Friday, October 13, 2023

Trinidad and Tobago All-Time Team

 This blogger Artur Yanturin of Russia copied many of my blog teams.  This blog was one of them.  It was my Russia All-Time Team here.  His team was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.   His Spartak Moscow All-Time team entry of was published in October 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2017.  His entry of the Dutch-German rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.  He also copied many many of my blog entries.


His Facebook and Instagram

World Cup 2006
Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.

The Trinidad and Tobago national football team, nicknamed the "Soca Warriors", represents the twin-island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in international football. It is controlled by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association, which is a member of CONCACAF (the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football), the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), and the global jurisdiction of FIFA.

The national team competes in the World Cup, Gold Cup, and the Nations League, as well as other competitions by invitation. The Soca Warriors' lone appearance at the FIFA World Cup came in 2006, after the team defeated Bahrain 2–1 on aggregate in the CONCACAF–AFC intercontinental play-off. The team has qualified for the CONCACAF Gold Cup on 18 occasions with their best performance in 2000, after reaching the semi-finals, finishing third. However, the national team did experience great success at the defunct Caribbean Cup, having won the sub-continental competition ten times and runners-up on seven occasions.

"Strike Squad" 1989
Team
GK: Shaka Hislop 
Born in the Great Britain, he represented Trinidad and Tobago at the youth level.  However, in 1998, he accepted a callup by England, but was an unused substitute.  A year later, he again switched back to T&T.  He represented them at the 2006 World Cup Finals.  For his club career, he was a part of the Newcastle United team which finished second in the Premier League for two successive seasons.  He also played for Portsmouth and West Ham.
Shaka Hislop
Phillips played forTrinidad and Tobago from 1963 to 1967, and with them won a bronze medal in the 1967 Pan American Games. In the USA, he played Washington Darts in 1969. That year he was the ASL's Coach of the Year and made the All-Star Team, while leading the team to the ASL Championship. In 1970, the team moved to the NASL and he was the league's top goalkeeper, setting NASL records for consecutive shutouts and consecutive minutes without allowing a goal, and made the All-Star Team again.

Ince began with Defense Force at home.  He had lengthy spells in the English Football League at Crewe Alexandra and Walsall. He was selected on the PFA Team of the Year: 2006–07 Football League Two.  He is his country's most capped goalkeeper with 79 caps for Trinidad and Tobago between 1994 and 2009.  He was Shaka Hislop's backup at the 2006 World Cup Finals. 

RB: Justin Hoyte 
Justin Hoyte previously played for English clubs Arsenal, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Millwall and Dagenham & Redbridge. His longest stint was with Middlesbrough. Hoyte was born in England. As an international, he represented England up to under-21 level.  He rejected a call up to play for Trinidad and Tobago for the 2006 World Cup Finals, but he started to play for them at senior level in 2013.  Between 2013 and 2016, he had 18 caps. His parents were both British sprinters.

Edwards started his career in Trinidad and Tobago before moving to Wrexham in 2000 for whom he made over 150 appearances. He went on to play for Luton Town, Sunderland, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Ipswich Town and Millwall. He also made over 90 appearances for the Trinidad and Tobago.  He was a member of their 2006 World Cup team.  He was named on the PFA Team of the Year three times in three different division. 

Dennis Lawrence signed for Wrexham in 2001, joining from Defence Force at home. He stayed until 2006 when he signed for Swansea City. He later played for Crewe Alexandra. From 2000 to 2010, he played 101 times for T&T.   He was awarded the MVP (Most Valuable Player) award at the 2001 Caribbean Cup, which Trinidad and Tobago won. He scored the goal against Bahrain that awarded Trinidad and Tobago a ticket to the 2006 World Cup Finals.  He also played every minute at the World Cup Finals.
Dennis Lawrence
CB: Marvin Andrews 
Andrews's career includes spells at Livingston, with whom he won the Scottish League Cup in 2004, and Rangers, where he won the double of the League Cup and the Scottish Premier League title in 2005. Most recently he played for Scottish League Two club Clyde. Between 1996 and 2006 Andrews was a regular for the Trinidad and Tobago national football team, winning 99 caps up to that point.

De La Bastide known as the "Tank".  He was a member of the first ever T&T national team to participate in a World Cup qualifying competition for the 1966 World Cup Finals. In 1959, the former Maple great was also part of the T&T contingent of players on a Caribbean team to tour England.  He was T&T Footballer of the Year in 1968 and was inducted into the T&T Sports Hall of Fame in 1987.

In his club career, Claton Morris played for Aviation Services Limited (1983), ECM Motown (1982), St. Ann's Rangers, Trintoc and United Petrotrin. He also played in the USISL where he was named the Atlantic Division Defender of the Year in 1994.  Between 1983 and 1992, he was capped 36 times by Trinidad and Tobago.  He was the captain of the "Strike Squad" that nearly qualified for the 1990 World Cup Finals. He was elected into Trinidad & Tobago's Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.
Clayton Morris
Jones' career began with W Connection in 2009. In 2014, he was loaned to HJK Helsinki. Jones then moved to Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire for the 2015 season before spending the 2016 and 2017 seasons with Seattle Sounders FC. He joined German 2. Bundesliga club Darmstadt in 2018. He later returned to Seattle Sounders FC on 7 May 2019. Between 2010 and now, he had 97 caps.

CB/DM/LB: Jlloyd Samuel 
Samuel played in the Premier League for both Aston Villa and Bolton Wanderers earlier in his career having come through the Charlton Athletic youth academy.  Between 1999 and 2007, he played with Aston Villa. He had a spell playing in Iran.  Between 2007 and 2011, he played with Bolten Wanderers. He represented England at U-18, U-20, and U-23 level before switching to play for T&T at the senior level in 2009.  He as only capped twice for T&T. 

