Who did Jesse Marsch call up to CanMNT U-20 squad? Here's a rundown of each player

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Concacaf

From Canadian Premier League stars to bright prospects out of MLS academies, Jesse Marsch next turns his attention to the CanMNT U-20s at the Concacaf U-20 Championship. Here's a quick primer on each called-up player.

Canada Soccer’s Men’s Under-20 team is all but set to begin their journey through the Concacaf U20 Championship next week, as they have now named the squad that they’ll bring to Mexico for that tournament on Friday.

For those unfamiliar with that tournament, it’s a big one for this Canadian team - if they can reach the semi-finals, they’ll qualify for the U20 World Cup for the first time since 2007, and if they win it all, they’ll qualify for the men’s soccer Olympics tournament for the first time since 1984 (and win their first U20 men’s title since 1996).

Can Mnt U 20 Squad V2

Therefore, when considering that, you can see why this Canadian team is approaching this tournament with full focus, as they know what’s at stake for them. After years of disappointing results at the U20 level, they want to put that all behind them in a big way.

That’s why CanMNT head coach Jesse Marsch and CanMNT assistant coach Mauro Biello are lending a hand for this tournament, as they’re hoping that their expertise can help Canada get over the line in the end.

And given the squad that Canada have called up, they have the tools to do some damage this tournament.

With that in mind, here’s a look at what you need to know about the 21 players named to the squad:

Goalkeeper: Nathaniel Abraham, University of Louisville

A Toronto FC academy graduate, Abraham was a redshirt freshman at the University of Louisville in 2025. He’s got extensive experience with Canada’s youth teams, as he was in the squad for the U20 Championship in 2024, and has made four appearances across qualifying and friendlies this year. He also has eight caps at the U17 level, including three appearances at the U17 World Cup in 2023, along with one appearance for Canada’s U18s.

Goalkeeper: Jonathan Ransom, Atlanta United

Ransom has already racked up 25 MLS Next Pro appearances for Atlanta United 2, keeping four clean sheets across those games, including two clean sheets in 10 appearances so far in 2026. Also eligible to play for the US, he was in a camp with them at the U15 level in 2022, but has otherwise represented Canada at the youth level, making nine appearances for the U17s, including four at the 2025 U17 World Cup, and one friendly appearance for Canada’s U20s.

Goalkeeper: Izan Server, RC Celta de Vigo

A Canadian-Spanish dual national, Server currently finds himself with Celta Vigo’s U19s, and has also trained with their first team in the past. His lone appearance with Canada’s youth teams so far was an appearance for Canada’s U19s in a friendly against Finland last September.

Defender: Richard Chukwu, Toronto FC

A veteran of Canada’s youth teams, Chukwu has already racked up four appearances for Canada’s U15s, 24 appearances for Canada’s U17s (including seven World Cup appearances across the 2023 and 2025 U17 World Cups), and now three appearances for the U20s. He’s also made 31 appearances for Toronto FC II in MLS Next Pro, although he is still awaiting his first team debut, which shouldn’t come too long down the road. He can play as both a left back and a centre back.

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Defender: Moise Clovis-Archange, Orlando City SC

Surprisingly, Clovis-Archange was named to the CanMNT’s preliminary squad for the 2025 Nations League finals, which shows that he’s been on Canada’s radar for a while now. He’s made seven appearances for Orlando City B in MLS Next Pro, and has four appearances for Canada’s U17s and three for Canada’s U20s. He’s listed as more of a centre back.

Defender: Sergei Kozlovskiy, Atlético Ottawa

Kozlovskiy already has an impressive resume for club and country, as he has made 35 professional appearances for Atlético Ottawa, helping them win the North Star Cup in 2025, and has also made four appearances for Canada’s U15s, 12 appearances for Canada’s U17s (including two at the 2025 U17 World Cup, where he scored a banger of a goal) and seven appearances for Canada’s U20s. He can play as both a centre back and left back, although he’s mostly played the former for Ottawa.

