Canada will be deprived of several important elements during its Gold Cup campaign.
Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David, Cyle Larin, Tajon Buchanan, Alistair Johnston, Atiba Hutchinson and Ismaël Koné will not make the transition from the Canadian team which participated in the Concacaf Nations League to that which will participate in the Gold Cup.
47th-ranked FIFA Canada lost 2-0 to 13th-ranked USA in the Nations League final on Sunday night in Las Vegas.
They will begin their Gold Cup journey on June 27 against Guyana or Guadeloupe at BMO Field in Toronto. He will then travel to Houston to complete the group stage with duels against Guatemala and Cuba.
Guadeloupe and Guyana face off on Tuesday in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and the winner will advance to the main tournament.
Canadian coach John Herdman had warned that many changes would be made in his training as players need rest or have to treat injuries.
“We will have the opportunity to observe young players during the Gold Cup,” he said after Sunday night’s loss.
“I would like to rely on the same group, but that’s not going to happen,” he added.
Hutchinson, 40, announced that his participation in the Nations League would serve as his farewell tour after 104 outings with the Canadian team. And Herdman had indicated that Johnston was affected by an injury suffered with his club, Glasgow Celtic.
Davies missed nearly two months of action with a leg injury before returning to the Nations League collar. For his part, David finds himself at the heart of transfer rumors to a more prestigious club than Lille, for whom he plays in France.
“It’s a tough time,” Herdman said. We have players who could go through major transfers and we are keeping our fingers crossed for them. »
Herdman added that other players need to get their strength back.
Sixteen players who participated in the League of Nations will be back.
Newcomers who have yet to wear the Canadian uniform at the senior level include Jacen Russell-Rowe of the Columbus Crew, Ali Ahmed of the Vancouver Whitecaps, and Zac McGraw of the Portland Timbers.
Liam Millar of FC Basel, Charles-Andreas Brym of FC Eindhoven, Zachary Brault-Guillard of CF Montreal and Jacob Shaffelburg of Nashville SC will return to Canada.