Why Jesse Marsch and the CanMNT are going all-in on Canada's U20s ahead of the Concacaf Championships
While the current generation of the CanMNT was busy making history at the 2026 World Cup, the next generation of Canadian players have slowly been getting set for a tournament of their own in the coming weeks.
That, of course, is the U20 Concacaf Championships, which kicks off on July 25th in Mexico.
There, Canada is among the 12 teams looking to win the tournament, something they haven’t done in 30 years, having last triumphed at the 1996 U20 Concacaf Championships.
At the same time, while winning is the big goal, Canada will be satisfied with a run to the semi-finals at the very least, as doing that would allow them to qualify for the U20 World Cup, a tournament they haven’t participated in since hosting it in 2007.
Given how important the U20 World Cup can be for young players, as it’s one of the most heavily scouted tournaments in the world, it’s been seen as a big missed opportunity that Canada hasn’t been able to send a team to that tournament for almost two decades.
Once upon a time, they were regulars at that tournament - when they qualified for the 1997 edition after winning the U20 Concacaf Championships, that kicked off a stretch where they participated in five out of six possible U20 World Cups between 1997 and 2007.
And to stick with that 1996 team, it’s worth noting that their success at that U20 tournament translated into success at other levels, too. Namely, the big one was Canada’s legendary triumph at the 2000 Gold Cup, where they had six players from that 1996 team in their squad in Dwayne De Rosario, Robbie Aristodemo, Jimmy Brennan, Jeff Clarke, Richard Hastings and Paul Stalteri. 
Yet, that shows why Canada will be so focused on making a run at this upcoming tournament and qualifying for that U20 World Cup, as doing so could provide a platform for this next generation of players to one day make a similar impact for the senior National Team. That’s the beauty of these youth tournaments, which can serve as an important pipeline for young players.
Unfortunately for Canada, they haven’t been able to do that with their U20 team in recent years, and you can see that when looking back at their squads from the last five U20 Concacaf Championships.
#CANM20 Squad announced for 2024 Concacaf U-20 Championship 🍁
— CANMNT (@CANMNT_Official) July 11, 2024
Canada will face Honduras on 20 July, Dominican Republic on 23 July and El Salvador on 26 July in Irapuato, Mexico.
Semi-Finalists at the tournament will qualify for the 2025 U-20 FIFA World Cup in Chile.
Among the 2024 team, only Jeevan Badwal and Santiago López have earned some sort of senior team call-up, while among the 2022 team, Noah Abatneh, Jamie Knight-Lebel and Kwasi Poku are the only names to earn such a designation - and among those five names, it can be argued that only Knight-Lebel has graduated to the senior team, even if it doesn’t feel like long until someone like Badwal joins him. Granted, though, it’s still too early to pass judgment on those two teams, as the oldest players from 2022 are only 23, so there could still be some other players who emerge as senior team regulars , even if it becomes more and more unlikely to see as time goes on.
Because of that, it’s more fascinating to go back to 2018 (2020’s U20 Championships were cancelled due to COVID-19), as it’s a lot clearer to say who has become a senior National Team regular from that team. Among that group, only Mathieu Choinière and Theo Bair earn that designation, which is quite surprising to see.
Then, to look back at the 2017 team, Dayne St. Clair, Zachary Brault-Guillard, Liam Fraser, Diego Gutiérrez, Kamal Miller and Liam Millar all fit the bill, which is a lot better to see, while in 2015, only Sam Adekugbe and Cyle Larin are the two names that stand out.
So when looking at that list of players from 2015 to 2024, it can be said that 11 players became Canadian National Team ‘regulars’ by the very loose definition of the term ‘regular’. And among those 11, seven played at either the 2022 or 2026 World Cup (or both), which is why the use of ‘regular’ is in quotation marks (and for some players like Gutiérrez, they were only Canada regulars for a year or two before falling off the radar).
Now, the big question when looking at that is simple - is that normal?
There’s no doubt that the number feels low, but there are also some reasons why it isn’t that surprising to see, as a lot of Canada’s current crop of players graduated straight to the National Team without playing at the U20 level, such as Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David, Ismaël Koné and Nathan Saliba, to name a few. 
Otherwise, the likes of Stephen Eustáquio and Niko Sigur played for other youth National Teams in Portugal and Croatia, respectively, while Moïse Bombito, Tajon Buchanan, Alistair Johnston, Richie Laryea and Promise David were late-bloomers who didn’t earn much of a shot at younger age levels (Buchanan did play for Canada’s U23s).
Because of that, it’s interesting to see if the United States and Mexico, who have been the top two teams in Concacaf for so long, have dealt with the same thing when looking at their past five squads from the U20 Concacaf Championships.
When looking at the US’s teams, Chris Brady, Mark McKenzie, Tyler Adams, Luca De La Torre, Auston Trusty, Zack Steffen, Shaq Moore, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Kellyn Acosta and Ethan Horvath all fit the bill as players who played in one of those squads before going on to make a World Cup squad. However, it’s worth noting that the US’s 2015 and 2017 teams are doing a lot of heavy lifting here, which is interesting to note - you have to remember that the US shockingly missed out on the 2018 World Cup, which might’ve opened the door for more of those younger players to emerge in time for that 2022 World Cup cycle (remember this for later).
Mexico, meanwhile, has Edson Álvarez, Kevin Álvarez, Uriel Antuna, Érick Gutiérrez and Hirving Lozano as players who stand out as players who were at the Concacaf Championships who then went on to crack World Cup squads, which is good but unspectacular (and much like with the US, 2017 and 2015 are doing a lot of heavy lifting here, which is interesting to see).
