Ottawa’s Jonathan David named to Canadian men’s roster for upcoming World Cup prep games
Posted Sep 17, 2022 02:00:00 PM.
With the clock ticking, coach John Herdman offered a glimpse on Friday, Sept. 16 into the player puzzle he is trying to assemble ahead of the Canadian men taking part in the World Cup for the first time in 36 years.
Canada, ranked 43rd in the world, takes on number 48 Qatar on Sept. 23 in Vienna, and number 12 Uruguay on Sept. 27 in Bratislava, Slovakia, during the final FIFA international window ahead of the World Cup in Qatar.
Herdman said it's been a “real roller-coaster” the last four months watching his talent pool, with some taking steps forward and others falling back a step. Foremost among his concerns are the health and form of his players and their playing times at club level.
“There seems to be a lot of things going on,” Herdman said in a virtual availability from Bratislava.
“There's things happening here that have been super-positive and some things that, yeah, are keeping me up at night,” he added. “But at the same time, this window, it can't be a be-all and end-all … There’s a lot of football to be played or not played by some players in the next month that will come into my thinking when I select that final roster.”
The Canadian men will play one final warm-up, against number 24 Japan on Nov. 17 at Dubai's Al Maktoum Stadium, before the World Cup kicks off Nov. 20.
Canada opens Group F play on Nov. 23 against number two Belgium before facing number 15 Croatia on Nov. 27 and No. 23 Morocco on Dec. 1.
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