'It's taken my game to another level': How Ali Ahmed is ascending into key role for Vancouver Whitecaps & CanMNT

VANCOUVER – It’s a big year for Ali Ahmed, for many reasons.

At the club level, the 24-year-old is looking to take another big step forward for the Vancouver Whitecaps, entering his third full season in Major League Soccer. Having been linked with a move abroad over the last few years, Ahmed will expect – and be expected – to have a breakout campaign in 2025, in an attempt to inspire more talk of a move to a top-five league sooner rather than later.

Internationally, Ahmed will hope to continue staking out a regular role in Jesse Marsch's Canadian men’s national team, having become something of a key figure under the new head coach in 2024, making eight appearances.

So far, Ahmed is on the right track to reach his goals at the club level: He’s put in some excellent performances for the Whitecaps as they’ve gotten off to a hot start in MLS and the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup, generating two assists in seven games – more goal contributions than he had in all of 2024 for the club. Sure, he's still looking to break a year-long goal-less drought, but with the way he's trending, it seems like that should come sooner rather than later, too.

Now, he’ll look to carry that strong start over to the CanMNT; having been included in their latest squad for the Concacaf Nations League semi-finals later this month, he’ll hope to play a key role in what could be a defining moment for this Canadian team, who are looking to win their first trophy in over 25 years.

For a guy who has tasted the joy of winning three straight games to start the MLS season along with a run to the quarter-finals of the CCC, he’ll hope for a similar showing with Canada, who will play Mexico in the semi-finals, with a date against the United States or Panama awaiting in the final if they can defeat El Tri. 

“Everybody came in excited, we have a new coach and a new style of play, and I think everybody fits in perfectly and seamlessly with the new style of play,” Ahmed told OneSoccer about his positive start to the season last week. “I think the coach came in and saw the type of players we had, and aligned that with the way he likes to play, and it's been perfect. I think everyone's having fun, including myself, and we're winning games.”

One key reason for Ahmed’s strong start? Clarity about his role with the Whitecaps, as new head coach Jesper Sørensen has deployed Ahmed exclusively as a winger, after he’d bounced around before, playing as a full back, wing back, winger, midfielder and no. 10 over the past few seasons. 

Carving out a similar role as a winger under Marsch has made a huge difference for Ahmed, who is starting to show the sort of attributes for the Whitecaps that has made him a favourite of Marsch’s for Canada. 

"Ali’s not the most physically imposing guy, but he’s relentless," Marsch said of Ahmed last fall. "He doesn’t stop, there’s no moment of pause; he just keeps going. When I watch him play, I think about what it would be like to play against him. He would drive me crazy.

"I think how he’s developed in the team, he’s become more physical, his reactions are outstanding, he’s also a very intelligent player, and now it’s just continuing to build in the confidence and ability to make final plays. And if he can add that, I think he can really become a great player."

Added Ahmed: "Personally, I like attacking way more than defending. Of course, I do like to defend, and I take pride in playing on both sides of the ball, but he sees me higher on the pitch, and I like that. We’ve got some real quality up top in (Ryan) Gauld and Brian (White), which makes my job easier having fun with those guys. Hopefully, I can now start to convert some more goals going forward, but I'm having fun with the new style of play (and role)."

Now, the big goal for Ahmed will be consistency. As much fun as the last six months have been, he wants to ensure he remains a fixture in the Canadian squad for years to come, especially with a home World Cup looming next summer. 

It isn’t lost on him how much the team around him has grown - just this past month Canada secured the commitment of two key dual nationals in Promise David and Daniel Jebbison, a list that will surely only grow longer over the next 16 months, which will push players like Ahmed to keep their spots in the squad.

"Yeah, that's been a big part of my growth over the last year. If you ask any Canadian soccer player right now, I think one of the top things on their list is being part of a World Cup on home soil. It’s a different type of feeling and a different type of dream you otherwise wouldn’t imagine having.

"So being able to go to camps and seeing players playing at the highest levels, and just seeing their level, it’s fun, I enjoy it, as I get to see what it takes. Plus, coach (Jesse Marsch) has coached at the highest level, so it’s definitely taken my game to another level in some areas, so hopefully I can translate that into the club game for myself. With the National Team, everyone loves to be a part of that, it’s such a fun time when we all link up and have games. We all look forward to that.

"We’re on the right path right now over the last few matches, the strong Copa showing wasn’t a fluke, and the World Cup is real soon, so in every camp, every time we’re together, it's important to take a next step forward and keep building towards what we started and not take a step back as we know what our main goal is, and that's 2026."

Until then, however, the Whitecaps are pleased to have him play a big part in their strong start. As Sørensen explained earlier in the season, with Ahmed being a late bloomer, it’s only natural that he goes through different ups and downs to other players. 

As soon as the goals start flowing, however, it might be hard to keep him from making that jump to Europe, but that won’t bother the Whitecaps, who will be happy to have played a key role in his journey when he takes that next step, having seen him improve as much as he did over the years. 

"Ali is a player that if he scored on all his chances, he would not play here," Sørensen said recently. "So that’s something (he’s working on), but he's also a player that is a late bloomer and has a lot of good individual qualities… I’m not worried about him, I think he’s doing very well."