With the 2015 Gold Cup tournament set to kick off in less than a week, the competition will provide a major test for a Canadian Men’s National Team side that easily saw off CONCACAF minnow Dominica in two World Cup qualifying matches last month and that has impressed in recent months under Spanish Head Coach Benito Floro.
See also: Three Takeaways from CanMNT vs. Dominica
Given the top teams in the CONCACAF region will be competing in the tournament with not only an eye on winning the tournament trophy but also earning possible participation in the Confederations Cup and Copa América Centenario, Floro will have a chance to see how his team performs in competitive matches against the top national team sides that his team will ultimately need to successfully perform against in order to reach the stated goal of qualifying 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
While the tournament will provide a major barometer for the Canadian squad as a whole and for every player individually, it will also be particularly interesting to see how several players in particular step up to the challenge of playing key roles in Floro’s system while competing against the CONCACAF region’s best sides.
David Edgar
The 28 year old Kitchener, Ontario native played a number of roles (Central Defender, Right Back and Holding Midfielder) during Canada’s previous World Cup qualifying campaign under Stephen Hart. With the retirement from International soccer of Kevin McKenna, Edgar is now Canada’s key defender and back line leader. In recent months, the Canadian team has been stingy with respect to giving up goals when Floro has been able to field something resembling a first team lineup.
With Canada now set to play three very different sides in the Gold Cup group stage in Costa Rica, El Salvador and Jamaica, how well Edgar leads Canada’s defense will be key with respect to determining whether or not the Canadian squad has a successful tournament.
Marcel de Jong
The 28 year left back is one of the most intriguing players on the Canadian roster. While he was not a key player during Canada’s unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaign under Stephen Hart, as a player capable of being Canada’s most dangerous deliverer of balls into the opposition box, De Jong looks like a player who could benefit greatly from having a tactician of the quality of Floro at the helm of the side.
With the reconstituted Canadian attack now spearheaded by athletic, strong and quick players such as Cyle Larin, Tesho Akindele and Tosaint Ricketts, De Jong has a prime opportunity in the 2015 Gold Cup to prove that he can be the main player to give those attackers service from the left flack as either a left back or wide midfielder.
Samuel Piette
At 20 years old, Samuel Piette has had most of development occur outside of the Canadian spotlight with top clubs in France, Germany and Spain. That European pedigree was clearly evident when the Repentigny, Quebec native was one of Canada’s most impressive performers in Canada’s two World Cup qualifying matches against Dominica in June. Piette displayed an enticing combination of physicality, positional awareness and technical ability on the ball as he was a dominant force in the central midfield against Dominica.
Therefore, it will now be very interesting to see if the talented young player can duplicate those types of quality performances against more talented and seasoned sides in the Gold Cup.
Jonathan Osorio
With the injured Atiba Hutchinson unable to participate in the 2015 Gold Cup, there is now an opportunity for a young player to step up and prove that they can be the very much needed midfielder to break down the opposition and deliver quality balls to Canada’s quick, mobile forwards. The 23 year old Osorio delivered a fine performance in the home leg of Canada’s two June World Cup qualifiers against Dominica. Furthermore, he has recently shown excellent football intelligence, technical ability and quality passing during a run of matches at the club level with Toronto FC where he has linked up exceptionally well with top quality players such Sebastian Giovinco, Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore.
If Osorio can carry his recent confident and impressive form over to the 2015 Gold Cup tournament, it will greatly improve Canada’s chances of making a splash in a tournament in which they are considered an underdog.
Cyle Larin
It has been an eventful first several months as professional player for 20 year old striker Cyle Larin. The 1st overall pick in the 2015 MLS Superdraft has quickly established himself as a key player with Orlando City at the club level with six goals in thirteen appearances. Furthermore, the Brampton, Ontario native has recently delivered the type of performances at the International level that suggest he can be exactly the type of mobile goalscoring centre forward that the Canadian Men’s Nation Team has been crying out for over the years.
After scoring in both of Canada’s World Cup qualifying matches against Dominica last month, Larin now needs to prove that he can consistently find the back of the net against the likes of El Salvador, Costa Rica and Jamaica.
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