Khaleem Hyland began his career in 2007 with San Juan Jabloteh at home.  He was unable to obtain a work permit to play with Portsmouth in England.  He ended up in Belgium on loan, but later joined Zulte Waregrm and Genk.  In 2017, he moved to Saudi Arabia.  He first played for Al Faisaly and then, Al-Batin. Since 2008, he played over 90 times for T&T. He scored his first goal against Jamaica.

CM/RM: Chris Birchall 
From 2001 to 2006, Birchall played for Port Vale.  He spent some time with Coventry City before moving to the MLS in 2009.  In 2013, he returned to Port Vale. In 2005, he started to play for T&T after discovering some Trinidad blood in him.  He became the first white player to play for them in 60 years.  He went to the World Cup Finals in 2006.  In total, he had 44 caps between 2005 and 2013.

CM: Russell Latapy 
Latapy left T&T in 1990 to play professional football in Europe. He first signed for Académica de Coimbra in Portugal. In 1994, he joined FC Porto under Bobby Robson. He became the first Trinidadian to play in the UEFA Champions League. Later, he played in Scotland for a number of clubs.  His longest stint was with Falkirk FC. For the national team, he played 81 times between 1988 and 2008. He was a member of "Strike Squad". In 2006, he went to the World Cup Finals with T&T.
Russell Latapy
AM: Everald Cummings 
Cummings started with Paragon. In 1967, he joined the Atlanta Chiefs in the NASL.  In 1972, he signed with the NY Cosmos, winning the championship with them the same year.  He moved to Veracruz in Mexico in 1974 until 1976. He also played with the Boston Minutemen in 1977. He later played indoor football in the United States.  The T&T  almost qualified for the 1974 World Cup Finals. He was named T&T Sportsman of the Year in 1973 and Most Valuable Player during the World Cup Qualification Preliminary Series.

Most of his career has been spent in his homeland in the TT Pro League but Dwarika has also had stints in Europe with Scottish side East Fife and Asia with Chinese clubs Qingdao Hailifeng and Guangzhou Pharmaceutical. Between 1993 and 2008, he played 73 times for T&T.  He was the Caribbean Footballer of the Year in 1999 as well as winning T&T Player of the Year 3 times.
Eve started with Joe Public of Trinidad in 1993. He later played for Defense Force and a short career in England with Chester City in the 1999-2000 season. He made his debut for the Trinidad and Tobago in 1994. With 117 caps, he is his country's most capped players. He retired from international football after not being considered for the Trinidad and Tobago squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

In 1967, Archibald signed with the New York Generals in the USA. Archibald left the NASL at this point and may have then played for San Luis F.C. in Mexico and Victory Sportif Club in Haiti before signing with the Washington Darts of the NASL in 1970. Archibald was voted NASL MVP and a first team All Star that year.  He also played for Rochester Lancers. He was capped 15 times between 1968 and 1974.  T&T almost qualified for the 1974 World Cup Finals with him as a star player.
Warren Archibald
FW/RWF: Levi Garcia 
Levi García began his career in 2013, at the age of 15, with T&TEC. Garcia signed with AZ Alkmaar of the Eredivisie in 2015. He then moved to play in Israel.  After spending two years in Israel, García moved to AEK Athens in 2020. In Greece, he was considered a top player.  For Soca Warriors, he earned his first cap in 2016. He scored two goals on his debut.  

Jones began his career with Joe Public. He moved to W Connection in 2002.  In 2004, he joined Southampton, where he was converted to a striker. He was later played with several English clubs, but besides Southampton, he was remembered for his career with Sunderland, where he was their Player of the Year.  Between 2003 and 2017, he was capped 91 times for Soca Warriors.  He went to the 2006 World Cup Finals.  He was T&T Player of the Year in 2007.

Stern John made his name with Colombus Crew before heading to England in 1999.  In England, he played for Nottingham Forest, Birmingham City, Coventry City, Derby County, Sunderland, Southampton, Bristol City, Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town.  Between 1995 and 2011, he played 115 times for T&T.  He is their all-time leading scorer with 70 goals. He was also the 7th highest international goalscorer at the time of his retirement in 2011. He is also the all-time top CONCACAF goal scorer.
Stern John
David began his career with Police in Trinidad and Tobago. In 1974, he joined Miami Toros in the North American Soccer League. He was named the 1975 NASL MVP.  He later played with Los Angeles Aztecs, Detroit Express, California Surf and San Jose Earthquakes. He finished his NASL career as the league's 8th all-time leading scorer with 228 points in 175 games, including a 7th best tally of 100 goals.  He was capped 16 times and was a member of the 1973 WC qualifying team.

ST: Dwight Yorke 
York was best remembered for his stint with Manchester United.  In 1998-199 season, Manchester United won the triple (the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Champions' League), where he was both the top scorer in the Premiership and the Champions' League. Along with Russell Latapy and Pat Jennings, Yorke holds the record number of participations in different World Cup competitions, including qualifying stages – six in total (1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010). He had 72 caps in total.
Dwight Yorke
 Squad Explanation
Michael Maurice, Gerald Figeroux, Kevin Barclay, Earl Carter, John Granville , Ivor Hart, Cax Baptiste, Jan-Michael Williams, Marvin Phillip, Brent Sancho,  Avery John, Ramon Moraldo, Selris Figaro, Selwyn Murren,  Richard Chinapoo, Brian Williams, Denil Theobald, David Nakhid, Leroy Spann, Alvin Corneal, Delbert Charleau, Carlton Franco, Silvio Spann, Leo Brewster, Leroy DeLeon, John Cyril Sutherland, Sammy Llewellyn, Cornell Glen, Leonson Lewis, Alf Charles, Shay Seymour, Joseph Daniel, Neville Douglas, Leroy Deleon.

