Three Canadian Premier League players earned minutes for the Canadian men's national team on Saturday night, as Canada beat Guatemala 1-0 in an international 'B' friendly in Los Angeles, Calif.
Inter Toronto winger Shola Jimoh got the start for Canada and played 63 minutes, exiting for the Halifax Wanderers' Tiago Coimbra to enter in the 64th minute, followed closely by Atlético Ottawa's Noah Abatneh in the 70th.
The youngest player on the pitch, although his opposite winger Marvin Avila Jr. was just a month old, 17-year-old Jimoh was lively down the left flank, playing two crosses, winning four of five duels and completing nine of 15 passes.
Jesse Marsch's Canada side played a tenacious friendly against a Guatemalan side, not far removed from their meeting at the Concacaf Gold Cup during the summer. In the end, though, Canada triumphed, thanks to Jacen Russell-Rowe breaking the deadlock in the 66th minute.
Former Canadian Premier League players James Pantemis and Matteo de Brienne also saw their first senior national team minutes. Pantemis started, and went 81 minutes before Luka Gavran replaced him. De Brienne, meanwhile, replaced Richie Laryea in the 81st.
Given the match's 'Tier two' designation, both sides were allowed to make unlimited substitutions. This also, however, meant that no FIFA points, nor official international caps were awarded.
Still, the match and the camp were an important first senior national team experience for Abatneh, Coimbra and Jimoh, and the first of what they hope will be many more in the years to come.
Canada are next in action during the March international window, with opponents and details for those matches expected to be announced soon.