Defender: Anyole Peter, Vancouver Whitecaps FC

After making a solitary appearance in each of 2024 and 2025 for the Vancouver Whitecaps II in MLS Next Pro, Peter has earned a more significant role in 2026, making six appearances. As a result, he earned his first youth team call-up this year to the U20s, where he’s made five appearances, playing as both a centre back and a midfielder.

Defender: Felix Samson, FC Cincinnati

A CF Montréal academy product, Samson was signed on loan for the 2026 season by FC Cincinnati 2, where he’s made 10 appearances in MLS Next Pro so far this year. A centre back by trade, he’s also earned two caps at the U18 level for Canada, along with three caps at the U20 level - and that’s despite only earning his first U20 call-up this past June.

Defender: Max Vogele, IFK Stocksund

One of the few European-based players in this squad, Vogele plies his trade in the third division of Sweden with IFK Stocksund, where he’s so far made 12 appearances in 2026. A past U17 Sweden international who earned five caps in 2023 and 2024, he’s since represented Canada twice at the U18 level in 2025, and six times at the U20 level this year. For Stocksund, Vogele has mostly featured as a left back, although he’s also deputized at centre back; with Canada, he’s also spent time in midfield.

Midfielder: Antone Bossenberry, Toronto FC

After a big campaign for Toronto FC II in 2025, one where the former Inter Miami CF academy product made 23 appearances in MLS Next Pro, Bossenberry has done well to build on that in 2026, as he’s made nine appearances in MLS Next Pro, and, more impressively, two MLS appearances and one Canadian Championship cameo with TFC’s first team. A past U15 and U17 Canadian international, he went to the 2025 U17 World Cup but didn’t make an appearance there - he otherwise has three caps for the U17s, and two caps for the U20s. Based on what he showed this year, however, the central midfielder, who has also played in different attacking roles, could be set to play a bigger role for the U20s.

Midfielder: Timothy Fortier, Toronto FC

An experienced Canadian youth international, Fortier has made four appearances for Canada’s U15s, 13 appearances for Canada’s U17s (including four at the 2025 U17 World Cup), and now five appearances for Canada’s U20s. Meanwhile, for Toronto FC II, he’s made 27 appearances in MLS Next Pro across the 2025 and 2026 seasons. Once this tournament is over, however, the midfielder will head to Stanford for the fall, as he’s set to take the college route for now.

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Midfielder: Emrick Fotsing, Vancouver FC

Fotsing has become a regular in midfield for Vancouver FC in the Canadian Premier League, racking up 38 appearances across all competitions since joining the club in 2025. As a result, he’s made two appearances for Canada’s U18s, and three appearances for Canada’s U20s. Having scored four goals for Vancouver FC last year, he’s proven capable of playing a box-to-box role in midfield, even if he’s more comfortably higher up the pitch.

Midfielder: Dylan Judelson, Orlando City SC

Judelson is the second Canadian player in this squad to come from Orlando City B, where he’s racked up 31 MLS Next Pro appearances across the 2025 and 2026 seasons. A defensive midfielder, he’s also made four appearances for Canada’s U15s, 14 appearances for Canada’s U17s (including four at the 2025 U17 World Cup), and seven appearances for the U20s.

Midfielder: Liam Mackenzie, Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Mackenzie has been slowly working his way up the ranks at the Whitecaps over the last few years, having made his MLS Next Pro debut in 2023. Since then, he’s racked up 36 appearances for Whitecaps II, and has even made his MLS debut for the Whitecaps first team, which came in 2025. Already in 2026, the attacking midfielder has five goals in eight MLS Next Pro games, after scoring just two goals in his previous 28 appearances in the league. For Canada, meanwhile, he made 10 appearances at the U17 level, two at the U18 level and seven at the U20 level.

