’t have any out-of-contract, pro-eligible players who could legitimately take those vacant spots. This year, FC Kansas City does not have any Canada-allocated players.

“At this stage, we don’t have that depth of talent,” Herdman said last year. “My commitment is to put the best Canadian players in that league, and I can’t make that commitment at this point.”

In 2015, the NWSL will have 25 allocated U.S. players and four allocated Mexican players. In 2014, the Americans allocated 26 players and the Mexicans allocated eight, so their numbers are down as well.

Boston Breakers

Nkem Ezurike

Chicago Red Stars

Karina LeBlanc

Adriana Leon

Melissa Tancredi

Rachel Quon

Houston Dash

Allysha Chapman

Erin McLeod

Lauren Sesselmann

Portland Thorns FC

Christine Sinclair

Kaylyn Kyle

Rhian Wilkinson

Sky Blue FC

Jonelle Filigno

Washington Spirit

Diana Matheson

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Canada no match for Lozano’s class

Hirving Lozano

You would have to forgive Canadian fullback Sam Adekugbe if he has a few nightmares on Monday night.

Adekugbe was given the thankless task of trying to mark Mexican forward Hirving Lozano, who loves to lurk on the right wing. And Lozano burned the Canadian time and time again as the Mexicans triumphed 2-0 in group stage play at the CONCACAF U-20 Championships in Jamaica.

The loss drops Canada to 1-1-0 and the goal difference is even.

But, make no mistake, even though Canada had a few scattered chances on counterattacks, the 2-0 scoreline flattered our boys. Had the Mexicans wore their shooting boots — and if goalkeeper Nolan Wirth hadn’t put on a Canadian man-of-the-match performance — the scoreline would have been (deservedly) more severe.

Let’s get back to Lozano. If you were a neutral, his performance was something to see. Lozano shows how far we still have to go in Canada to develop players. Before the tournament began, Canadian coach Rob Gale lamented how few of his players had played meaningful first-team minutes at a professional level. And, on Monday, the Canadians had to try and stare down Lozano, who already has played 17 Liga MX matches this season for Pachuca.

While many of Canada’s players are in MLS academies, Lozano is playing senior matches in a league that’s much tougher than MLS.



Lozano had two glorious chances early, one on a rebound from a Guillermo Martinez shot, another after beating Adekugbe and cutting into the box. Adekugbe was simply run ragged by Lozano, who won ball after ball and was able to get behind the fullback with alarming regularity. There were changes of pace, great two-footed play and composure on the ball.

And, when Lozano finally struck, it was his sheer athleticism that won out. A long ball was launched down the right wing; Adekugbe waited for it to fall. Meanwhile, Lozano, smelling blood, charged hard and timed his leap perfectly. In the air, he cut in front of Adekugbe, won the ball cleanly, and left the defender flat-footed. Lozano cut to the middle of the box and then fired a shot against the grain, smashing the ball inside the near post. It was ballet on the rough dirt that passes for grass in Jamaica.

Lozano’s influence on the game dimmed in the second half, but the Mexicans still kept the Canadians pinned in their own half for most of that stanza. But, after a gathering of four Mexicans in the box could only muster a blocked shot on goal, Canada got a break. Michael Petrasso was played through, and his shot flashed just inches wide of goal.

It would represent Canada’s best chance of the game. The Canadians were outshot 17-6; the Mexicans had a 10-0 (10-0!) advantage in corner kicks. But, the Mexicans fluffed several golden chances in front of Wirth.

With Mexico having such a territorial advantage, the Canadians couldn’t afford to mess up their best chance of the game. But they did.

And, when the injury-time insurance goal was scored by Diego Pineda Juarez, a result that had seemed inevitable from the opening kickoff was sealed.

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For TFC, is an Altidore reclamation project worth the risk?

The right player at the right time. That’s the hallmark of a good signing.