Squad Explanation
-- Dwight Yorke (T&T) has a successful career in the English Premiership.  He is the most famous player from T&T.  Shaka Hislop and Russell Lamptey were also undisputed selection for this team.  Kenwyne Jones, Stern John, Warren Archibald and Everald Cummings were the other top footballers from here.
-- This might be my most difficult research for my All-Time national teams.  There were plenty of English language materials on the internet for football in Trinidad and Tobago, but they were not specific enough.  I found a very good source over here, but it lacked details.  And it was hard to compare the older players I found here with the modern players.  
-- I focused on players from the NASL and English leagues.  
-- The IFFHS created their All-Time best XI for Trinidad and Tobago.  They were Shaka Hislop, Justin Hoyte, Marvin Andrews, Tyrone de la Bastide, Marvin Faustin, Everald Cummings, Leroy DeLeon, Russell Latapy, Steve David, Dwight Yorke and Warren Archibald.
-- Trinidad & Tobago finally qualified for the 2006 World Cup Finals after beating Bahrain in the continental playoff.  Dwight Yorke, Shaka Hislop, Clayton Ince, Russell Latapy, Kenwyne Jones, Carlos Edwards, Dennis Lawrence who went to Germany were selected into this team.
-- In 1967, Trinidad & Tobago enjoyed their first ever successes by winning the bronze medal at the Pan American Games.  The tournament included a famous victory against Argentina during the group stage.  Lincoln Philips was the star for them.  Tyrone de la Bastide was also selected here.
-- At the 1973 CONCACAF Championship, Trinidad and Tobago fell two points short of qualifying for the 1974 World Cup in controversial fashion. Trinidad and Tobago lost a crucial game on 4 December 1973 against hosts Haiti 2–1 after being denied five goals. The referee, José Roberto Henríquez of El Salvador, and Canadian linesman James Higuet were subsequently banned for life by FIFA for the dubious events of the match.  Warren Archibald, Steve David and Everald Cummings made this All-Time team.
-- In 1989, Trinidad & Tobago only needed a draw against the United States on the last match of the World Cup Qualifying campaign to qualify for the 1990 World Cup Finals in Italy.  The Americans ended up winning 1-0, and qualified for their first World Cup Finals since 1950.  The American goal became known as "The Shot heard around the world", and it changed the fortune of US soccer.  The Trinidad team in 1989 was known as "Strike Squad" at the campaign.  I selected Clayton Morris, Dwight Yorke and Russell Latapy. Yorke and Latapy would make it to the 2006 World Cup Finals 17 years later. 
Goalkeepers
-- Shaka Hislop was not only the greatest ever goalkeeper from this country.  He was probably one of CONCACAFA greatest ever. He had a long and gloried career in England with Newcastle United.
-- Soca Warriors' official website called Lincoln Philips one of their greatest goalkeepers. In the 1967 Pan Am Games, he helped them to beat Argentina 1-0 where T&T finished third. He would then play club football in the United States.  I believed that he was probably the second-best goalkeeper ever from T&T.
Lincoln Philips
-- The third goalkeeper was difficult to choose.  Michael Maurice had some memorial performances during the World Cup Qualifiers for Italia 1990, but he was remembered by Paul Caligiuri's goal in the last match of the campaign that ended T&T's World Cup dream.  Although I did not have enough information on Gerald Figeroux, he seemed highly rated.  He played around the same time as Kevin Barclay.  Barclay also spent time in the NASL around 1974 after a sensational performance during the World Cup Qualifiers.  Earl Carter played with NY Cosmos while Pele was still with the team in 1979.  John Granville was one of the first players from T&T to play in England.  He played about 120 games for Wycombe Wanderers. I came across Ivor Hart who played in the 1920's and 1930's.  His nickname was "Lion in the Cage". Cax Baptiste represented the British Caribbean team on their 1959 tour of England.  Both Jan-Michael Williams and Marvin Phillip was capped 80 times.  In the end, I had no idea how to select.  So I took Clayton Ince because of his experience playing in England.  In England, he played over 200 games for Crewe Alexandra and another 169 games for Walsall.  He was voted into PFA Team of the Year: 2006–07 Football League Two.  He sat behind Shaka Hislop throughout his career on the national team, but still managed to play over 70 times for T&T.  In the 2006 World Cup Finals, he was behind both Hislop and Kevin Jack.  Jack was injury prone, and his career was affected by it.  I did not put him on honorable mentions
Defenders
-- Dennis Lawrence won the 2003–04 Wrexham's Player of the Season award. He has also become the first Wrexham player to play at a World Cup Finals.  He also played over 90 times for his country. Then, I selected Marvin Andrews who had over 100 caps.  He was also on IFFHS's Dream Team for T&T.  Clayton Morris was the captain of the "Strike Squad".  He was listed as a defender only by information I found on the internet, but not his specific position.  I actually watched the World Cup Qualifier between the United States and T&T for a better understanding of his position.  He played as a centreback.  He was very active after his retirement from football.  Much information emerged about his post-playing careers. I might have been affected by them.  Nevertheless, he seemed to be an influential player in his time.
-- Daneil Cyrus was capped 90 times, but his club career was more of a journeyman.  He spent time playing in Vietnam and India. Ian Cox was well-known because he played in England. In AFC Bournemouth, he played alongside Rio Ferdinand, but his career was limited. With just 16 caps for Soca Warriors, I did not consider him nor Cyrus.
