Boakai the sole Eddie to make Canada’s U-20 roster By Steven Sandor Posted on January 5, 2015 1 0 848 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter FCE's Hanson Boakai pulls away from the Impact's Karl Ouimette. PHOTO: TONY LEWIS/FC EDMONTON Hanson Boakai will be going to the CONCACAF Championship in Jamaica, but he’ll be the only FC Edmonton player making the trip. The 18-year-old FC Edmonton midfielder was on coach Rob Gale’s final roster for the U-20 CONCACAF Championship, which is a qualifying tournament for the 2015 U-20 World Cup in New Zealand. Canada begins the tournament with a Jan. 10 match against Haiti; but its group-stage fortunes will likely hinge on the result of the Jan. 12 match against Mexico. But two other FCE prospects, striker Sadi Jalali and defender Mark Aleksic, who had received long looks from Gale in previous U-20 camps, didn’t make the final cut. But, it needs to be noted that this generation of U-20 players is arguably the deepest this country has produced. It will feature the likes of Cyle Larin, who could be a top MLS SuperDraft pick if he chooses to go that route, and Toronto FC striker Jordan Hamilton. Whitecaps keeper Marco Carducci is already a member of his club’s senior roster. Luca Gasparotto is playing at Airdrie in Scotland, and midfielder Michael Petrasso is on loan to Notts County in England. The team would be even stronger had it been able to secure Dylan Carreiro and Fraser Aird, who are both playing in Scotland. But neither player was released by their clubs (Dundee FC and Rangers, respectively). “(I’m a) bit disappointed to lose some key characters with clubs not releasing them but it will provide opportunities for talented players to step up and prove they can apply themselves at this level,” Gale said in a release. Boakai made his NASL debut at the age of 16 and was one of the top players in last year’s Nutrilite Canadian Championship. CANADA ROSTER GK- Marco Carducci | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC GK- Nolan Wirth | USA / Oregon State University D- Samuel Adekugbe | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC D- Alexander Comsia | FRA / RC Strasbourg D- Luca Gasparotto | SCO / Rangers FC (on loan at Airdrieonians) D- Jackson Farmer | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency D- Jordan Haynes | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency D- Brandon John | GER / Erzgebirge Aue D- Rares (Chris) Serban | CAN / University of British Columbia M- Manuel Aparicio | CAN / Toronto FC M- Louis Beland-Goyette | CAN / Montreal Impact M- Hanson Boakai | CAN / FC Edmonton M- Marco Bustos | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC M- Kianz Froese | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC M- Jeremy Gagnon-Laparé | CAN / Montreal Impact M- Chris Nanco | USA / Syracuse University M- Michael Petrasso | ENG / Queens Park Rangers F- Calum Fergusson | SCO / Inverness Caledonian Thistle F- Jordan Hamilton | CAN / Toronto FC F- Cyle Larin | unattached / sans club READ THE NEW ISSUE OF PLASTIC PITCH! OUT NOW FOR APPLE and ANDROID DEVICES.
