Canada’s summer of soccer continues on July 24 as the Canadian men’s U-20 side competes in the 2026 Concacaf U-20 Championship in Mexico.
The team looks to make more history for the program, attempting to qualify for the U-20 World Cup for the first time since 2007. Setting ambitions even higher, they also look to be the one Concacaf team that joins the host United States at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. They have not qualified for the Olympics since 1984 — also hosted in the United States.
Starting on July 24 vs. Panama, Canada will also take on Honduras and Jamaica in Group C action. Four teams from Concacaf will qualify for the 2027 U-20 FIFA World Cup.
Among the 21 players called up for the tournament, there are four from the Canadian Premier League, with Vancouver FC striker Marsel Bibishkov joining as one of two alternates.
Here is a look at those four players, and what they can bring to this Canadian team:
FW: Zayne Bruno - Forge FC
Earlier this summer, Bruno got the opportunity to join the Canadian men’s national team as a training player for their World Cup preparation camp in North Carolina.
While he has just a single appearance for Forge this season, he had a strong Concacaf U-20 qualifying tournament earlier this year, scoring twice.
Coming through the Sigma FC system as a midfielder, Bruno has mostly played full-back at the professional level with Forge FC. However, with Canada, he is likely to be deployed further forward on the wing.
He brings the ball-controlling profile of a midfielder to whatever position he plays in, however, and is tenacious in fighting for possession, which should work particularly well in a Marsch-coached team.
FW: Shola Jimoh - Inter Toronto
The 18-year-old kicked off his year by receiving a senior men's national team call-up and starting for Canada in their January camp victory over Guatemala. He was previously called into a senior camp in November 2024.
With the youth national teams, Jimoh has been a mainstay over the past few years, scoring for Canada at the U-17 World Cup, one of six goals he has now scored for his country at all levels.
Jimoh, in particular, is an excellent chance creator from wide areas. He has attempted 21 crosses this season in the CPL from both open play and set pieces, picking up an assist in an April victory over Atlético Ottawa.
For the Canadian youth national teams, he has been one of the primary corner and free-kick takers and will likely be relied upon during this tournament as a key dead-ball specialist as well.
He is also considered one of the key leaders of this team, given the 49 matches of professional experience he has accumulated with Inter Toronto.
MF: Emrick Fotsing - Vancouver FC
The Vancouver FC midfielder is coming off a strong TELUS Canadian Championship quarterfinal tie with CF Montréal where he showed incredibly well against the MLS club despite his side's loss over two legs.
It was a full-circle moment for the 18-year-old, who came through the CF Montréal academy and captained their U-18 team. But it was also a full display of his immense potential.
With a solid frame and a good reading of the game, Fotsing can more than hold his own in any midfield battle when going up against grown men, suggesting he should be able to dominate this aspect against his peers.
After a slow start to the year as he recovered from an injury, Fotsing is starting to hit his stride at a great time for this Canadian team.
While it has yet to show up on the scoresheet , his underlying offensive metrics have also been up this season, suggesting he is getting into more dangerous areas on the pitch. He did score against Switzerland last year for the Canadian U-18 team in a friendly.
CB: Sergei Kozlovskiy - Atlético Ottawa
The central defender, who recently turned 18, is already in his second professional season with Atlético Ottawa.
He won a CPL championship with Atleti last season, although he missed the final as he was representing Canada at the FIFA U-17 World Cup. In that tournament, he scored a knockout-stage goal against Ireland.
Playing for an Atlético Ottawa team that generally dominates possession, Kozlovskiy’s excellent on-ball ability has flourished in the nation’s capital. This year, he has completed 91.8 per cent of his passes, and is averaging an incredible 97.38 touches per 90.
While he is still waiting for his first professional goal, Kozlovskiy has shown himself to be a significant goal threat at the youth level as well, particularly from set pieces (both as a taker and a target). He has eight goals for country between the U-17 and U-20 level, most recently scoring against Portugal at the 2026 Maurice Revello Tournament.
He has pulled on the armband for Canada at various levels as well, including at that tournament, so expect him to be a key leader in that competition for a young Canadian side.
