Canada U-17 squad released, packed with 18 MLS academy players

The Canada U-17 squad for the Concacaf Men’s Under-17 Championship has been released, and it is littered with MLS academy talent.

Canada have been drawn into a group with the US, Guatemala and Barbados. The semifinalists of the tournament will qualify for the U-17 World Cup. A total of 18 players in the squad are attached to MLS academies including Simon Colyn, who has signed a Homegrown deal with the Vancouver Whitecaps. 

“The Concacaf Men’s Under-17 Championship is an exciting next step to the NEX-PRO integration strategies we have launched with our MLS academies, but also represents the type of pinnacle event where success in meaningful matches will put us among Concacaf’s top nations,” said Andrew Olivieri, Men’s EXCEL U-14 to U-17 Program Director, in a statement. “Knowing how to navigate tournament play is integral to your success on the international stage and these events are critical to a youth player’s development. Qualifying for the FIFA U-17 World Cup will allow us to accelerate the development for the players in this age group.”

The team has a number of GA Cup standouts as well, including Kamron Habibullah and Jacen Russell-Rowe.