-- Justin Hoyte only played 18 times for the Soca Warriors, and that was the reason why kept him from being undisputed on this team. However, his club career in England was among the greatest ever from T&T making him one of the more famous players from this Island nation. So I had to take him. Carlos Edwards had some Premiership experiences with Sunderland, but mainly played in the lower division.  He was named on the PFA Team of the Year three times in three different division, but not on the Premiership. Brent Sancho was famous due to Peter Crouch pulling on his dreadlock during the World Cup match between England and T&T, in which Crouch scored in the 1-0 victory.  I put him on honorable mention.
Carlos Edwards
-- On the left, I sided with IFFHS and took Tyrone de la Bastide.  However, they listed him as a central defender, but Soca Warriors' official website listed him as a leftback. He was T&T Footballer of the Year in 1968 and was inducted into the T&T Sports Hall of Fame in 1987. The IFFHS selected Marvin Faustin as their leftback. He was a younger member of the "Strike Squad" from the late 1980's, but I had no idea what else he did. He spent his domestic career in the region. So I took Joevin Jones instead. His club career took him to MLS and Bundesliga 2. He had 90 caps. Avery John of the 2006 World Cup team was seriously considered. He made honorable mention. Jlloyd Samuel also played as a leftback.
-- I did not feel comfortable with my selections of defenders. The Soca Warriors had a list of greatest players on their website. It listed many defenders, but I had very limited information on them. They tended to be older players. Both Ramon Moraldo and Selris Figaro played in the NASL during the 1970's. Richard Chinapoo also spent two seasons with NY Cosmos in the early 1980's before embarking on a career playing indoor soccer. I also had Brian Williams from the World Cup Qualifying campaign for the 1990 World Cup Finals. Selwyn Murren was from the 1967 Pan Am team. I did not know how to rate them. So I simply put them on honorable mentions.
Midfielders/Wingers
-- Jlloyd Samuel only played twice for Trinidad and Tobago after he switched his eligibly from England.  I still selected him because he had one of the better club careers than most players from here. He had at least 12 seasons playing in the Premier League. Khaleem Hyland played 94 times for Soca Warriors, but his club career was limited to playing in Belgium. He and Chris Birchall never made it to the Premier League.  Birchall was the first white player to represent T&T in 60 years when he earned his first cap in 2005.  He went onward to play in the 2006 World Cup. Nevertheless, I took both of them over Denil Theobald. Theobald also failed to establish in Europe, but he had 99 international caps. 
-- Everald Cummings and Russell Latapy were considered two of the greatest footballers from here.  Cummings was named the T&T Sportsman of the Year in 1973 as well as being names Most Valuable Player during the World Cup Qualification Preliminary Series.  Latapy became the first Trinidadian to play in the UEFA Champions when he was playing with Porto.  Then, I had to take Angus Eve.  He is the most capped player from Trinidad and Tobago.  Except a brief period with Chester, he never played outside Trinidad and Tobago.
-- Arnold Dwanika starred for T&T at the 2000 Gold Cup where they reached the semifinal.  It was their best ever finish.  He was also T&T Player of the Year three times.
-- Bertrand Grell, who was from the 1967 Pan Am team played in the NASL.  Leon Carpette starred for the famous 1973 World Cup qualifying campaign.  They were put on honorable mention only.
-- Levi Garcia became the youngest professional player from Trinidad and Tobaga playing in Europe.  He already established himself as a star player in Greece. He is a winger/forward.  I came across right winger Rex Burrett.  He was the star of the tour of England by Trinidadian players in 1950. While he was well-respected in his home country, I do not know how to rate him. So, he only made honorable mention.
Levi Garcia
-- Steve David finished his NASL career as the league's 8th all-time leading scorer with 228 points in 175 games.  He was a top player over there when Pele, George Best, Johan Cruyff and Bobby Moore were playing there. I believed that he was a wing forward. He was known for his speed.
-- Leroy Spann who played in the NASL and his son Silvio Spann also made honorable mention.
-- One source named Aldric Baptiste as one of greatest ever footballers from here after Yorke and Lamptey. I did not have enough information about him.  He played in the 1950's.
Forwards
-- Dwight Yorke was the greatest Trinidadian footballers. The height of his career was spent with Aston Villa and Manchester United.  He was a member of "Strike Squad", but also later played and starred as the veteran on the 2006 World Cup team.  But he actually only scored 19 goals for the national team. Stern John is the all-time leading scorer with 70 goals.  His career in MLS and England spoke for itself.  Both were undisputed on this team.
-- Warren Archibald was as the NASL MVP in 1973.  He was a part of the World Cup Qualifying team that was controversially eliminated in 1973.  He and Kenwyne Jones must also be in the team.  Jones was the most successful Trinidadian forwards playing in England after York and John. He amassed over 100 Premier League games for Sunderland while being named Sunderland Player of the Year for the 2007-2008 season.
Kenwyne Jones
-- Alf Charles came to England from a cricket tour in 1933.  He ended up as a footballer.  He was also the first Black ever to play for Southampton.  However, most of his career was spent out of the English league.  Basically, he was a forgotten man even in Southampton. So I did not award him with a spot for being a pioneer of the game.
-- After a tour of 1953 of the United Kingdom by players from T&T, Shay Seymour signed with Weymouth FC.  Another source said that he played with Bury, but it was not very clear. I left him on honorable mention. Joseph Daniel elected to Trinidad & Tobago's Sports Hall of Fame in 1984.  He played in the 1940's.  I also discovered Neville Douglas who was named in the Trinidad & Tobago's Sports Hall of Fame in 1984.   His son Tony was also a famous player.  Leroy Deleon was first team All-Star in the NASL.  seemed to be the best of the brunch.

