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NASL FC Edmonton

Boakai Named to Canadian Men's Squad for Olympic Qualifiers

September 18, 2015 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
FC Edmonton News Release


FC Edmonton Midfielder Hanson Boakai
FC Edmonton Midfielder Hanson Boakai
(FC Edmonton)

With a spot to Rio 2016 on the line, Canada has selected 20 young players that will represent the country at the 2015 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifiers in October. Among the selected is FC Edmonton midfielder Hanson Boakai, who last featured on the national level at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. Boakai and his teammates, all born 1993 or later, will fight for one of three potential spots to next year's Olympic Football Tournament in Brazil.

Boakai signed his first professional contract with FC Edmonton at the age of 16, making his professional debut with the club in 2013. This season, the young midfielder has recorded one goal in 12 North American Soccer League (NASL) appearances.

"I think it's great for Hanson and I think it's great for our club," FC Edmonton head coach Colin Miller said. "It's a big tournament for Canada and Hanson has got an opportunity to stake a claim and make an impression. Everyone at the club wishes him well."

Only eight nations remain in the hunt from the CONCACAF region, with the qualification tournament scheduled from Oct. 1-13. The top two nations at this tournament will qualify for Rio 2016, while the third-best team will advance to an intercontinental playoff scheduled for a later date.

The eight CONCACAF finalists have been divided into two groups, with the top-two teams in each group advancing to the semi-final stage. In Group A action, Canada faces USA (Oct. 1), Panama (Oct. 3), and Cuba (Oct. 6). By advancing to the semi-finals on Oct. 10, Canada could face Group B opponent either Costa Rica, Haiti, Honduras, or Mexico.

As for Canada's opponents, CONCACAF is scheduled to announce all tournament rosters early next week. Per competition regulations, every roster must feature three goalkeepers and 17 outfield players.

While the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifiers must feature players 22 or younger (they will be 23 years or younger in 2016), next year's roster at the Rio 2016 Olympic Football Tournament can feature three players of any age.

All but one player has previously appeared in a Canadian youth camp, with professional Mark-Anthony Kaye the lone debutant. The 19 other players have totalled more than 2,000 cumulative days in the Canadian youth program.

Additionally, 14 of those players have dressed for Canada's national "A" squad, from which six have featured in international matches. Midfielder Samuel Piette is the most experienced with 19 appearances for Canada, including matches at the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup and during the current cycle of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.

Of note, all five Canadian professional teams have players featured in the squad - Vancouver Whitecaps FC, FC Edmonton, Toronto FC, Ottawa Fury FC, and Montréal Impact FC. Ten of the 14 players have also dressed in the annual Amway Canadian Championship.

The Rio 2016 Olympic Games will feature both a men's and women's football competition in August 2016. The 16-nation Men's Olympic Football Tournament runs 3-20 August with seven nations already qualified (Brazil, Argentina, Fiji, Denmark, Germany, Portugal and Sweden).

Full Roster

1- GK- Maxime Crépeau | CAN / Impact Montréal

2- FB- Johnny Grant | CAN / FC Montréal

3- FB- Mark-Anthony Kaye | CAN / Toronto FC II

4- CB- Jackson Farmer | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2

5- CB- Luca Gasparotto | SCO / Greenock Morton FC

6- M- Chris Mannella | CAN / Toronto FC

7- M- Mauro Eustáquio | CAN / Ottawa Fury FC

8- M- Jay Chapman | CAN / Toronto FC

9- F- Anthony Jackson-Hamel | CAN / Impact Montréal

10- F- Caleb Clarke | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC

11- M- Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé | CAN / Impact Montréal

12- GK- Quillan Roberts | CAN / Toronto FC

13- M- Michael Petrasso | ENG / Queens Park Rangers

14- M- Samuel Piette | ESP / Deportivo La Coruña

15- M- Ben Fisk | ESP / Deportivo La Coruña B

16- M- Molham Babouli | CAN / Toronto FC II

17- M- Hanson Boakai | CAN / FC Edmonton

18- GK- Ricky Gomes | POR / Sport Clube de Mirandela

19- CB- Skylar Thomas | CAN / Toronto FC II

20- M- Dylan Carreiro | SCO / Arbroath

Check out the FC Edmonton Statistics




Images from this story

FC Edmonton Midfielder Hanson Boakai
FC Edmonton Midfielder Hanson Boakai
   

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