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Canada coach Jesse Marsch continues to give youth its due, handing Jamie Knight-Lebel, Santiago Lopez and Kwasi Poku their first senior call-ups for the October international window.

The Canadian men, currently ranked 38th in the world by FIFA, face No. 37 Panama on Oct. 15 at Toronto’s BMO Field in their first home outing since their fourth-place finish at Copa America in July.

The Panama game serves as prep for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal second leg, scheduled for Nov. 19 at BMO Field. And while a friendly, it has implications for the CONCACAF rankings, which play a role in the quarterfinal draw.

The Canadians have leapfrogged the United States into second spot behind Mexico in the CONCACAF ratings, which are different from the FIFA rankings. Panama sits fourth.

The Canadian team is holding a camp in Montreal ahead of the Toronto friendly with an open training session planned for Oct. 9 at Saputo Stadium. Players will also be visiting local youth soccer clubs.

“This is the people’s team,” Marsch said in a virtual availability from Austria. “And we want people to feel like that. We want the public and the community to feel like that. We want them to be able to touch and see and feel their players. And then we hope that this will generate more and more energy for what we want to become in 2026 (at the World Cup).”

Marsch is planning expanded training time in camp, given his team has just the Panama game during the October window. Canada Soccer said it was unable to find another opponent, citing “the global competition schedule.”

Seventeen of the 26 players called into the Canada camp are 25 or younger with goalkeeper Max Crepeau (30) and midfielder Jonathan Osorio (32) the elder statesmen of the group.

Knight-Lebel and Lopez are both 19, while Poku is 21. All three are Canadian youth internationals.

There is also a recall for Zorhan Bassong. The 25-year-old defender, who has made 19 MLS appearances for Sporting Kansas City this season, won his two senior Canada caps under John Herdman in January 2020.

Marsch noted there had been interest from Wales in Knight-Lebel, who has a Canadian father and Welsh mother. Born in Montreal, Knight-Lebel was five when family moved to England.

“We felt like this was a good chance to get him into camp and expose him to what we’re doing,” said Marsch. “And then see how he responds.”

The roster also features 18-year-old Fulham defender Luc de Fougerolles, 20-year-old Nathan Saliba and 21-year-old Niko Sigur.

Knight-Lebel, currently on loan from Bristol City to Crew Alexandra in the English fourth tier, and Poku, who joined Belgium’s Molenbeek from Forge FC in a Canadian Premier League record transfer in August, have both made four appearances for the national under-20 team, helping Canada reach the knockout stage at the 2022 CONCACAF U-20 Championship.

Lopez scored six goals in seven appearances at the U-20 level internationally, finishing the 2024 CONCACAF U-20 Championship as joint-leading scorer.

Marsch debuted uncapped midfielders Niko Sigur (Hadjuk Split, Croatia) and Saliba (CF Montreal) and forward Stephen Afrifa (Sporting Kansas City) in the September window when Canada drew No. 17 Mexico 0-0 and beat the 18th-ranked U.S. 2-1 in Arlington, Texas, and Kansas City respectively.

Marsch’s camp roster this time features 12 MLS players including Saliba, Jonathan Sirois and Joel Waterman from CF Montreal, Sam Adekugbe and Ali Ahmed from the Vancouver Whitecaps and Osorio and Richie Laryea from Toronto FC.

Marsch expects to trim his roster ahead of the Panama game.

The Canadians are 5-2-6 against Panama, with the most recent result a 2-0 win for Canada in 2023 CONCACAF Nations League semifinal play.

Marsch said fullback Alistair Johnston (back) and midfielder Ismael Koné (ankle) are rehabbing injuries. Veteran defender Kamal Miller and midfielder Samuel Piette were not called up this time so as to allow room for young talent.

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Canada Roster

Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United (MLS).

Defenders: Sam Adekugbe, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Zorhan Bassong, Sporting Kansas City (MLS); Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Derek Cornelius, Olympique Marseille (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Luc de Fougerolles, Fulham (England); Jamie Knight-Lebel, Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Joel Waterman CF Montreal (MLS).

Midfielders: Ali Ahmed, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Nathan Saliba, CF Montreal (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).

Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Santiago Lopez, UNAM Pumas (Mexico); Liam Millar, Hull City FC (England); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS); Kwasi Poku, RWD Molenbeek (Belgium); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS).