Formation



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Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Canada Greatest All-Time Team

This blogger Artur Yanturin of Russia copied many of my blog teams. This blog was one of them. It was my Russia All-Time Team here. His team was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014. His Spartak Moscow All-Time team entry of was published in October 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2017. His entry of the Dutch-German rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014. He also copied many many of my blog entries.

His Facebook and Instagram

Canada World Cup 2022

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.


I created Canada or Canadian-born All-Time team in 2016. Basically, I wanted to honor Owen Hargreaves, John van 't Schip, etc.  Canada produced more good players than what it appeared to have done.  I reviewed the team in May, 2023.  I felt at the time that the talented level in Canada is so high that many Canadian international players were forced out of the team by those non-Canadian capped players.  However, I did not want to waste my effect on my research on the Canadian-born players.  So I kept that team and created an All-Canada team.

Canada's most significant achievements are winning the 1985 CONCACAF Championship to qualify for the 1986 FIFA World Cup and winning the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup to qualify for the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup. Canada also won a gold medal in the 1904 Summer Olympics. Until 2022, the 1986 World Cup was their only successful qualification campaign in their history.  Canada finally qualified for the 2022 World Cup Finals.

Canada's Gold Cup victory

Team
Born in Canada. Kennaway played in the American Soccer League between 1927 and 1931.  He moved to Scotland and joined Celtic in 1931.  He made 295 total appearances over there.  He represented Canada once in 1926.  In 1933, Kennaway represented Scotland to play against Austria.  Due to objections from other Home Nations, he never played for Scotland again.

GK: Craig Forrest 
Craig Forrest spent 12 years with Ipswich Town.  He also played with Chelsea and West Ham United, whilst also spending time on loan in the Football League with Colchester United. He was capped 56 times between 1988 and 2002. He was voted the MVP of the 2000 Gold Cup as Canada won their first major international tournament.  He is considered Canada's greatest goalkeepers. He was selected in Canada Soccer Hall of Flame as well as Sport Hall of Flame.
Craig Forrest
Paul Dolan spent his entire club career in Canada.   He played for Vancouver 86ers and Hamilton Steelers and winning the CSL championship with the 86ers in 1990 and 1991.  between 1984 and 1997, he was capped 53 times for Canada. He held the famous French team scoreless until the 79th minute when Jean Pierre Papin gave France a narrow 1–0 victory during the 1986 World Cup Finals.

Frank Yallop played in the Premiership before moving to play in MLS in 1996.  He spent 13 seasons with Ipswich Town and a brief loan move to Blackburn rovers.  With Ipswich Town, he relegated to the seond divsion im 1986.  In 1992, he helped the club to gain to First Divison. He played with Tampa Bay Mutiny between 1996 and 1998.  He capped 52 times for Canada from 1990 and 1997.

RB: Robert Iarusci
In 2012, he was named to the all-time Canada XI men's team. He began his NASL career with Toronto Metros-Croatia. At the end of the 1977 season, he joined the New York Cosmos. They won consecutive Soccer Bowls. He was traded in the Spring of '79 to the Washington Diplomats and played there two seasons. Iarusci returned to the Cosmos to play 1981 through '83, and finished with the San Diego Sockers. He had 22 caps.

CB/DM: Bob Lenarduzzi
Lenarduzzi began his career with Reading in England. He then joined Vancouver Whitecaps in 1974 in the team's first season. He played 11 seasons for Vancouver until the league folded in 1984. Lenarduzzi holds the record for most games played in the league, with 312. Lenarduzzi played all eleven positions during his tenure with the team. He was also voted NASL North American player of the year in 1978.  The Whitecaps won the NASL Soccer Bowl championship in 1979. Earned 47 caps and went to Mexico 1986.

CB: Jason de Vos 
Jason de Vos is considered to be Canada's greatest center-back.  He captained Canada as it won the Gold cup in 2000.  He made the Gold Cup all-tournament team in 2000 and 2002.  He spent most of his career in the UK, playing for Dundee United, Wigan Atletic and Ipswich Town. In 2012 as part of the Canadian Soccer Association's centennial celebration, he was named to the all-time Canada XI men's team.  He was Canada's Player of the Year in 2002.
Jason de Vos
CB: Randy Samuel
Samuel started his career with the Edmonton Eagles and Vancouver Whitecaps, before joining PSV Eindhoven in 1985. Playing just five Eredivisie games for PSV, he moved on to FC Volendam in 1987, becoming a key member of the team until he moved on to league rivals Fortuna Sittard in 1990.   He later played for Port Vale , Harstad IL(Norway),Vancouver 86ers, the Hampton Roads Mariners, and the Montreal Impact. He went to Mexico 1986 for Canada.

McKenna played three seasons (the first two in the reserves) with German Bundesliga side Energie Cottbus before joining Hearts in Scotland in 2001.  Between 2005 and 2007, he again played for Engerie Cottbus before joining Koln.  He played for them between 2007 and 2014.  For Canada, he was capped 63 times between 2000 and 2012.  He was indicted to Canada Football Hall of Flame in 2019.

LB: Bruce Wilson 
Considered to be Canada's greatest player. He captained Canada at the WC Finals in 1986.  He was capped 50 times. He played for the Vancouver Whitecaps from 1974 to 1977, the Chicago Sting in 1978 and 1979, the New York Cosmos in 1980, and the Toronto Blizzard from 1981 to 1984. He was a six-time all-star selection, including three first-team selections (Vancouver in '77, Chicago in '79, Toronto in '84).

Davies was the first player born in the 2000s to play in a Major League Soccer match. Davies joined Bayern in January 2019 from MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps FC on a contract lasting for a then-MLS record transfer fee.  Davies was named the Bundesliga Rookie of the Season for 2019–20.[6] In that season he also was part of the team winning the continental treble after Bayern won the Bundesliga, the UEFA Champions League and the DFB-Pokal.
Alphonso Davies
DM: Mike Sweeney
In 1980, the Edmonton Drillers of the North American Soccer League signed Sweeney. He spent three seasons with the Drillers before moving to the Vancouver Whitecaps for the 1983 season. While he began the 1984 season with the Whitecaps, he was traded to the Golden Bay Earthquakes. The NASL folded at the end of the 1984 season. He continued to play indoor soccer.  He was capped 61 times and went to Mexico 1986.