But, as news emerges that Toronto FC is favoured to sign American striker Jozy Altidore as a Designated Player, can we actually say that this is a case of the team signing the right player to fill their needs — at the right moment?

Right now, TFC has Designated Players Gilberto, Jermain Defoe and Michael Bradley on the books. The conventional wisdom is that Defoe will not be back with the Reds in 2015, despite words to the contrary from team brass. But, under the terms of the expiring Collective Bargaining Agreement, TFC is maxed out at the DP position.

And, that’s the elephant in the room. When the CBA expires in the middle of the month, we can’t say for sure how many DPs a team will be able to have, and what the cap hits for those DPs will be. Basically, Altidore’s signing would play into a series of moving parts that makes it hard to truly pinpoint the kind of domino effect he would have on the roster.



But, with Robbie Findley — a player who scored one goal this season — already on the roster, can TFC afford to dedicate another significant chunk of cap space to yet another reclamation project? Findley,who had a cap hit of more than $200,000 in 2014, scored just once last season. He’s the very definition of a reclamation project. You add Altidore to the mix, a player who hasn’t scored a goal for Sunderland since a Sept. 23, 2014 Carling Cup game against Stoke, and you’ve got reclamation project no. 2. And it’s sorta safe to say that between Findley and Altidore, you’ll have a cap hit of around US$600,000, depending on what the new CBA brings.

(Yes, it’s absolutely fair to call Altidore a reclamation project even though he still gets called to the U.S. national side. Striker is a position where the Americans are not particularly deep.)

And there’s another consideration. We’ve been hearing rumblings from those close to Collective Bargaining Agreements that the great compromise could be a significant rise in player salaries, but smaller rosters. Basically, teams would still be able to keep costs in line by reducing the number of jobs at the MLS level, even if players are making more.

This also makes sense with the emergence of the developmental agreement with USL-PRO. In the new MLS reality, teams can place many of their depth players on their USL-PRO affiliates. The fringe players don’t need to be with the big team. It’s hard not to envision a future where many prospects would be signed to two-way contracts; one wage for time spent in MLS, another wage level for time spent in USL-PRO.

Now, if smaller rosters do come to pass, TFC would potentially have two veterans in Altidore and Findley taking up places on a reduced team list. If both are busts, that’s a greater share of roster space dedicated to players who aren’t producing. Both fit the description of “used to be good in MLS, and could be good again.”

Signing Altidire comes down to this question: “Does the risk make sense?”

Altidore could be very good for Toronto FC. He could also be a Mista-level disaster. He’s a lot less of a sure-fire commodity than Defoe. In an uncertain time, where there isn’t CBA certainty, is it the time for TFC to be packing the roster with question marks?

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What’s the frequency, László? Canada opens up U-20 tourney with up-and-down performance

There’s always something spectacularly bizarre about watching a Canadian national-team game stream from the fine folks at CONCACAF.

Canada had a very on-and-off performance Saturday in a 3-1 win over Haiti in their CONCACAF U-20 Championship group-stage opener. But, as coach Rob Gale predicted when he spoke to journalists on Friday, the squad featured a few notable hold-backs, as the team has to face Mexico within 48 hours. Cyle Larin, predicted to be the No. 1 pick in the upcoming MLS Superdraft, came in only as a 70th minute sub right after Michael Petrasso buried the penalty kick to give Canada its third goal of the match. Hanson Boakai, the FC Edmonton wunderkind who has been nursing an injury, didn’t see the field.

But, for some reason, a CONCACAF technical staff member was asked to take a microphone and do a play-by-play to the best of her abilities. So, as the game went on, all we could hear was numbers being read out “Number 5, to number 7, to number 9…” It was like SPECTRE had taken over the game. And, near the end of the game, she asked someone named László for direction, on how Canadians could access the feed.

Along with terrible field conditions in Jamaica and bizarre officiating, it was another example of the surrealist theatre that only Samuel Beckett or CONCACAF could give us.



