Canada Men’s National Team vs. Jamaica
International Friendly
Saturday, Sept. 2| 6 p.m. CT
BMO Field | Toronto, Ontario
Knocking on the door for his first cap at the senior international level, Sporting Kansas City defender Amer Didic and Canada will host Jamaica on Saturday in a compelling friendly at BMO Field in Toronto. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT with live updates available at the SportingKC.com MatchCenter.
Didic has joined Canada's senior team for the first time after previously representing his country at the U-23 level in March, playing 90 minutes in a pair of shutout wins over Uzbekistan and Qatar at a tournament in Doha, Qatar.
Saturday presents the 22-year-old center back with an even greater opportunity, as Didic seeks his Canada debut to punctuate breakthrough summer that saw him sign an MLS contract with Sporting Kansas City on May 31.
Led by head coach Octavio Zambrano, Didic and Canada are set to host the Reggae Boyz in a rematch of the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals in July. After going unbeaten in the group stage, the Reds fell 2-1 to a Jamaica side that advanced to the final before losing 2-1 to the United States.
Didic adds to a strong Major League Soccer contingent in Saturday's friendly, as Canada's squad boasts 13 MLS players while Jamaica's features eight. The fixture should pack a festive punch, as well: the Canada MNT is returning to Toronto for the first time in more than two years, and the first time since the stadium completed major renovations in early 2016.
Zambrano has assembled a youthful 24-man roster, as Didic is one of 13 Canadians under the age of 25. Other promising standouts include Orlando City striker Cyle Larin and Vancouver Whitecaps FC wunderkind Alphonso Davies, who at age 16 became the CONCACAF Gold Cup's youngest-ever goal scorer earlier this summer.
Canada and Jamaica were both eliminated from CONCACAF World Cup qualifying last year before the Hexagonal stage, but will view Saturday as a valuable building block for the future. The Reds own an 8-6-6 advantage in the all-time series, but the Reggae Boyz have claimed victory in each of the last two meetings, which came in the 2015 and 2017 Gold Cups.
Canada Roster
Goalkeepers (3): Simon Thomas (FK Bodo/Glimt), Jayson Leutwiler (Blackburn Rovers), James Pantemis (Montreal Impact)
Defenders (7): Nik Ledgerwood (FC Edmonton), Manjrekar James (Vasas Budapest), Michael Petrasso (Queens Park Rangers), Dejan Jakovic (New York Cosmos), Sam Adekugbe (IFK Goteborg, on loan from Vancouver Whitecaps), Amer Didic (Sporting Kansas City), Marcel de Jong (Vancouver Whitecaps)
Midfielders (10): Samuel Piette (Montreal Impact), David Junior Hoilett (Cardiff City), Alphonso Davies (Vancouver Whitecaps), Atiba Hutchinson (Besiktas), Mark-Anthony Kaye (Louisville City), Raheem Edwards (Toronto FC), Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC), Tesho Akindele (FC Dallas), David Choiniere (Montreal Impact), Jay Chapman (Toronto FC)
Forwards (3): Tosaint Ricketts (Toronto FC), Cyle Larin (Orlando City), Anthony Jackson-Hamel (Montreal Impact)
Jamaica Roster
Goalkeepers (3): Andre Blake (Philadelphia Union), Shaven Sean Paul (Portmore United), Dwayne Miller (Syrianska)
Defenders (7): Alvas Powell (Portland Timbers), Shaun Francis (Montreal Impact), Oniel Fisher (Seattle Sounders), Kemar Lawrence (New York Red Bulls), Jermaine Taylor (Minnesota United FC), Damion Lowe (IK Start), Ladale Richie (Montego Bay United)
Midfielders (7): Je-Vaughn Watson (New England Revolution), Ewan Grandison (Portmore United), Jamiel Hardware (Boys’ Town FC), Michael Binns (Portmore United), Ricardo Morris (Portmore United), Vishinul Harris (Arnett Gardens), Devon Williams (Louisville City FC)
Forwards (4): Romario Williams (Atlanta United FC, on loan to Charleston Battery), Shamar Nicholson (Boys’ Town FC), Marvin Morgan (Arnett Gardens), Dane Kelly (Reno 1868 FC)