CM/DM: Nick Dasovic
Nick Dasovic began his career in the Yugoslav First League and later the Croatian First League playing for Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb, renamed Croatia Zagreb during the 1990s.  After playing in Canada and France, he joined St. Johnstone in Scotland where he played from 1996 and 2002.  Between 1992 and 2004, he earned 63 caps for Canada.  He was born in Canada.

CM/RB: Atiba Hutchison 
Atiba Hutchinson was six-time Canadian Player of the year in 2010 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. He was Danish Super Liga Player of the Year in 2010.  He was a central midfielder or a right wingback. Between 2010 and 2013, he played for PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch Eredivisie. At the time of writing, he plays for Beşiktaş J.K. From 2003, he played over 103 times for Canada.  He was the oldest player at the 2022 World Cup Finals.
Atiba Hutchinson 
UT: Les Wilson 
Les Wilson was just 16 years old when he made his Pacific Coast League debut in 1963, for the Westminster Royals FC.  He played for Wolverhampton Wanderers in England between 1964 and 1971.  He later played for Bristol City, Norwich City, and Vancouver Whitecaps.  He is one of very few professional footballers to have played in matches in nine different positions.  Born in England, he grew up in Canada.

Julian de Guzman is one of the most successful Canadian player in Europe.  He is best remembered for Deportivo La Coruna between 2005 and 2009.  He was voted their best player for the 2007-2008 season.  He also had a remarkable career with Hanover 96 in Germany. For the national team, he is capped 76 times at the time of writing.  He was the MVP for the 2007 Gold Cup.  His brother Jonathan played for the Netherlands.
Julian de Guzman
RW: Errol Crossan
Crossan played in Canada, but he joined Manchester City in January 1954. He later played for Gillingham, Southend United, Norwich City and Leyton Orient, scoring 57 goals in 226 games in the Football League.  He played a significant role in Norwich's 1959 FA Cup run, when the team from the Third Division reached the semifinal. He was inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Norwich City Hall of Fame in 2002.

FW:  John Catliff
Catliff was an All-American at Harvard.  He was a Canadian Soccer League star, scoring the second most goals of anyone in the League's six-year history with 69 goals in total. He played with Calgary Kickers. He then spent the next six seasons with the Vancouver 86ers, who became the CSL champions in 4 consecutive seasons from 1988 through 1991. He was capped 44 times.  He missed Mexico 1986 through an injury.

FW/AM:  Dwayne De Rosario
Dwayne De Rosario played for the Toronto Lynx, FSV Zwickau and Richmond Kickers early in his career. He came to prominence in the 2000s playing for the San Jose Earthquakes, Houston Dynamo, Toronto FC, NY Red Bulls and D.C. United. A four-time MLS Cup champion, he also won the 2011 MLS MVP award. He is the sixth-leading scorer in MLS history with 104 goals.  He was capped 81 times.  He was a part of the team that won the Gold Cup.
Dwayne De Rosario
He played youth football in Poland and Germany before moving to Canada.   He began his career in Canada before he returned to Europe, joining Germinal Ekeren in Belgium in 1994. From there he eventually signed for Anderlecht. At Everton, Radziński scored 25 times in 91 Premiership outings before requesting a transfer, eventually securing a three-year deal with Fulham F.C. worth £1.75 million.  He played 46 times for Canada.

Mitchell began his career with the Vancouver Whitecaps (1977, 1978), then played for the Portland Timbers (1979 to 1982) and for the Montreal Manic (1983). He was an original player with the Vancouver 86ers of the Canadian Soccer League and APSL for whom he scored 37 goals during seasons from 1988 to 1990 and 1992 to 1994. He was with the Toronto Blizzard for the 1991 season. Capped 55 times.  He played in Mexico 1986.

FW: Alex Bunbury
Born in Guyana, Bunbury started playing professionally in Canada. In 1993, after an unassuming season for West Ham United, he moved to Portugal's C.S. Marítimo, going on to become the club's all-time leading goalscorer in the Primeira Liga with 59 goals. In his second season, he won the Foreign Player of the Year award, and he scored a career-best 15 goals in the 1998–99 campaign. In early 1999, he joined Kansas City Wizards of MLS. Capped 65 times for Canada.

David made his professional debut with Gent in 2018.  Two years later, he joined French side Lille, where he aided in winning one Ligue 1 title and one Trophée des Champions. In 2019, David was named the male Canada Soccer Player of the Year.  He picked his first senuor cap in 2018.  He was the Golden Boot winner in the 2019 Gold Cup.  He went to play in the 2022 World Cup Finals in Qatar.
Jonathan David

Honorable Mention
Milan Borjan, Lars Hirschfeld, Timo Lettieri, Pat Onstad, Paul Stalteri 
Lydon Hooper, Paul James, Mark Watson, Colin Miller, Norm McLeod, Wes McLeod, Carlo Corazzin, Colin Miller, Mike Stojanović, Ian Bridge, Paul James, Jim Brennan, Simeon Jackson, Sam Lenarduzzi, Stephen Eustaquio, Lee Wilson,  Jimmy Douglas, Fred Whittaker, Geordie Campbell, Dave Turner, Jonathan Osorio, Paul Peschisolido, Jonathan David, Cyle Larin, Tajon Buchanan, Jack Cowan, Lucas Cavallini.

