Junior Hoilett will be honoured with a ceremonial send-off at BMO Field on Saturday night before Canada’s men’s national team hosts Chile in an international friendly, marking a milestone celebration for one of the program’s most experienced players, according to Canada Soccer’s own preview of the September-October window.
The 36-year-old winger from Brampton, Ontario has earned 69 caps and scored 17 goals for Canada since making his debut against Ghana on Oct. 13, 2015, according to his Canada Soccer player profile. He was part of the squad that represented Canada at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, appearing in all three group stage matches, and returned to the fold for this window after not being included in Canada’s 2026 World Cup squad, which advanced to the Round of 16 for the first time in program history.
Saturday’s tribute comes as Canada’s men’s team plays its first home matches since that historic World Cup run, with the friendly against Chile in Toronto on Sept. 26 followed by a match against Peru in Montreal on Oct. 3 and a closing game against the United States in Minnesota on Oct. 6, Canada Soccer said in its squad announcement. Montreal midfielder Samuel Piette, who also has 69 caps for Canada since debuting in 2012, will receive similar recognition ahead of the Peru match at Stade Saputo.
Toronto FC fullback Richie Laryea, a longtime national team teammate, recalled Hoilett’s character away from the field in comments to Waking the Red published Thursday. Laryea said that during his first weeks in England after joining Nottingham Forest in January 2022, while he was alone in Nottingham awaiting visas for his family, Hoilett drove down from Reading, where he was playing at the time, to spend two days with him on one of his days off.
“One of the first weeks I was in England, Junior, on one of his off days, just drove down and came to see me,” Laryea told Waking the Red. “It felt a little bit like home, being able to have a guy like that around me.”
Hoilett’s club career has included spells with Blackburn Rovers, Queens Park Rangers, Cardiff City, Reading, the Vancouver Whitecaps, Aberdeen and Hibernian, and he currently plays for Swindon Town in England’s League Two, according to his Canada Soccer profile. Saturday’s match against Chile kicks off at 7 p.m. ET at BMO Field.
