At just 20-years old, Alphonso Davies is already a CONCACAF Gold Cup veteran.
The star Bayern Munich left back highlights a group of 12 returning players on Canada’s 23-man roster for the championship for teams in North and Central America and the Caribbean, which kicks off July 10.
It will be the third Gold Cup appearance for Davies, who has already made a name for himself at the tournament. He won the Golden Boot as top scorer (with three goals) and was named the best young player at the 2017 edition.
Davies’ inclusion underlines his commitment to the Canadian cause, as he will miss the beginning of Bayern’s training camp to compete at the Gold Cup.
He and his teammates will also get valuable top-tier matches in heading into the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, which head coach John Herdman said is key for a team lacking game experience.
“We’ve only had six matches in two years as a group, and a lot of those games haven’t been against top CONCACAF opposition,” Herdman said Thursday after the team was announced. “So for me to bring a group of players together that can gain those experiences and continue in this mentality and keep building on the foundation of those last six games, that’s really my goal for this tournament.”
While Canada will be able to count on Davies’ pace and energy at the Gold Cup, it will be missing the scoring punch of another of its European-based stars.
Jonathan David, a standout forward for French champion Lille, is being given the Gold Cup off to rest for the upcoming Ligue 1 season, as well as the final round of World Cup qualifying. David was the Golden Boot at the 2019 Gold Cup with six goals.
Herdman said the 21-year-old David was dealing with a groin injury and was on anti-inflammatory medication during Canada’s matches in the second stage of World Cup qualifying. He said the striker should be back when Canada enters stage three of qualifying in September.
“It’s still not where he wants it to be, and given he’s got a massive year ahead, looking to retain the championship and going into Champions League, obviously qualifying Canada for the World Cup, sort of made that decision for him to take a step back and push through the recovery,” Herdman said.
David’s 15 goals in 16 games with the senior men’s side will be difficult to replace. However, Cyle Larin, who has 15 goals in 37 national team appearances and is coming off a 24-goal season with Turkish champion Besiktas, is among the 12 players with Gold Cup experience on the roster.
The 11 players making their Gold Cup debut for Canada includes Toronto FC forward Ayo Akinola, whose inclusion on the squad comes one day after he formally changed his international affiliation to Canada from the United States.
The 20-year-old Akinola was born in Detroit but moved to Canada when he was one. He made his debut for the U.S. senior side in December, scoring in a 6-0 win over El Salvador, but was not cap-tied since the match was a friendly.
Akinola turned heads at the MLS is Back Tournament last year with five goals in his first two games. He finished the 2020 season with nine goals in 15 games.
“I’m really looking forward to working with him,” Herdman said. “I’ve built a relationship with him over the last two years off the field, spent some time with him in camp just recently, and you know he’s got talent. We’ve seen that.
“That MLS is Back tournament, and where he was last year, really showed that he was one of the top strikers in MLS.”
Midfielders Scott Arfield and Atiba Hutchinson and goalkeeper Milan Borjan were also omitted from Canada’s roster.
Arfield, who plays for Rangers in Scotland, and Hutchinson, a veteran of 85 caps who is a teammate of Larin on Besiktas, have both served as captain for Canada. Both were on the preliminary 60-man roster.
Herdman said players who chose not to play at the Gold Cup did not make the decision easily.
“To a man, every man wanted to be part of this Gold Cup, which speaks volumes for where this country’s at the moment,” Herdman said.
Toronto FC fullback Kemar Lawrence, a member of Jamaica’s Gold Cup team, says he is impressed by the Canadian roster.
“It’s a really talented bunch of guys,” he told reporters Thursday. “A really good team. Good coaching. I’m looking for them to be in the semifinals, at least, to be honest. Maybe that’s me rating them high but I see them playing some good football and I’m just looking for them to be in the semifinals … I don’t see them not making it that far.
“Maybe if they meet us,” he added with a simile.
Canada, ranked 70th in the world, opens Gold Cup Group B play against unranked Martinique on July 10 before facing a preliminary-round survivor on July 15 and the 20th-ranked Americans on July 18. All three matches will be in Kansas City.
Canada reached the tournament quarterfinals in 2019 before blowing a 2-0 lead and losing 3-2 to Haiti.
TFC fullback/wingback Richie Laryea and midfielder Jonathan Osorio are part of the Canadian squad along with Akinola.
Fourteen of Canada’s 23 players have 10 or fewer senior caps. Akinola, Houston Dynamo forward Tyler Pasher and midfielder Harry Paton of Scotland’s Ross County have yet to win a cap.
