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Soccer

Missing Alphonso Davies, Canada calls 25-man roster for crucial winter World Cup qualifiers

DAZN

24, Jan

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Canada heads into the upcoming three-match World Cup qualifying window without its talisman, but still with the bulk of the roster that propelled the team into its current favourable position atop the final CONCACAF group.

Alphonso Davies will miss games againt Honduras, the United States and El Salvador after being diagnosed with myocarditis following a bout of COVID-19 earlier this month. The pacey Bayern Munich fullback has not played since prior to the Bundesliga's winter break and is expected to be sidelined for several more weeks.

In his absence, Canada head coach John Herdman has summoned 25 players for the upcoming games. The team has convened in Miami ahead of a trip to San Pedro Sula to face the Hondurans on Jan. 27. Canada will then host the USA in Hamilton, Ont., on Jan. 30 before completing the winter window in San Salvador on Feb. 2.

“We look forward to coming home and playing in front of our fans, they have made the difference every time,” Herdman said. “This will be a tough window, but we are strong and will embrace the challenges as we continue to take it one match at a time.”

Most of the names in Herdman's squad will be familiar to fans following along with Canada's qualification journey, although Vancouver Whitecaps fullback Cristián Gutierrez is in line for his first cap after switching international allegiances from Chile last year. Additionally, many players have switched clubs over the winter transfer window, including Tajon Buchanan (Club Brugge), Stephen Eustáquio (FC Porto), Maxime Crepeau (LAFC) and Richie Laryea (Nottingham Forest).

Canada leads CONCACAF's final qualification group with 16 points from eight matches. The top three teams after 14 games will automatically qualify for Qatar 2022, with the fourth-place team entering an intercontinental playoff.