Midfielder: Jesse Saputo, Bologna FC

The son of CF Montréal owner, Joey Saputo, Jesse Saputo has been grinding away in Bologna’s academy the last few years, where he’s made 23 appearances for their U17s, 20 appearances for their U18s, eight appearances for their U20s and three for their UEFA Youth League side. As a result, he earned his first Canada youth team call-up in June, where he featured twice for the U20s, paving the way for the midfielder to earn the call to this squad.

Forward: Marius Aiyenero, LAFC

A Canadian-American dual national, Aiyenero has already racked up a lot of experience at the youth level for both sides - he made three appearances for US’s U15s, nine appearances for Canada’s U17s (including three at the 2025 U17 World Cup), and has now appeared twice for Canada’s U20s. A promising forward prospect at LAFC, where he’s already racked up 29 appearances for LAFC 2, scoring four goals, he’s also technically already appeared for Canada’s senior team - he had nine minutes off the bench in Canada’s January 2026 ‘Camp Poutine’ matchup against Guatemala, which didn’t officially count as an ‘A’ friendly, hence why he doesn’t have a cap.

Forward: Zayne Bruno, Forge FC

Bruno hasn’t been able to feature as much for Forge as hoped, making just five appearances since the start of 2025, but the versatile midfielder, who can also play as a full back, has earned two Canada U18 caps and three Canada U20 caps. And for what it’s worth, given Forge’s track record with developing players, he’ll have still learned plenty being around that group over the last few years.

Forward: Owen Graham-Roache, CF Montréal

Graham-Roache has already amassed impressive first-team experience for Montréal over the past two seasons, making 13 appearances across all competitions since the start of 2025. As a result, he’s become a Canadian youth team mainstay, making six appearances for the U17s and six appearances for the U20s, scoring twice for the U17s and five times for the U20s. Because of that, expect the forward to be a key focal point in attack for this team as a striker. Media 88261904 87866566

Forward: Aleksandr Guboglo, CF Montréal

Guboglo has also benefitted from the opportunity to earn minutes on an inconsistent Montréal side over the past two seasons, as he’s already racked up 29 appearances across all competitions, including 24 in MLS. Able to play as both a full back and a winger, Guboglo will likely play more as an attacker in this tournament. A former Haitian youth international who made three appearances for their U17 side at the U17 Concacaf Championships in 2023, Guboglo has since made two appearances for Canada’s U18s and three more for Canada’s U20s, although he had to file a one-time switch to appear in this U20 tournament, tying him to Canada going forward.

Forward: Shola Jimoh, Inter Toronto FC

Jimoh is already an experienced professional at his young age, as the winger has now racked up an astonishing 49 appearances for Inter Toronto, having debuted for the club back in 2024. He’s been impactful in those appearances, too, scoring four goals and adding seven assists. As a result, he’s already earned a start for Canada’s senior team, although, like Aiyenero, he doesn’t have a cap, as it came against Guatemala earlier this year. He’s also made significant contributions at the youth level for Canada, racking up four appearances for their U15s, 14 appearances for their U17s (including four at the 2025 U17 World Cup) and seven appearances for their U20s - he also scored at the U17 World Cup.

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Forward: Lucas Lima, GD Chaves

After racking up nine appearances in the Portuguese fourth tier with GD Chaves’s B team, Lima is looking to add to the one cap he’s earned for Canada’s U18s, and the four caps he’s earned for Canada’s U20s. Look for him to feature on the left wing, with that being listed as his primary position.

ALTERNATES: Marsel Bibishkov (Vancouver FC), Valter Sedin (Hammarby IF)

If needed, Canada also has two alternates on this squad. Bibishkov, who was once in Juventus’s academy, is currently at Vancouver FC, where he’s yet to make his debut for the club - he also had a stint with Inter Toronto when they were still York United in 2025. Sedin, meanwhile, who is the son of NHL great Henrik Sedin, is currently with Hammarby’s U19s - he also made one appearance in MLS Next Pro for the Vancouver Whitecaps II when he was still part of their academy.