Jordan Hamilton’s quick brace gave Canada an early cushion. He poked his first goal through the legs of keeper Ramos Pointe Jour, then got his second after he headed home a cross from fullback Sam Adekugbe, who got his Canadian citizenship just before the tournament began.

But, just as Canada was beginning to look comfortable, some disturbing trends appeared in the game. The four defenders were often left isolated as the central midfielders didn’t track back to make themselves available for outlet passes. The lack of cohesion between midfield and defence forced the centre backs and fullbacks to spray long, hopeful balls up the wings — and led to a slew of giveaways.

And, Haitian forward Jonel Desire headed into an empty net after Canadian keeper Marco Carducci fumbled his attempt to corral what was a basic hit-and-hope lofted free kick.

Marco Bustos hit the crossbar with a chip and Michael Petrasso missed a sitter; so Canada’s poor play in midfield was compounded by errors up front. At the half, a game that should have been a blowout was only at 2-1.

Midfielder Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare was sacrificed at halftime, with Manny Aparicio taking his place. But there wasn’t a significant improvement in midfield play. But, with Haiti producing little in terms of attack, Canada could keep committing players forward, and the game was finally salted away with the Petrasso penalty.

With Canada up 3-1, Hamilton could have had his hat trick; he got into the box with only the keeper to beat. He pushed the ball past Pointe Jour, only to be taken out by a two-footed challenge. It should have been an easy case of penalty kick and red card. But, instead, Hamilton was on the turf as play went on, and Pointe Jour got away with it.

Despite a scoreline that wasn’t as decisive as Canadian fans might have hoped, Larin will be pretty well rested ahead of the big Monday date with Mexico. But the Mexicans scored nine against Cuba on Saturday; if Canada’s midfield play doesn’t improve, then Larin might have to score a bunch to keep it close.

So says László. OK, not really.

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Coach Gale tries to ease the pressure on his U-20 players

You couldn’t shake the feeling that Rob Gale, the coach of the Canadian U-20 men’s team, was trying to keep the focus off the high-profile players on his roster.

After all, Cyle Larin is expected to go No. 1 in the MLS SuperDraft. In Hanson Boakai, he has an attacking midfielder who made a national splash when he outplayed guys 10 years his senior in the 2014 Amway Canadian Championship.

But, when Gale spoke the media Friday, ahead of the CONCACAF U-20 Championship, he talked about rotating and managing his squad. He talked about all of his individual players as parts of the greater whole. And he warned off the media when it came to putting too much onto the shoulders of players like Larin and Boakai.

Gale said that, with the games coming fast and furious in Jamaica — beginning Jan. 10 when Canada faces Haiti — plans have been made to rotate the squad. He said plans have been made two or three games ahead of time to ensure that the players are as fresh as they can be.

“The players won’t be able to last that many games.”



For example, two days after Canada faces Haiti, it will face Mexico, in a group-stage match that will go a long way to determining if Canada qualifies for the U-20 World Cup in New Zealand or not. And even though this Canadian team went undefeated on a recent European tour, games in CONCACAF have a way of getting, well, out of hand.

Gale said that, with the heavy game load, both keepers — Vancouver Whitecap Marco Carducci and Oregon State University’s Nolan Wirth — will see time.

And he was clear that Canadians have to understand that, despite the recent successes of the U-20 team in friendlies, there are only one or two players who have seen regular first-team minutes anywhere. And while the coming integration of USL-PRO teams into Toronto FC, the Whitecaps and Impact will be “vital for the under-20 program,” this crop of players hasn’t had the benefit of that deal.

He also warned against putting too much on Larin.

“He’s a very level-headed kid,” Gale said of Larin. “We had a great conversation about the hype, the expectations and the pressure. But he is only one of 20 [players].”

Gale said there is no denying Larin’s talent, “but he has yet to face the test of professional football.”

