Canada men's national under-23 soccer team
The Canada U-23 men's national soccer team (also known as Canada Olympic soccer team) represents Canada in international soccer at this age level. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association, the governing body for soccer in Canada.[1]
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| Nickname(s) |
| ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Canadian Soccer Association | ||
| Confederation | CONCACAF (North America) | ||
| Head coach | Mauro Biello | ||
| Top scorer | Rob Friend (12) | ||
| FIFA code | CAN | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
Unofficial.svg.png.webp){kind=small} San Marino 0–1 Canada .svg.png.webp){kind=small} (Serravalle, San Marino; 28 March 1986) Official Canada 3–0 Trinidad and Tobago  (Burnaby, Canada; May 5, 1991) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
Canada 14–0 U.S. Virgin Islands  (Saint John, Canada; September 10, 2003) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Australia 5–0 Canada (Sydney, Australia; June 2, 1996) | |||
| Pan American Games | |||
| Appearances | 2 (first in 1999) | ||
| Best result | Fourth place (1999) | ||
Unlike UEFA member associations that use U-21 regional competitions as Olympic qualifying, as a member of CONCACAF, Canada's U-23 team competes in regional qualifying in the same year as the Summer Olympics, and its call-ups are traditionally only limited to players under 23 years of age.
History
2008 qualifying
Known for his vocal antics on the touchline, Nick Dasovic led Canada through Olympic qualifying in 2008, drawing Mexico 1–1 and helping to eliminate the heavily favoured Mexican side in the process. After a highly promising 5–0 win over Guatemala on a night when Mexico had to better that result against Haiti but could only win 5–1, Canada fell to the United States 3–0 in the semifinal, losing out on a spot in Beijing at the Olympics that summer. Canada recovered to defeat Guatemala in the third-place playoff, a rematch of their first-round game, winning on penalties (5–3) after a scoreless draw through 120 minutes.
2012 qualifying
Tony Fonseca led Canada to an opening game 0–0 draw against El Salvador. Following this, Canada stunned the United States 2–0, contributing to their surprising early elimination on home soil. Canada disappointed in their final group stage game with a 1–1 tie versus Cuba, setting up a more difficult semi-final for them against Mexico, which they would lose 3–1.
2016 qualifying
It was announced in August 2015 that Canada head coach Benito Floro would be in charge of the Olympic team. The final squad for qualification was announced on September 18, 2015.[2]
Coaching history
Tony Fonseca (2009–2012)
Benito Floro (2013–2015)
John Herdman (2018)- Mauro Biello (2022)
Results & fixtures
2021
| March 19 2020 CONCACAF Olympic qualifying | Canada | 2–0 |  El Salvador | Guadalajara, Mexico |
| 13:30 | Buchanan  17', 21' |
Report | Stadium: Estadio Jalisco Referee: Fernando Guerrero (Mexico) |
| March 22 2020 CONCACAF Olympic qualifying | Haiti  | 0–0 | Canada | Zapopan, Mexico |
| 16:00 | Report | Stadium: Estadio Akron Referee: Juan Gabriel Calderón (Costa Rica) |
| March 25 2020 CONCACAF Olympic qualifying | Honduras  | 1–1 | Canada | Guadalajara, Mexico |
| 19:30 | Cornelius 28' |
Report | Maldonado 30' |
Stadium: Estadio Jalisco Attendance: César Ramos (Mexico) |
| March 28 2020 CONCACAF Olympic qualifying | Mexico  | 2–0 | Canada | Guadalajara, Mexico |
| 21:00 | Antuna 58' Vásquez 65' |
Report | Stadium: Estadio Jalisco Referee: Juan Gabriel Calderón |
Players
Current squad
Players in bold have been capped with the senior team.
‡ – designated overage player.
The following 20 players were named to the squad for the 2020 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship.[3] Caps and goals as of March 28, 2021, after the game against Mexico.
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Recent call-ups
The following players have been called up within the last 12 months and are still eligible at U23 level.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DF | Thomas Meilleur-Giguère | November 13, 1997 | 0 | 0 | Pacific FC |
2020 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying |
| FW | Kris Twardek | March 8, 1997 | 4 | 0 |  Bohemian |
2020 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying |
Previous squads
Competitive record
Summer Olympics
| Summer Olympics record | Summer Olympics Qualification record | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 1992 |
did not qualify | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 18 | 16 | ||||||||
 1996 |
7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 10 | |||||||||
| 2000 |
5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | |||||||||
 2004 |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||
 2008 |
5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 6 | |||||||||
 2012 |
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | |||||||||
 2016 |
5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | |||||||||
 2020 |
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | |||||||||
 2024 |
Played by U–20 team | ||||||||||||||
| Total | – | 0/9 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 43 | 12 | 14 | 17 | 51 | 56 | |
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Honours
- CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament
- Runners-up: 1996
See also
References
- National Post (March 28, 2012). "Canada will face Mexico for Olympic soccer berth". Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- "Canada M23 picks players for CONCACAF Olympic Qualifiers". September 18, 2015.
- "Canada Soccer announces squad for Concacaf Men's Olympic Qualifying". Canada Soccer. March 10, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
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