Squad Explanation
-- Canada actually produced more good players than what it appeared to be, but some of the good players decided to play for other national team. So I created Canada or Canadian-born All-Time team in 2016. Basically, I wanted to showcase Owen Hargreaves and John van 't Schip as Canadian talents.  Then, I reviewed that team in May, 2023.  I felt at the time that the talented level in Canada became so high that many Canadian international players were forced out of the team by those non-Canadian capped players.  However, I did not want to waste my effect on my research on the Canadian-born players.  So I kept that team and created this All-Canada team.  
-- Owen Hargreaves, John van 't Schip, Jonathan de Guzman and Yassine Bounou were the only non-Canadian international players on that team.  So I only needed to add four new players.  This section were almost the same as that of the Canada/Canadian-born team.
-- In 2012, the Canadian Soccer Association announced it greatest ever Best XI as part of their 100th anniversary.  The team was as followed: Craig Forest, Robert Iarusci, Randy Samuel, Jason de Vos, Bruce Wilson, Mike Sweeney, Dale Mitchell, Atiba Hutchinson, Dwayne De Rosario, John Catliff and Alex Bunbury.
-- On the same year, the Soccer Hall of Fame in honour of Canadian Soccer Association’s centenary celebrations created two All-Time Best XI in 50 years: a team of XI from 1912-1962 and a team of XI from 1963-2012.  The 1912-1962 team consisted of Joe Kennaway, Geordie Campbell, Jack Cowan, Fred Dierden, Trevor Harvey, Dickie Stobbart, Errol Crossan, Gogie Stewart, Doug McMahon, Dave Turner.  From 1963 to 2012, they had following players: Craig Forrest, Frank Yallop, Robert Iarusci, Randy Samuel, Bruce Wilson, Nick Dasovic, Mike Sweeney, Les Wilson, Colin Miller, Alex Bunbury and Tomasz Radzinski
 -- IFFHS selected the following players as their All-Time Best XI for Canada.  They were  Craig Forrest, Bob Lenarduzzi, Robert Iarusci, Jason de Vos, Bruce Wilson, Paul Stalteri, Atiba Hutchinson, Julian de Guzmán, Alphonso Davies, Tomasz Radzinski and Dale Mitchell.  Only six of their players on Canada's greatest ever Best XI. They were Craig Forrest, Robert Iarusci, Jason de Vos, Bruce Wilson, Atiba Hutchinson and Dale Mitchell. 
-- This generation of Canadian national team is their greatest ever.  In 2022, Canada qualified for the first World Cup Finals since 1986.  Atiba Hutchinson and Alphonso Davies were already on this team.  I added Jonathan David in 2023.   It was a bold move to add two players in their early 20s to be on an All-Time team.  Cyle Larin, Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio and Tajon Buchanan made honorable mentions.   Yassine Bounou who represented Morocco in Qatar was born in Montreal.  His family returned to Morocco when he was 3 years old.  Canada did inquiry about his service before he opted for Morocco.
-- Dwayne De Rosario, Craig Forest, Kevin McKenna, Jason de Vos, Nick Dasovic, Tomasz Radzinski and Alex Bunbury were on the 2000 Gold Cup winning team.  Seven other players made the honourable mention: Pat Onstad, Richard Hastings, Paul Stalteri, Mark Watson, Paul Peschisolido and Carlo Corazzin.
-- Bob Lenarduzzi, Bruce Wilson, Mike Sweeney, Randy Samuel and Dale Mitchell went to the 1986 World Cup Finals in Mexico. John Catliff missed the tournament because of an injury.  He contributed during the World Cup Qualifiers.
1986 World Cup
-- Fred Whittaker, Geordie Campbell and Dave Turner played before the War.  Whittaker played for Notts County in 1946. Errol Crossan also played in England during the 1950's.  They only made honourable mentions.
Goalkeepers
-- Craig Forest was chosen to be the greatest ever by both the Canadian FA and IFFHS.  Canada won the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup where Forrest won Most Valuable Goalkeeper and MVP honours after conceding just three goals and saving two penalties — one in the semi-final and one in the final.
-- Joe Kennaway was a pioneer in Canada's football history.  He moved to play for Celtic in 1931 after impressing them in their tour of the United States. He was capped by both Scotland and Canada, but he grew up in Canada. He would have played more times for Scotland, but the other Home Nations objected to a Canadian playing in goal for Scotland. He also represented the Scottish League XI four times.
-- Paul Dolan was probably the 2nd best ever Canadian-capped goalkeeper.  He won the 1985 CONCACAF Championship and led Canada in their first World Cup Finals.  In World Cup Finals, he also held France scoreless for 79 minutes. Canada would end up losing to France 1-0.  France was the reigning European Championship with Michel Platini, Manuel Amoros, Jean Tigana and Alain Giresse on their lineup.  He was followed by Milan Borjan, Lars Hirschfeld, Timo Lettieri and Pat Onstad. 
Defenders.
-- Robert Iarusci was named by Canadian Soccer Association as its starting rightback on Best XI.  Frank Yallop belonged to Ipswich Football Hall of Flame. He was probably the most famous Canadian defender in the last 20 years.  Atiba Hutchinson also started his career as a rightback so I had three players capable playing in this position. So I had no space for Paul Stalteri who was at one point Canada's most capped player.  I selected Iarusci and Yallop over him because of their inclusion on the two CSA's All-Time Best XI teams. Geordie Campbell supposed to be a right-sided defender too.
--Alphonso Davies helped Bayern Munich to win the Champions' League in 2020. He also led Canada to their first World Cup since 1986.  He also scored Canada's first ever goal in the Finals.  The other leftback was Bruce Wilson who might also be Canada's greatest ever players.  In NASL, he was a six-time all-star selection, including three first-team selections (Vancouver in 1977, Chicago in 1979, Toronto in 1984).  He once was the most capped Canadian player.  Jack Cowan played for Dundee between 1949 and 1956.  He was a Canadian pioneer playing in Europe, but Davies and Wilson were two of Canada's greatest ever players.
