When the well-traveled Nick Dasovic was anointed the new head coach of the men's U-20 team last week, the expected questions came up: What does this mean for the squad? What kind of prospects does the program have? What are Canada's chances as it relates to the 2013 U-20 World Cup?
To get an idea of what the future may hold -- and as a reminder of how futile these sorts of predictions can be -- it's worth looking back at the last Canadian squad to participate in the U-20 World Cup. That, of course, was the team that went winless, pointless and goalless in a disappointing performance on home soil in 2007.
Some of the standouts at that tournament -- Sergio Aguero, Angel di Maria, Luis Suarez, Alexandre Pato -- have become world-class stars. So what about the Canadian team? What has happened to Canada's brightest prospects of four years ago?
Well, as usual, some of it's good, some of it's OK, some of it's bad, and some of it's downright ugly.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
THE GOOD
Simeon Jackson
Current club: Norwich City (England)
Caps for men's national team: 25
Jacko had been wiling away for Rushden & Diamonds for several years by the time 2007 rolled around; it wasn't until a move to Gilingham in 2008 that his career truly took off. His play-off goal at Wembley in 2009 clinched promotion for the Gills, and also helped secure him a move further up the ladder -- to Norwich City, in 2010. Then in 2011, he would score the goal to put the Canaries back into the Premiership, earning himself a roster spot in the process. Though he's been used sparingly thus far this season, it's remarkable to think that a guy who only played the full 90 once in three games for Canada back in 2007 is now plying his trade in the world's top league.
David Edgar
Current club: Burnley (England)
Caps for men's national team: 7
The centre-back was the toast of the Canadian soccer world back in 2007, having scored his first Premiership goal for Newcastle -- against mighty Manchester United, no less -- on New Year's Day. But things spiralled downward after that: Newcastle was famously relegated in 2009, the same year Edgar was moved to Burnley. There, he struggled mightily to secure regular playing time, being loaned out to Swansea City for a spell. But this year, under new manager Eddie Howe, Edgar has finally established himself as a starter at Burnley -- and as a big part of the Canadian senior national team's plans.
Marcus Haber
Current club: St. Johnstone (Scotland)
Caps for men's national team: 2
The 22-year-old was one of the younger members of Canada's 2007 squad, but had made enough of an impression with the Vancouver Whitecaps Residency to merit the call. He'd go on to be the rookie of the year for the Whitecaps' senior team in 2009, earning a move to West Brom. He'd never see the field for the Baggies, however, as he quickly went out on several loans. During one of them, to St. Johnstone, he blew out his knee and required season-ending surgery. But he showed enough in his brief time there that after he was released by West Brom this July, he was signed by St. Johnstone, for whom he's made 14 appearances this season.
Tosaint Ricketts
Current club: Timisoara (Romania)
Caps for men's national team: 9
Ricketts made a name for himself in the lead-up to Canada 2007, scoring a hat trick in a friendly against the U.S. less than a month before the tournament and forcing his way into the squad with his performances. This year he's been doing much the same for the senior national team, becoming an increasingly popular and useful member of the player pool. As a member of Finnish side MyPa, he scored twice in an epic Europa League encounter with Poli Timisoara in 2009; in fact, he so impressed the Romanian side that they later signed him. Financial irregularities forced Poli's relegation to the second division this year, though they look set to gain promotion in 2011-12... with Ricketts' help, of course.
Will Johnson
Current club: Real Salt Lake (USA)
Caps for men's national team: 24
Johnson was plying his trade in the Netherlands when Canada 2007 came around. He moved to MLS in 2008 and quickly got his name on the radar by winning
Jonathan Beaulieu-Bourgault
Current club: SC Preußen Münster (Germany)
Caps for men's national team: 6
Surely Canada's oddest incident of the U-20 World Cup in 2007 involved JBB being forced into playing 15 minutes in goal after the then-Canadian 'keeper was sent off. But at his normal position, as a defensive midfielder, he's found legitimate success, with five-plus years of service for several teams in Germany. Currently in the German third division, he's realistically on the fringes of the men's national team, but he's done enough to avoid becoming nothing more than the answer to a trivia question.
David Monsalve
Current club: FC Edmonton (Canada)
Caps for men's national team: 1
One of the few current members of the national men's team player pool with a top-flight national league trophy to his name (the Finnish title, with Inter Turku in 2009), Monsalve earns a spot on the "good" side largely because of circumstances. While there are plenty of Canadians playing at levels higher than NASL, Monsalve's presence on FC Edmonton's roster in 2011 forever links him to a domestic feel-good story: a squad largely comprised of up-and-coming Canadian youngsters (himself included) who made good in their first year of existence. Plus, considering Canada's depth (or lack thereof) at the goalkeeper position, Monsalve could very well find himself back in the senior-team mix in the future.
THE OK
Jaime Peters
Current club: Bournemouth (on loan from Ipswich Town) (England)
Caps for men's national team: 26
If you'd have looked at Canada's roster in 2007 and predicted who'd be in the "good" pile several years hence, Peters' name surely would have made that list. But after a promising start to his club and national career -- heck, he debuted for the men's national team back in 2004 -- his progress seems to have stalled completely. Consider the last round of World Cup qualifying, in which Stephen Hart was frantically seeking solutions at right back, yet didn't bother calling up Peters. At 24, he's by no means completely past it -- but there's plenty of work to be done.
