HARRISON, N.J. -- Count Canadian national team head coach Octavio Zambrano among those in the "age is just a number" camp.
While 16-year-old Alphonso Davies is making his first steps into international soccer as the youngest player on the Canadian Gold Cup squad, Zambrano is placing the same expectations on him as any other player in the group.
And if anything, Zambrano is only echoing the mentality has seen Davies has flourish with added responsibility with the Vancouver Whitecaps, insisting he can be a starter and contribute immediately as Canada takes on French Guiana in their tournament opener Friday.
“I want him to be a protagonist. I want him to show the full range of his abilities, which are many,” said Zambrano, prior to Canada’s training session at Red Bull Arena on Thursday. "I want him to make a difference. I want our guys to play with abandon. I want them to go for it, as they say.”
Davies wasn’t made available for questions after training Thursday. Canada will be hoping that his play can speak more than any interview could.
While the urge to shelter a talent only now reaching driving age might seem logical, Zambrano says he has no hesitation throwing him right in to see how he competes. After all, that's the only approach the well-traveled Colombian knows.
“I don’t want players who are just there to be one more guy on the field. I want them to take ownership of moments in the match where you can make a difference and do it,” said Zambrano. “This is the idea that I have espoused for all my career as it pertains to young guys and the players themselves, whether they’re younger or not. All of them need to come up to the plate and do it.”
Regardless of whether Davies starts Friday, the excitement in Canada will only grow if he can show he’s up to the standard of international play when he does get his call.
