The Canadian men’s U-17 national team booked their ticket to the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar over the weekend with a dominant performance, as they finished atop Group A with a perfect 4-0-0 record. In a Concacaf qualifying competition where Canada outscored their opponents 28-2 over four matches, it shouldn’t be any surprise that it was on the attacking side of the ball where players truly shone. Only the United States (31 goals) scored more than Canada during the qualifiers. It is also worth noting that the U-17 level can be a little bit tenuous to scout compared to, say, the U-20 level with only a handful of these players ever likely to graduate to the senior level. But as some of these players pull on a Canada shirt for the first time of many, it is an important initial exposure to the program. Canada will now participate in November’s U-17 World Cup. The country is winless in its eight previous campaigns at the tournament, but with this emerging group of talent, seem as likely as they have ever been to make history later this year. Here is a look at six emerging talents who stood out for Canada during qualifying:
FW – Marius Aiyenero (Los Angeles FC 2/USA)
The 16-year-old dual national, who has also represented the United States at the U-15 level, played a starring role for Canada during qualifying. A talented and technically excellent striker, he tallied five goals and had an assist over the competition’s four games. He demonstrated good striker’s instincts throughout, was excellent in tight spaces and also did a good job of bringing teammates into the play. Aiyenero scored arguably Canada’s most important goal of the competition against group runner-up Curaçao. In what turned out to be the group’s decisive match, Curaçao had just cut Canada’s lead to 2-1 with a penalty in first-half stoppage time. Just two minutes later, however, still in stoppage time, a lovely turn and shot from Aiyenero re-established Canada’s two-goal cushion and removed any Curaçao momentum going into the half. That goal seemed to break Curaçao’s resolve, as did the fact that two minutes into the second half Aiyenero completed his hat-trick as Canada went on to win comfortably 7-1.
LW – André Ali-Gayapersad (CF Damm Youth/ESP)
Ali-Gayapersad quickly announced himself as one of Canada’s players to watch at this competition when just ten minutes into the team’s opening match he scored on a dazzling give-and-go complete with a stunning ball roll of the Turks and Caicos keeper. The left winger would only build on his performance from there as the team’s most exciting and creative attacker. Brilliant on the dribble and in beating players, his directness and ability to find pockets of space down the wing saw him play a key role in the buildup to countless Canada goals. With the number of chances Ali-Gayapersad created for himself and others over the four matches, he was perhaps unlucky not get himself on the scoresheet more than the two goals and two assists he registered. But he certainly established himself as a player to keep an eye on in the Canadian player pool.
FW – Aidan Evans (Fulham U-18/ENG)
In terms of pure finishing ability, Evans was a class above during qualifiers. The 17-year-old, who plays in the Fulham system in England, was nearly automatic when the ball dropped to him in and around the penalty area. His reward was a team-leading seven goals, including four in Canada’s finale against Bermuda. Only Chase Adams of the United States found the back of the net more during qualifiers, as he scored a ridiculous 11 times –10 which came during a 22-0 dismantling of the U.S. Virgin Islands in Group F action. Evans now has eight goals for his country, also scoring in a 3-0 friendly victory against Costa Rica in November. While not a particularly tall or physically imposing striker, his movement and reading of the game make him an incredibly exciting prospect.
FW – Shola Jimoh (York United FC/CAN)
One of the most highly touted players coming into this camp given his exceptional first season with York United in the Canadian Premier League, Jimoh showed glimpses of what has earned him that reputation. With so many wide attackers on this team, Jimoh played a more central role as part of a two-striker system over the course of qualifying. In that position, he struggled a bit physically, and to create space for himself to operate at times — whereas perhaps playing out wide would have given him more license and space to dribble and create chances. However, the two goals he scored during the competition were a clear sign of his outstanding ability and reading of the game. In Canada’s tournament opener against Turks and Caicos, he received the ball at the top of the box in space before beating his man on the dribble and showing great composure to finish across goal. Then against Curaçao, he made a smart back post run which resulted in a tap-in. As Canada gets set to play more challenging opposition in November at the World Cup, Jimoh is undoubtedly going to be one of their most important players and leaders.
MF – Kevin Khan (Feyenoord U-18/NED)
Playing in the academy system of one of the top clubs in Dutch football, Kevin Khan’s quality shone through in Bermuda over the past few weeks. The attacking midfielder was a creative spark for Canada throughout the tournament, particularly clear in his ability to create attacking opportunities for teammates. He finished the competition with a team-leading three assists. Khan created plenty of opportunities for himself as well, however, and with five goals tied Aiyenero for second on the team in scoring. Canada’s designated penalty taker throughout the competition, Khan stepped up to the spot twice and delivered both times with sharply taken spot kicks.
DF – Sergei Kozlovskiy (CF Montréal Academy/CAN)
Despite his role as a central defender, Kozlovskiy wasn’t going to let the strikers have all the fun during qualifying. In the team’s opening game, he got on the end of a pinpoint cross from Aiyenero to volley home from close range with all the composure of a seasoned attacker. He followed that up by scoring a wondergoal from a free-kick against Anguilla in the next match and added his third of the tournament in Canada’s finale against Bermuda. He also had an assist with a perfect line-breaking pass against Curaçao to Aiyenero. Assured while building out of the back and hitting long-range switches with ease, Kozlovskiy’s composure on both sides of the ball was well beyond his years during qualifying. Still just 16, Kozlovskiy has also represented Canada at the U-20 level, scoring twice at the 2024 Concacaf U-20 Championship qualifying competition. With perhaps the exception of the already established pro Jimoh, Kozlovskiy appears to be the most pro-ready player on this squad — even at a position that generally takes longer to develop.