GALINDO: 1 standout U-23 player from each Canadian Championship quarter-finalist
Another dramatic round of the 2023 Canadian Championship is in the books with the quarterfinals concluding on Wednesday night.
Thanks to the tournament’s Canadian quota, we had the privilege of watching several young domestic players in every match. Eighteen different players born in 2000 or later started in the quarterfinals, with many of them delivering some impressive performances.
With that in mind, here are three standout Canadian youngsters from the quarterfinals, plus another player from the other quarterfinalists to monitor moving forward.
Sean Rea (CF Montréal)
When Sean Rea locked down a starting spot with CF Montreal, the assumption was that he was going to pick up where he left off with Valour FC during his loan spells.
The offensive production hasn’t been as consistent, but that doesn’t mean that Rea hasn’t contributed greatly. In fact, a glimpse at his underlying numbers highlights his value to Montreal.
Rea is in the 89th percentile among all MLS players in pressure regains and his defensive work rate is key to Montreal’s turnaround.
That was on full display against Toronto FC. Whether it was Alonso Coello before his injury or Mark-Anthony Kaye after the Spaniard exited the game, Rea was stuck to Toronto’s deepest-lying midfielder like glue all game long. That was key to disrupting TFC’s rhythm in possession.
On the ball, Rea may not have the goals or assists but he’s still capable of hitting some scrumptious passes.
Case in point: Montreal’s opening goal.
BUT 🔔#CFMTL STRIKE FIRST 🍁🏆#TFClive had a golden free kick opportunity, but Montreal caught them on the counter, with Zachary Brault-Guillard finishing off a brilliant full-field run 🔥#CanChamp | 🔴 https://t.co/7JFAUhgRAE pic.twitter.com/jlsJ1ohvdr
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 9, 2023
In a system as direct and hectic as Hernán Losada’s, all midfielders must be incredibly diligent on both sides of the ball and cover loads of ground – Mathieu Choiniere, anyone? – so kudos to Rea for adapting as quickly as he has. The attacking productivity will follow for the 20-year-old.
Ali Ahmed (Vancouver Whitecaps)
What can’t Ali Ahmed do? He defends, recovers possession, gets heavily involved in the buildup and, as evidenced by the Vancouver Whitecaps’ opening goal versus York United, he creates chances, too.
GOAL 🏔️#VWFC go up 1-0 over @YorkUtdFC as a Russell Teibert strike hits the crossbar and then the back of Elijah Adekugbe to open the deadlock in this #CanChamp clash 🇨🇦🏆
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 11, 2023
🔴 https://t.co/7JFAUhgjL6 pic.twitter.com/bPPq48lcHm
In total, Ahmed logged 56 touches, completed 30 of his 36 passes, three tackles, five recoveries and created three chances. There wasn’t a single area that the 22-year-old didn’t occupy.
That performance has to please Vanni Sartini, especially the activity off the ball. Young midfielders who are dedicated to defending and recovering possession will always have a coach’s approval.
Ali Zohar (TSS Rovers)
Watching TSS Rovers calmly building from the back through Pacific FC’s high press was a joy. But the aspect of their performance, albeit in a losing effort, that will excite coach Will Cromack the most is how hungry the Rovers were when they attempted to retrieve the ball.
Ali Zohar, Rovers’ energetic 21-year-old midfielder, was excellent at this all night long. Just watch this sequence where Zohar (No. 6) organizes the team’s defensive orchestration against this Pacific sequence.
Doing this for 90 minutes is a testament to Zohar’s work ethic, but also his intelligence off the ball. It’ll be fascinating to see if some CPL clubs take a flier on the youngster, who is also a brilliant orchestrator as we saw in the win over Valour FC.
Kobe Franklin (Toronto FC)
Tuesday’s loss to CF Montreal was Kobe Franklin’s third straight start for Toronto FC. This time, Franklin was deployed as an inverted full-back where he’d tuck inside as a midfielder in possession and looked very comfortable. That’s definitely something to watch for in future games.
Alessandro Hojabrpour (Forge FC)
The strides Alessandro Hojabrpour has made since joining Forge FC is remarkable. His defensive awareness coupled with his ability to glide across the pitch and orchestrate the game were breathtaking to watch on Tuesday.
Luke Singh (Atlético Ottawa)
Voted as Atlético Ottawa’s man of the match, Luke Singh was sturdy against one of the Canadian Premier League’s most potent attacks. Singh’s distribution through Forge’s press helped alleviate pressure on the Ottawa defence and he practically gobbled up every ball that entered his vicinity in the box.
Osaze De Rosario (York United)
York United may have come up empty-handed, but Osaze De Rosario was a threat against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Wednesday. His runs through the half spaces in transition kept the Whitecaps defence on its toes and De Rosario’s aerial prowess resulted in two solid chances for York.
Steffen Yeates (Pacific FC)
Normally, Sean Young is the U-23 Canadian midfielder to watch for Pacific FC but it was hard to not notice Steffen Yeates versus TSS Rovers on Wednesday. Yeates stood out with his link-up play through the middle against a pretty aggressive Rovers press. Keep a close eye on the Toronto FC product from here on out.
