Vancouver Whitecaps FC confirmed today that five players have been called up to Canada’s U-17 men’s national team for an upcoming camp and pair of international friendlies against Jamaica, including first-team midfielder Alphonso Davies.
Davies is joined by Whitecaps FC Residency players Gabriel Escobar, Jose Hernandez, Alessandro Hojabrpour, and Jake Ruby.
The 11-day camp runs from November 20-30, starting with a stint in Fort Lauderdale. The team will then travel to Jamaica for the November 27 and November 29 matches in Clarendon and Kingston, respectively.
"We continue to assess and give experience to our players," said Paul Stalteri, Canada Soccer's men's national U-17 coach. "A few with play their first international matches for Canada in Jamaica, so that's good for them and good for us to see them in action."
This is the first call-up to the U-17 national team for Davies, who was named Whitecaps FC’s 2016 Most Promising Player after appearing in eight MLS matches during his first year as a pro. The 16-year-old has previously represented Canada at the U-15, U-18, and U-20 levels, most recently helping the U-20s defeat England’s U-20 side earlier this year.
Each of the four current Residency players called up have already spent time with Canada’s U-17 team this year. Hernandez, Hojabrpour and Ruby were called up for a six-day evaluation camp in October, while Escobar most recently represented Canada in a three-nation series vs. Mexico and Panama in September. Hernandez and Ruby are both looking to make their international youth debuts for Canada.
This month’s camp, featuring players born 2000 or later, is part of Canada’s preparation for next year’s CONCACAF Men’s Under-17 Championship, which runs from April 21 to May 7 in Panama. From 12 nations, the top four will qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 in October.
CANADA
GK- Gianluca Catalano | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
GK- Sebastian Sgarbossa | CAN / Waterloo United
CB- Julian Dunn-Johnson | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
CB- Yohan Le Bourhis | CAN / Académie Impact de Montréal
CB- Antonio Rocco Romeo | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
FB- Gabriel Escobar | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-16 Residency
FB- Émile Legault | FRA / AJ Auxerre
FB- Terique Mohammed | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
FB- Jake Ruby | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-16 Residency
M- Alphonso Davies | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
M- Benson Fazili | CAN / Ottawa Internationals SC
M- Alessandro Hojabrpour | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-16 Residency
M- Noble Okello | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
M- Ben Paton | ENG / Blackburn U-19
M- Steffen Yeates | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
F- Jonathan David | CAN / Ottawa Internationals SC
F- José Hernández | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-16 Residency
W- Olakunle Dada-Luke | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
W- Jordan Faria | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
W- Matthew Roberts | ENG / Swansea City AFC Academy