Canada — Ayo Akinola, Toronto FC (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, New England Revolution (MLS); Lucas Cavallini, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Theo Corbeanu, Wolverhampton Wanderers (England); Maxime Crepeau, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Pacos de Ferreira (Portugal); Liam Fraser, Columbus Crew (MLS); Doneil Henry, Suwon Samsung Bluewings (South Korea); Junior Hoilett, unattached; Alistair Johnston, Nashville SC (MLS); Mark-Anthony Kaye, Los Angeles FC (MLS); Scott Kennedy, SSV Jahn Regensburg (Germany); Cyle Larin, Besiktas (Turkey); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Jayson Leutwiler, Huddersfield Town (England); Kamal Miller, CF Montreal (MLS); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Tyler Pasher, Houston Dynamo (MLS); Harry Paton, Ross County (Scotland); Samuel Piette, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United (MLS); Steven Vitoria, Moreirense (Portugal).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 1, 2021.
EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers signed defenceman Travis Dermott to a professional tryout on Friday.
Dermott, a 27-year-old from Newmarket, Ont., produced two goals, five assists and 26 penalty minutes in 50 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season.
The six-foot, 202-pound blueliner has also played for the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Toronto drafted him in the second round, 34th overall, of the 2015 NHL draft.
Over seven NHL seasons, Dermott has 16 goals and 46 assists in 329 games while averaging 16:03 in ice time.
Before the NHL, Dermott played two seasons with Oilers captain Connor McDavid for the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters. The team was coached by current Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road had a blood-alcohol level of .087, above the .08 legal limit in New Jersey, a prosecutor said Friday.
Gaudreau, 31, and brother Matthew, 29, were killed in Carneys Point, New Jersey, on Aug. 29, the evening before they were set to serve as groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding.
The driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins of nearby Woodstown, New Jersey, is charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. At a virtual court hearing Friday, a judge ordered that he be held for trial after prosecutors described a history of alleged road rage and aggressive driving.
“’You were probably driving like a nut like I always tell you you do. And you don’t listen to me, instead you just yell at me,’” his wife told Higgins when he called her from jail after his arrest, according to First Assistant Prosecutor Jonathan Flynn of Salem County.
The defense described Higgins as a married father and law-abiding citizen before the crash.
“He’s an empathetic individual and he’s a loving father of two daughters,” said defense lawyer Matthew Portella. “He’s a good person and he made a horrible decision that night.”
Higgins told police he had five or six beers that day and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving, according to the criminal complaint. He also failed a field sobriety test, the complaint said. A prosecutor on Friday said he had been drinking at home after finishing a work call at about 3 p.m., and having an upsetting conversation with his mother about a family matter.
He then had a two-hour phone call with a friend while he drove around in his Jeep with an open container, Flynn said. He had been driving aggressively behind a sedan going just above the 50 mph speed limit, sometimes tailgating, the female driver told police.
When she and the vehicle ahead of her slowed down and veered left to go around the cyclists, Higgins sped up and veered right, striking the Gaudreas, the two other drivers told police.
“He indicated he didn’t even see them,” said Superior Court Judge Michael J. Silvanio, who said Higgins’ admitted “impatience” caused two deaths.
Higgins faces up to 20 years, a sentence that the judge said made him a flight risk.
Higgins has a master’s degree, works in finance for an addiction treatment company, and served in combat in Iraq, his lawyers said. However, his wife said he had been drinking regularly since working from home, Flynn said.
Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in the league and was set to enter his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets after signing a seven-year, $68 million deal in 2022. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames, a tenure that included becoming one of the sport’s top players and a fan favorite across North America.
Widows Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau described their husbands as attached at the hip throughout their lives. Both women are expecting, and both gave moving eulogies at the double funeral on Monday.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins will bring in another quarterback while starter Tua Tagovailoa deals with his latest concussion, coach Mike McDaniel said Friday.
For now, Skylar Thompson will be considered the Dolphins’ starter while Tagovailoa is sidelined. Tagovailoa left Thursday night’s 31-10 loss to Buffalo in the third quarter with the third known concussion of his NFL career, all of them coming in the last 24 months.
“The team and the organization are very confident in Skylar,” McDaniel said.
McDaniel said the team has not made any decision about whether to place Tagovailoa on injured reserve. Tagovailoa was expected at the team facility on Friday to start the process of being evaluated in earnest.
“We just have to operate in the unknown and be prepared for every situation,” McDaniel said, noting that the only opinions that will matter to the team will be the ones from Tagovailoa and the medical staff.
McDaniel added that he doesn’t see Tagovailoa playing in Miami’s next game at Seattle on Sept. 22.
“I have no idea and I’m not going to all of a sudden start making decisions that I don’t even see myself involved in the most important parts of,” McDaniel added. “All I’m telling Tua is everyone is counting on you to be a dad and be a dad this weekend. And then we’ll move from there. There won’t be any talk about where we’re going in that regard … none of that will happen without doctors’ expertise and the actual player.”
Tagovailoa was 17 for 25 passing for 145 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions — one of which was returned for a Buffalo score — when he got hurt. Thompson completed eight of 14 passes for 80 yards.
Thompson said he feels “fully equipped” to run the Dolphins’ offense.
“What’s going to lie ahead, who knows, but man, I’m confident, though,” Thompson said after Thursday’s game. “I feel like I’m ready for whatever’s to come. I’m going to prepare and work hard and do everything I can to lead this team and do my job.”