At the same time, it’s worth noting that this isn’t a fully fair methodology to use - this is only looking at players who played in the U20 Concacaf Championships, and not the U20 World Cup itself. That’s important to note, as teams might struggle to get their strongest possible teams out to the U20 Concacaf Championships, whereas they might be able to get their best players for a World Cup, where clubs might be more lenient with allowing their top youngsters to play (given the platform it offers).
Look at Mexico’s 17-year-old wonderkid Gilberto Mora, who didn’t feature for Mexico’s U20s when they qualified for the 2025 U20 World Cup (granted, he hadn’t broken out yet in 2024), before then being called into their squad for that U20 World Cup - he then made the 2026 World Cup squad this year, of course.
Yet, that’s the big thing to remember when looking at players at the U20 level - it’s a unique age range when it comes to player development. By 18, you have a good idea of who is ready to already play at the senior level, and who will need some work. At the same time, some late-developing players won’t earn their chance at the senior level until their mid-20s, which is why you can see some players feature at the U20 levels, and then not hear about them for over a half-decade.
Because of that, it feels fair to say that it’s still too early to judge Canada’s U20 squads from 2022 and 2024, as there is still time for players from those teams to emerge.
Plus, the reality is that youth teams don’t always serve as a pipeline for countries. For example, look at France now, who are a top-three National Team right now (and they’ve arguably got the best squad on paper). When you look at their 2019 U20 World Cup squad, which featured players born in the 1999s and 2000s (who would be in their prime for this 2026 World Cup), not a single player from that squad is on France’s team at this 2026 tournament (a few did represent other teams at this World Cup).
Of course, that’s also a reflection of how big France’s player pool is, and how hard it is to play for their senior team, but it’s still interesting to see.
At the same time, some countries have drawn heavily on their youth teams to supplement their squad, the way the US did in the 2020s. That can be cyclical, as it’ll depend on where a senior team is at, and the makeup of their squad - for example, if a team has a loaded attack at the U20 level, and their senior team is thin in attack, a lot of those youngsters might get more of an opportunity at the next level versus if their senior team was loaded with top attackers.
With how small senior teams are, sometimes a player can be blocked by those in front of them - and on the flip side, players can also be aided by certain deficiencies in a player pool (for example, it feels like a great time to be a Brazilian full back in your early 20s if you want to crack their 2030 World Cup squad).
That’s all worth noting as Canada now begins their 2026 U20 journey. It’s one that they’re taking extremely seriously, which is why senior team coach Jesse Marsch is lending a helping hand to help them qualify for the U20 World Cup. 
Ideally, they reach that U20 World Cup, and down the road, they can look back at a handful of players from this team as ones who were able to make that step up and make an impact on the senior team.
Yet, that’s the margin at this level - unless this Canadian side is a once-in-a-generation team, it’s unlikely that more than a handful of players actually crack the senior team.
Therefore, the value for Canada isn’t so much in getting caught up in individuals in this group, but in team performances, which will in turn help elevate those individuals further down the road. That’s where Marsch’s presence can be helpful, as he can help transmit the style of play that he’s embedded in the senior team, and carry that down to these U20 players.
By doing that, he can offer players a platform, one to show how they could potentially one day fit in the system, which is key. It’ll help more players earn the opportunities to make that jump up if Marsch knows that they could fit into what he asks of his players.
Ultimately, that shows where Canada qualifying for the U20 World Cup could have a big benefit, as that would also improve the depth of their player pool, which is the other big area where teams can benefit from having strong youth national teams.
So if Canada can indeed reach the U20 World Cup, they can give a taste to future senior players of what it’s like to represent their country at a World Cup, an experience that a lot of players on the current senior team would’ve loved to have if not for Canada’s struggles at that level.
Jesse Marsch has quickly shifted his focus to the Concacaf U20 championship, where he will help Canada's mission to qualify for the U23 tournament at the LA 2028 Olympics.
— Ben Steiner (@BenSteiner00) July 6, 2026
Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue says Marsch is already making calls to get players released for the U20s.
Plus, if all goes well, you can use the lure of a U20 World Cup to recruit some big dual nationals, which could be another bonus - adding a few players like that to the ranks can only help Canada’s depth.
Yet, that’s the unique nature of youth international football - it’s at the same time hugely important to the development of soccer within nations, while also not being something that has a big effect on senior teams - at least not as much as you think.
Ultimately, there’s a line to be drawn - ideally, you want to regularly participate in U20 World Cups so that you can take advantage of the platform that the tournament can provide young players to showcase their skills and move up to higher levels, which could then help them crack the senior team, especially if you have a good generation of players.
Because of that, it shows why Canada’s big goal will be to reach the U20 World Cup, as they look to reap the benefits that could come from doing that.
In the end, though, it’s worth noting that Canada benefits more from a world where their top young players can earn professional minutes in leagues such as the Canadian Premier League and Major League Soccer, as that will give them their best chance at cracking the senior team.
If anything, Canada becoming more successful at the youth national team level would just be a sign that their developmental system is improving.
Perhaps, though, that shows why this upcoming U20 Concacaf Championships feels so important, as Canada has taken some big strides in that regard in recent years, even if their results at the youth level haven’t shown that.
Should they have some success this month, however, that’ll prove that some of the work they’ve put in to improve their developmental system has paid off, which will be as big a victory as anything they accomplish at a U20 World Cup.