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 2, 2024.

QUEBEC – The Los Angeles Kings have arrived in Quebec City to kick off the final stretch of their NHL training camp, in a trip that’s buoyed by millions of dollars in public money.

The team practised today at the Vidéotron Centre, where they’ll face off in exhibition play against the Boston Bruins on Thursday and the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Saturday.

The Quebec government has drawn criticism for agreeing to spend an estimated $5 to $7 million subsidizing the event.

Kings president Luc Robitaille declined to say how much money the team is getting, but told a news conference today that being paid for trips is part of the team’s business model and helps cover travel, hotels, and player salaries.

He says the team will also give back while it’s in Quebec City by visiting a hospital, hosting hockey clinics with children and donating 400 sets of hockey equipment to local organizations.

The office of Finance Minister Eric Girard said this week that the public money will help absorb the expected deficit of the management company hosting the event, and is also intended to help showcase Quebec City as capable of hosting a major league sports franchise.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 2, 2024.

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OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned Iran’s missile attack on Israel Wednesday, but said the international community must do everything it can to help avoid a bigger regional war.

Exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon over the last year erupted into broader violence in the last week as Israel ramped up its campaign against Hezbollah by air and Tuesday began sending in ground troops.

Also on Tuesday, Iran launched some 200 ballistic missiles at Israel, and warned of a “harsher” attack if Israel responds in kind.

“It is further destabilizing action by this terrorist regime in the region, putting civilians at risk, running the risk of a wider war,” Trudeau said after speaking with this G7 counterparts in a joint call Wednesday morning.

“Obviously, Israel has the right to defend itself against these attacks. At the same time, we have to try and do everything we can to avoid a wider war, to protect civilians and to get humanitarian aid into affected regions.”

Officials in Washington said U.S. destroyers assisted in Israel’s defence, while the U.K. defence secretary said British forces played a part but did not specify what. Defence Minister Bill Blair said Canadian forces were not involved at all.

Trudeau said in his call with other G7 leaders, all agreed the international community must do everything it can to achieve peace and stability in the region. That includes reiterating calls for a ceasefire and pushing for a two-state solution where both Israel and a Palestinian state can exist safely.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who holds the rotating presidency of the G7, maintains that a diplomatic solution is still possible.

Earlier in the day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that in just a week the alarming situation in Lebanon has gone from bad “to much, much worse,” and called for an end to the hostilities.

“The sickening cycle of escalation after escalation that is leading the people of the Middle East straight over the cliff” has to stop, he said.

Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly acknowledged Wednesday that Israel has already vowed that Iran would face “severe consequences” for its attack and that it would retaliate.

“Canada’s role right now, Canada’s goal, is to make sure that there’s no full-scale war in the Middle East, and so that’s why we’ll continue to engage diplomatically,” Joly said.

The rapid escalation in the conflict comes just days before the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that saw 1,200 people killed and 250 taken hostage in Israel.

The attack sparked immediate retaliation from Israel in the besieged Gaza Strip, where tens of thousands have since been reported dead and millions have been displaced.

The international community has harboured concerns that the Israel-Hamas war would lead to a broader regional conflict in the Middle East for the last year.

With the massive increase in hostilities in Lebanon and the latest attack on Israel from Iran, those fears are coming true.

Israeli airstrikes have been reported in recent days in Gaza to the south, Lebanon to the north and Syria to the east.

Joly once again called on Canadians who are still in Lebanon to accept help to leave the country. Since Friday, Global Affairs Canada has been helping citizens book plane tickets out of Lebanon.

So far more than 400 Canadians have left through the airport in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, and roughly 300 more were due to leave on the next flights, Joly said. All the flights are destined for Istanbul.

Joly’s department estimates there are as many as 45,000 Canadians in Lebanon, and has warned in the past that Canada may not be able to help them escape if commercial flights are grounded. The government has been preparing a possible evacuation plan for months.

Still, many of the seats the government has offered on flights out of Lebanon remain vacant, Joly said, begging those who are offered a seat to take it.

“I know it’s difficult. I know it’s difficult to leave your loved ones,” she said.

“Please, this is about your own safety and the safety of your loved ones.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 2, 2024.

— With files from The Associated Press