Bruce Wilson
-- Randy Samuel and Jason de Vos were selected by Canadian FA for their Best Ever XI team. Bob Lenarduzzi holds the record for most games played in NASL.   At the beginning of the 1978 season, he moved to midfield and becoming the first Canadian to be named North American “Player of the Year” in the NASL.  He actually played every position in football, including a 45 minute stint as a goalkeeper.  Kevin McKenna was a part of the 2000 Gold Cup team and had a successful club career in Europe.  
-- In the first game of the 2000–01 Bundesliga season, Kevin McKenna and Paul Stalteri simultaneously became the first Canadian to play in the Bundesliga in a match between McKenna's Engerie Cottbus and Stalteri's Werder Bremen.
Midfielders/Wingers
-- Atiba Hutchinson was six-time Canadian Player of the year in 2010 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.  He was probably one of Canada's greatest players before the current Golden Generation.  In 2022, he was the oldest player in the World Cup Finals.  For club football, he was known as  ‘Spiderman’, ‘Perfect Machine’, or ‘The Octopus’ in Besiktas.
-- Mike Sweeney was selected by Canada Soccer Association for their All-Time team.  Paul Stalteri was also well-respected, but I saw him as a fullback(please see above).  At one point, Paul Stalteri was Canada's all-time cap record holder with 84 caps.  He was a member of Canada's Gold Cup winning team in 2000. He played over 150 times for Werder Bremen winning the Bundesliga in 2003-2004. He also played for Tottenham Hotspurs, Fulham and Borussia Mönchengladbach.  He was elected into Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame in 2017.
Mike Sweeney
-- Basically, I dropped two midfielders, namely Owen Hargreaves and Jonathan de Guzman from the Canada/Canadian-born team.  So I had to replace them with two new players.  I put Scott Arfield, Stephen Eustaquio, Nick Dasovic, Les Wilson and Paul Stalteri on the shortlist.
-- Nick Dasovic also got mentioned frequently.  I felt that he should have been on the Canada/Canadian-born team.  So he was my first choice for the "replacements".
-- This team needed Stephen Eustaquio because he was a great passer of the ball.  He already earned a reputation in Porto.  And in the 2022 World Cup Finals, he nutmegged Kevin De Bruyne in the game against Belgium.  However, I felt that he was too young and had to complete against the likes of players who had done many things for Canada.   Scott Arfield spent many seasons with Glasgow Rangers, but he had limited international experience.  I could only put the two of them on honorable mention, but Eustaquio might be on this team in a few years.  I would wait a few more seasons before deciding on his status. 
-- That left Les Wilson and Paul Stalteri for a single spot. 
-- Les Wilson was an utility player.  He played in The Football League for Bristol City, Norwich City, and most notably Wolverhampton Wanderers, one of the first North American-trained players to do so in the 1960's.  I considered him being a pioneer of the game for Canada. 
-- Stalteri was mainly a rightback, but also played as a midfielder.  His wide play might be needed since the team only had Errol Crossan.  But in the end,  he was a rightback, and I don't need a fourth player in that position (Robert Iarusci, Frank Yallop and Atiba Hutchinson). Les Wilson also played in an era not honored by this team.  I preferred spreading the team around different eras.
Les Wilson
-- Steve Nash's brother Martin was capped 38 times for Canada.  It is a fun fact.  He was a midfielder.  Their father was a professional footballer. Steve Nash was also an renowned footballer himself, but chose basketball as a career.
-- Yes, I felt being unfair to Junior Hoilett, but I decided to go for Errol Crossan who was a right winger.  He was uncapped. He played a significant role in Norwich's 1959 FA Cup run, when the team from the Third Division reached the semifinal, beating Manchester United along the way. He was selected into Norwich Hall of Flame.  I gave the spot to Crossan because this team lacked players before the 1970's.  He was a pioneer. Tajon Buchanan might one day become considered, but he needed to do more.  He is a right-sided attacker, but also plays as a wing-back.  He probably could play as an attack midfielder.  Tomasz Radzinski could operate as a wing-forward on both sides of the field.
Forwards
-- Dwayne De Rosario won many individual awards while in MLS, including the MVP award in 2011 and six times MLS Best XI.  he was selected as the 25 greatest players in MLS's history in 2020.
-- Carlo Corazzin led Canada to the victory at the 2000 Gold Cup, but he only made honourable mention. The same applied to Cyle Larin who is Canada's all-time leading scorer at the moment (2023).  The forwards who made this team were John Catliff, Dwayne De Rosario, Dale Mitchell, Alex Bunbury, and Tomaz Radzinski.  They were all big names in Canadian football. Four of them were selected by the Canadian FA as their Best XI.  Both Radzinski and Peschisolido had one of the most successful club career for a Canadian international player.  Peschisolido could not make the team.  
-- Tomasz Radzinski spent a long career in the Premiership with Everton and Fulham. Alex Bunley was Portugal's Foreign Player of the Year in the 1994-1995 season.
Tomasz Radzinski 
-- Emilio Reuben was a Canadian-born player who played in the South America during the 1930's.  I do not know much about him.
With Independiente de Avellaneda, he played with Arsenio Erico , Vicente de la Mata, Antonio Sastre and Fernando Bello.  He seemed to be a strong candidate.  Since he was an uncapped player, I put him on honorable mention.
-- As of 2023, Jonathan David is 23 years old, but he already earned the reputation of one of the next strikers in the world.  No Canadian forward can claim that.

Formation
4-3-3

4-4-2


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