EDITORIAL – The Canadian Men’s National Soccer Team has had some great players throughout its history. This includes some notable goalkeepers that many people know of. There will be some players in this list from the golden age, which was in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Canadian Men’s Soccer Team: Six Best Players from Canada
This was when Canada qualified for the 1986 FIFA World Cup and almost qualified for the 1990 and 1994 World Cup. They also had their own pro soccer league called the Canadian Soccer League at this time. The league was in existence from 1987-92.
Keep in mind everyone’s list is going to be different. It was difficult to determine the best players on the team. Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David were not included on this list as their careers are just beginning. However, it would not be surprising if they become the top two players on this list when their careers are over.
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Alexander Bunbury (1986-97)
Alexander Bunbury played for the Canadian team for 11 years. At that time, the striker scored 16 goals in 65 appearances. He was one of their main scorers in the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup Qualification cycles. In those two cycles, he scored 11 of his 16 goals. An electrifying goal-scorer Bunbury belongs as one of Canada’s elite strikers in Canadian soccer.
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Atiba Hutchinson (2003-Present) – Canadian Men’s Soccer Veteran
Atiba Hutchinson is the only current player on this list. He has many accolades as a member of Team Canada. This includes being the Canadian Player of the Year for 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. He was also part of the Concacaf Best XI in 2016. Hutchinson is an incredible and very underrated player. According to Kurt Larson of the Toronto Sun, Julien De Guzman had this to say about Hutchinson:
“He’s one of a kind,” de Guzman added. “This is somebody that Canada probably won’t see again. I don’t recall anyone doing what Atiba has done for himself and his country.”
Hutchinson is an incredible talent and it shows on the field for Team Canada. With all the accolades he has produced he will be missed whenever he decides to retire.
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Dwayne De Rosario (1998-2015)
This name is not a surprise for many people who follow Canadian Men’s Soccer. Dwayne De Rosario has scored 22 goals in 81 appearances. He is obviously incredibly talented and is one of Canada’s well-renowned strikers. With Canada, he won four Canadian Players of the Year Awards. He won in 2005, 2006, 2007, and finally in 2011. Finally, he won the Gold Cup with Team Canada in 2000.
In the 2002 Gold Cup, he scored the game-winner in the third-place match-up against Asian guests South Korea. This allowed Canada to capture bronze just two years after winning the Gold Cup.
Like Bunbury before him, De Rosario was an electrifying goal scorer and one of Canada’s best players.
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Carlo Corazzin (1994-2004)
Carlo Corazzin played a big role in Canada winning its only Gold Cup in 2000. Corazzin scored 11 goals in 59 appearances. This includes scoring four goals in the Gold Cup. This performance made Corazzin the top goal scorer in the 2000 Gold Cup. A big reason why he is rated so high. One of his big goals includes a tying goal against Mexico in the Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinals. Canada ended up shocking Mexico in extra-time and ended up winning the whole tournament.
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Paul Dolan (1984-97)
Paul Dolan played thirteen years with the Canadian Men’s Soccer team. In those thirteen years, he won the Concacaf Championship in 1985 and participated in the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico.
He made his senior debut in October 1984 against Cyprus. He also held France scoreless 79 minutes into the World Cup. Canada would end up losing to France 1-0.
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Craig Forrest (1988-2002) – Canadian Men’s Soccer Hero 2000
Craig Forrest was the main reason why Canada won the 2000 Gold Cup. He played 56 games for Canada from 1988-2002.
This included the 2000 Gold Cup semi-final game against Trinidad and Tobago according to Connor Fleming of The 18. He made 16 saves, which included stopping a penalty.
“It was clear to everyone in the stadium that Craig Forrest saved the victory for us today,” said Canadian coach Osieck.
Canada would go on to win the Gold Cup in 2000. Forrest would also win the Most Valuable Player of the Year Award for his performance at the Gold Cup. This puts him number one on the list. Dolan may have been the only Canada goalkeeper to play in a World Cup, but Forrest was depended upon more in the 2000 Gold Cup. That is why he was chosen as the greatest Canadian soccer player in history.
Overview of the Top Six Canadian Men’s Soccer Players
This list was hard to make. There was a thought of putting Jason de Vos on this list. However, he only played eight years for Team Canada and therefore was excluded from this elite list. Other notable players that did not make this list include Julien de Guzman and Patrice Bernier.
As people may have noticed goalkeepers were in the top two positions of this list. Canada is known for producing some terrific goalkeepers and Forrest and Dolan are the ones that stand out the most.
