Canada Soccer has named its men's under-18 roster for a camp in Finland ahead of games against Finland on Sept. 5 and Switzerland on Sept. 7.
The friendlies in Eerikkilä are described as "an important step in preparing for the next FIFA U-20 World Cup cycle," with qualifying beginning in 2026 at the U-19 level.
"This will be a first event for the 2007-born generation and an opportunity to assess the talent pool prior to integrating some of Canada’s top 2008 performers at the U-17 World Cup this November," Andrew Olivieri, Canada Soccer’s men’s Youth Excel director, said in a statement.
"With the increase in youth camps across our programs, we’re creating more opportunities than ever for players to grow within our environment and be ready for the challenges ahead.”
The Canadian camp opens Saturday and runs through Sept. 8.
The roster includes Canadian Premier League talent in goalkeeper Emmanuel Marmolejo and defender Zayne Bruno from Forge FC and midfielder Emrick Fotsing from Vancouver FC, plus defenders Alex Guboglo and Felix Samson from CF Montreal ranks (Samson plays for Montreal's U-18 side), attackers Liam Mackenzie and Rayan Elloumi from the Vancouver Whitecaps academy and Toronto FC II forward Joshua Nugent.
Canada has not taken part in the FIFA Men's U-20 World Cup since 2007 when it hosted the event — and has not qualified since 2005.
Canada's latest qualifying bid ended in July 2024 in a 2-1 extra-time loss to Panama in a wild extra-time session that saw three red cards in quarterfinal play at the CONCACAF U-20 Championship. Only the four semifinalists at the 12-team CONCACAF competition advanced to the FIFA U-20 World Cup that kicks off Sept. 27 in Chile.
Canada Under-18 Roster
Goalkeepers: Nathaniel Abraham, University of Louisville (NCAA); Emmanuel Marmolejo, Forge FC (CPL); Izan Server Gervais, RC Celta de Vigo (Spain).
Defenders: Luka Banovic, unattached; Zayne Bruno, Forge FC (CPL); Alex Guboglo, CF Montreal; Benjamin Nash, Penn State University (NCAA); Felix Samson, CF Montreal academy,
Defender/Midfielder: Max Vogele, IF Brommopojkarna (Sweden)
Midfielders: George Booth, Reading FC (England); Emrick Fotsing, Vancouver FC (CPL); Valter Sedin, Hammarby IF (Sweden); Aodhan Sopala, Sheffield Wednesday (England).
Midfielder/Forward: Liam Mackenzie, Vancouver Whitecaps academy; Carter Roache, UC Cremonese (Italy); Kilian Michelbach, FC Ingolstadt 04 (Germany).
Forwards: Marsel Bibishkov, PFC Septemvri Sofia; Evan Brown, SSV Ulm 1846 (Germany); Rayan Elloumi, Vancouver Whitecaps academy; Antoni Klukowski, Widzew Lodz (Poland); Lucas Lima, GD Chaves (Portugal); Joshua Nugent, Toronto FC II (MLS Next Pro)
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 25, 2025
The Canadian Press