Nana Attakora
Current club: San Jose Earthquakes (USA)
Caps for men's national team: 2
The longest-serving member of Toronto FC in the club's short history, Attakora has proven himself a solid defender in MLS, though senior team callups have been few and far between. Attakora has plenty of good years left in him, and it's been suggested he has European ambitions (then again, who doesn't?), though playing under former Canada head coach Frank Yallop in San Jose could prove to be a valuable experience.
Kennedy Owusu-Ansah
Current club: Porin Palloilijat (Finland)
Caps for men's national team: 0
It appears that Randy Edwini-Bonsu isn't the only Canadian in his early 20s with a hyphenated, Ghanaian last name who last played for a team in Finland. Owusu-Ansah won the Finnish second-division title with RoPS in 2010, but is now back in the second division with PoPa, for whom he's made six appearances in 2011. He's unlikely to follow Edwini-Bonsu to the 2.Bundesliga any time soon, but at least he's making a living.
Alex Elliott
Current club: Sportfreunde Siegen (Germany)
Caps for men's national team: 0
This is where Wikipedia sometimes runs into a wall. Elliott, according to his Wikipedia page, is a current member of the fifth-division side in Germany. But the club's page lists him as a former player. Hmm. In any event, it's possible he still has a job as a footballer in Europe, which is good (if it's true). And his name may be familiar on the west coast, as he did make a number of appearances for his hometown Whitecaps in 2010.
Michael D'Agostino
Current club: Sportfreunde Siegen (Germany)
Caps for men's national team: 0
As in the case of Elliott, Wikipedia presents confusion as to whether D'Agostino is still actually a member of Sportfreunde Siegen. If not, maybe he (and Elliott) belong in the "bad" portion of this list. At best, they're fringe players on a fifth-division team, and close followers of Canadian soccer know that the only European fifth division worth a damn is the Czech one.
Addendum: Hat tip to a reader who found the link to Sportfreunde Siegen's roster page, which confirms that Elliott and D'Agostino are, indeed, still part of the squad. The lesson here: Wikipedia is probably wrong about half the time. Case in point: Their teammate, Issa Issa (nee Issam Al-Edrissi), still plays for SG Wattenscheid 09, according to Wikipedia. Sheesh.
Gabe Gala
Current club: Mississauga Eagles FC (Canada)
Caps for men's national team: 0
Alright, you probably know exactly why Gala is in the "OK" category rather than the "bad" one: For providing one of the more surreal moments ever at BMO Field, when he scored for his hometown club in a friendly against Real Madrid in 2008. But that was one of only 17 appearances for TFC over the course of four seasons, during which time he generally served as little more than part of the Canadian quota.
THE BAD
None of the following ever made the jump from the U-20 side to the men's national team.
Kent O'Connor
Current club: unattached
His last club, SpVgg Weiden, was relegated from the German fourth division last year after declaring insolvency. Not a good sign.
Andrea Lombardo
Current club: SC Toronto (Canada)
Lombardo's most recent shining moment came in 2010, when he scored a late goal in a CSL playoff game and took the opportunity to shush a few dozen TFC fans who'd spent the majority of the match heckling him. Fisticuffs ensued at the final whistle. Yup.
Christian Nunez
Current club: unattached
He moved to the Montreal Impact in 2008. Then he got loaned to their quasi-academy team, the Trois-Rivieres Attak. Then he played for the Universite de Montreal for a few years. Now he's focused on his studies. Who knows what the future will hold?
Zach Kalthoff
Current club: UBC Thunderbirds
His name comes up in a 2010 Telegraph article entitled "Southampton's star pupils and contemporaries who failed to make the top grade". Among the former ("star pupils") are the likes of Gareth Bale and Theo Walcott. Kalthoff, needless to say, falls into the latter category. He did, apparently, make the move to FC Kaiserslautern several years ago, but is evidently now back playing university footie out west.
Keegan Ayre
Current club: retired
He gave up on soccer in 2009 to become a model. I'm not kidding.
Olivier Lacoste-Lebuis
Current club: unattached
Having only turned 21 this past August, Lacoste-Lebuis could theoretically have many years of playing ahead of him. But his last pro experience appears to have come in 2008, for French fifth-division side RC Strasbourg.
Stephen Lumley
Current club: unknown
He has an MLSSoccer.com profile page, which is proof that he exists. Beyond that, your guess is as good as mine.
THE UGLY
That Bosnian goalkeeper
Current club: Stoke City (England)
You know the damn story. Unsubstantiated rumours abound that his defection to the land of his birth was, shall we say, less than completely voluntary. Either way, this one stung. A lot.
Dale Mitchell (coach)
The tournament was Mitchell's last at the helm of the U-20 squad -- not because of the poor results, but because he was already poised to take the full-time position as gaffer of the senior men's national team. He was set up to fail from the start, though, widely viewed as the CSA's compromise candidate after an acrimonious process to find Frank Yallop's replacement. And, sure enough, as the squad disastrously crashed out of the qualifying campaign for South Africa 2010, Mitchell was held up as the scapegoat by players and fans alike.
His coaching tenures were especially unfortunate, considering the extent to which they've overshadowed his stellar career as a player representing Canada.
So there it is. A number of complete washouts, a few more on the fringes of pro soccer life, and a handful who are currently enjoying productive careers for club and country. I eagerly await hardcore Voyageurs will weighing in to inform me as to some critical pieces of missed information about this list ("I can't believe you didn't know so-and-so is playing for FC Bumbleberry in Turkmenistan! Do your research!")
So what does this mean for the lads vying to represent Canada at Turkey 2013? Not a thing. They can look to some of these success stories as inspiration, but ultimately, they'll be the authors of their own destinies.
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