Canada will be without injured captain Scott Arfield and veteran Will Johnson and it doesnB次元官网网址檛 look like teenage phenom Alphonso Davies will be available either for SundayB次元官网网址檚 game against French Guiana in CONCACAF Nations League qualifying play.
Arfield has been nursing a calf strain with Glasgow Rangers while Johnson is in the MLS concussion protocol after having to leave Orlando CityB次元官网网址檚 loss Saturday to Montreal.
Canada coach John Herdman says the 18-year-old Davies B次元官网网址渇elt somethingB次元官网网址� while celebrating his first goal for Bayern Munich in SundayB次元官网网址檚 6-0 rout of Mainz.
B次元官网网址淎fter the game it flared up a little bit,B次元官网网址� Herdman said in an interview. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 been enough for Bayern Munich to put (up) that level of caution and try and hold him back.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檒l still wait on Alphonso,B次元官网网址� he added. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e still gathering information. But at this stage he wonB次元官网网址檛 be released from his club until everythingB次元官网网址檚 clear on the (medical) steps that they have to take and we have to take B次元官网网址� It could be a bit of a waiting game for a couple of days to get full confirmation but the prognosis wasnB次元官网网址檛 good.B次元官网网址�
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So is the door shut on Davies?
B次元官网网址淣ot yet but it could be pretty quickly,B次元官网网址� Herdman said.
B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 a good player so we want to make sure all the steps have been taken to make sure if heB次元官网网址檚 going to be ruled out itB次元官网网址檚 for the right reasons and we donB次元官网网址檛 deny the people of B.C. that opportunity without us really pushing for all the details we need,B次元官网网址� he added.
The Vancouver game was slated to serve as a heroB次元官网网址檚 return for Davies, especially in the wake of his weekend goal.
Davies, an attacking midfielder with nine caps for Canada, joined Bayern from the Vancouver Whitecaps in a then-MLS-record US$22-million transfer. The deal was consummated in July but Davies closed out the MLS season before joining Bayern in January.
Arfield came out of RangersB次元官网网址� March 12 loss to Aberdeen and did not feature in SaturdayB次元官网网址檚 tie with Kilmarnock. RangersB次元官网网址� next game is the March 31 Old Firm derby with Celtic.
As for the 32-year-old Johnson, the injury is especially unfortunate given the last of his 43 caps came in June 2017 and he was eager for the recall.
In the wake of the injuries, Herdman has called up Toronto FC midfielders Jay Chapman and Liam Fraser and Orlando defender Kamal Miller. ItB次元官网网址檚 the first senior call-up for Miller, a 21-year-old defender taken 27th overall in the 2019 SuperDraft.
Canada is ranked 79th in the world while French Guiana is unranked since it is not a member of FIFA.
At stake Sunday is a place in the top tier of the CONCACAF Nations League and a berth in the 2019 Gold Cup.
Canada is one of six teams with a 3-0-0 record.
Canada stands third in the 34-team standings with a goals difference of plus-14. Curacao (plus-21) tops the table ahead of Haiti (plus-16). Cuba (plus-14, but has played two home games to CanadaB次元官网网址檚 one) is fourth, followed by Jamaica (plus-11) and Martinique (plus-6),
French Guiana (2-1-0) stands 12th. The four-game qualifying round sets the stage for a three-tier competition, complete with promotion and relegation, that kicks off in the fall of 2019 in the confederation covering North and Central America and the Caribbean.
The top six teams out of qualifying will join Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, the U.S., and Trinidad and Tobago in the top-tier CONCACAF Nations League A. Those six countries skipped qualifying by virtue of reaching the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.
Those six will also join the top 10 teams from Nations League qualifying at the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, which increases to 16 teams from 12. That will motivate French Guiana, which has made the regional championship just once.
Canada defeated French Guiana 4-2 in their only previous meeting, at the 2017 Gold Cup. A 16-year-old Davies scored his first two international goals in the win.
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
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