Veterans Alistair Johnston and Jonathan Osorio will rejoin Canada later this month for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Both are included in Jesse Marsch's 26-man roster, which also adds goalkeeper Tom McGill and defender Kamal Miller to those held over from the 23-player Canadian Shield Tournament, which kicks off Saturday with No. 30 Canada hosting No. 25 Ukraine at Toronto's BMO Field. The Canadians face No. 41 Ivory Coast next Tuesday.
"We're excited to be bringing a very strong squad to the upcoming Gold Cup," Marsch said in a statement. "We're very confident in the group and are looking forward to challenging for the title.鈥� 鈥�
Osorio (84 caps), Johnston (53) and Millar (47) bring a combined 184 caps to the squad.
Osorio was allowed to skip the Shield tournament after suffering a shoulder injury with TFC on April 30. Celtic's Johnston had been dealing with a back issue.
Fulback/wingback Richie Laryea, replaced by Zorhan Bassong due to injury in the CONCACAF Nations League Final roster in March, returned to action May 31 for Toronto FC from a hamstring injury that had sidelined him since March 1 and is part of both the Shield and Gold Cup squads.
Midfielder Stephen Eustaquio is included in the Gold Cup roster despite the fact that his club, Portugal's FC Porto, is involved in the FIFA Club World Cup, which runs at the same time in the U.S. The hope is that he will be able to rejoin Canada at some point during the Gold Cup.
Eustaquio, the team's vice-captain, will lead the team out at the Canadian Shield Tournament, in the absence of injured skipper Alphonso Davies. Forward Jonathan David will captain the side at the Gold Cup while Eustaquio is away.
McGill is added as the third goalkeeper on the roster, joining Maxime Crepeau and Dayne St. Clair.
There are 12 MLS players, including two from Toronto (Laryea and Osorio), two from CF Montreal (Nathan Saliba and Joel Waterman) and three from Vancouver (Sam Adekugbe, Ali Ahmed and Jayden Nelson)
The roster ranges in age from 19 for Fulham defender de Fougerolles to 32 for Osorio, the most experienced player in the group.
Canada opens Gold Cup play June 17 against No. 75 Honduras in Vancouver before heading to Houston to complete Group B play against No. 90 Cura莽ao on June 21 and No. 81 El Salvador on June 24.
The 16-team Gold Cup, the championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean, runs June 14 through July 6 in 13 cities (all but Vancouver in the U.S.). The field includes No. 58 Saudi Arabia as a guest team.
The winner and runner-up from each of the four groups advance to the knockout stage.
CONCACAF says prize money has doubled from the last edition of the tournament, with the winner collecting more than US$4 million ($5.5 million Canadian).
Given that Canada Soccer reported revenue of $37.546 million in 2024, that's a sizable chunk of change.
Canada won the Gold Cup in 2000 and was third in 2002. The Canadian men lost to the U.S. in a penalty shootout in the round of 16 last time out in 2023.
Mexico has won the title seven times and finished runner-up twice. The U.S. has lifted the trophy seven times and finished second on five occasions.
Canada
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Tom McGill, Brighton & Hove Albion (England); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United (MLS).
Defenders: Sam Adekugbe, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Derek Cornelius, Olympique de Marseille (France); Luc De Fougerolles, Fulham (England); Jamie Knight-Lebel, Bristol City (England); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia); Joel Waterman, CF Montr茅al (MLS).
Midfielders: Ali Ahmed, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Isma毛l Kone, Olympique de Marseille (France); Jayden Nelson, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Nathan Saliba, CF Montreal (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS).
Forwards: Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Promise David, Royale Union Saint-Gilloise (Belgium); Daniel Jebbison, AFC Bournemouth (England), Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2025
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