As for Boakai, Gale said the challenge is to get the FC Edmonton fielder back to game shape. Boakai was injured in December. Gale said he was concerned that, late in the season, Boakai “wasn’t cracking the first team” in Edmonton. And, while Boakai impressed and got a lot of minutes in the Canadian Championship, Gale reminded reporters that the ACC happened last spring and summer — a coach needs a player to be in first-team shape in the weeks leading up to a national-team call.

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Canada’s latest roster is proof that there is no room at the inn for NASL players

Benito Floro

If you’re a supporter of either the Ottawa Fury or FC Edmonton, you might be feeling that your teams got snubbed.

The roster for Canada’s upcoming friendlies with Iceland was released on Friday. With the European soccer season in full swing, only four players who play their professional soccer on that continent were called in. Iain Hume (Kerala Blasters) and Dejan Jakovic (Shimuzu J-Pulse) will make the trip from Asia to join the national team, which begins training January 12 in Florida. Canada plays Iceland on Jan. 16 and 19.

And a lot of the “North-American-based” majority of the roster is made up of unattached players, players from MLS academies, even League1 Ontario. The top U-20 players are with Rob Gale’s squad, as they prepare for the CONCACAF Championships.

Even when Floro faced the crunch of not having first- or second- or third-choice players readily available, he opted to ignore players on FC Edmonton and Ottawa. And that’s on a roster that looks like one where the coach has decided to bring in some players he has yet to see.

So, FCE’s John Smits, who won the 2014 NASL Golden Glove award for having the best goals-against average in the league, isn’t worthy of a call. Nor is FCE right back Edson Edward, widely regarded as one of the best fullbacks in the NASL — and proved late last season that he could also play a central midfield role.



Defender Mason Trafford, who has played for Canada before, played 2,348 minutes for the Fury last season. The Fury duo of Drew Beckie and Philippe Davies played with Canada in the most recent Olympic qualifying cycle. Beckie had been doing missionary work in Africa before Christmas, but the Fury confirmed that he has returned to North America. The team also confirmed that their players are all healthy and available, but coach Marc Dos Santos chose not to comment on the absence of Ottawa players.

FCE confirmed that coach Colin Miller suggested players from the team to Floro — and none of them were dealing with injuries.

These players were available. And weren’t called.

And you could also make arguments for some of the up-and-coming strikers in NASL — such as Ottawa’s Carl Haworth or FCE’s Sadi Jalali. Jalali didn’t crack Gale’s U-20 squad but scored for Canada at the U-17 World Cup.

But none of these candidates were deemed good enough, despite the call-up of five unattached veterans.

And, with the call-ups of players from Hungary, India and League1 Ontario — you have to wonder, just how poorly does Floro rate the NASL?

CANADA ROSTER



GK- Sean Melvin | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency

GK- Quillan Roberts | CAN / Toronto FC

GK- Kenny Stamatopoulos | SWE / AIK

D- Nana Attakora | unattached / sans club

D- Kevon Black | CAN / Toronto FC Academy

D- Jonathan Grant | CAN / Sigma FC

D- Dejan Jakovic | JPN / Shimizu S-Pulse

D- Manjrekar James | HUN / PMFC

D- Ashtone Morgan | CAN / Toronto FC

D- Karl W. Ouimette | CAN / Impact de Montréal

D- Adam Straith | unattached / sans club

D- Maxim Tissot | CAN / Impact de Montréal

M- Patrice Bernier | CAN / Impact de Montréal

M- Christoper Mannella | CAN / Toronto FC

M- Julian de Guzman | unattached / sans club

M- Jonathan Osorio | CAN / Toronto FC

M- Issey Nakajima-Farran | CAN / Impact de Montréal

M- Samuel Piette | ESP / Deportivo la Coruña

M- Daniel Stanese | GER / FC Augsburg II

M- Russell Teibert | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC

F- Caleb Clarke | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC

F- Dwayne De Rosario | unattached / sans club

F- Iain Hume | IND / Kerala Blasters

F- Kyle Porter | unattached / sans club

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