![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1781357957_617_headshot-e1626100048881.jpeg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\tCanada Soccer\/Audrey Magny<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJune 13, 2026\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Sharing](\"https:\/\/olympic.ca\/wp-content\/themes\/canadianolympiccommittee\/img\/team-canada-icons\/team-canada-profile-share-red.svg\")
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The nation is buzzing after Canada\u2019s dramatic 1-1 draw in its opening match of the FIFA World Cup<\/a> on Friday.<\/p>\n The excitement of the tournament, which is being co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the USA, has brought unprecedented levels of attention to the Canadian men\u2019s national team.<\/p>\n So perhaps you\u2019re like many Canadians in not knowing too much about the boys in red. Never fear. We\u2019ve got some fascinating tidbits about each of the 16 Canadians who saw action in the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.<\/p>\n READ: How accessibility and alignment turned Canada into a soccer power<\/a><\/p>\n First up in Canada\u2019s goal scoring hero, Cyle Larin. Perhaps, when reading his first name, you didn\u2019t know it\u2019s pronounced the same as Kyle. <\/p>\n So why does it start with \u201cC\u201d instead of \u201cK\u201d? It\u2019s a tribute to Larin\u2019s godmother, Cimone. As Larin\u2019s mother Patricia told reporters back in 2015<\/a>, \u201ca lot of people make fun of how I spell his name, but I just joke back, \u2018C\u2019 is the Canadian way.\u201d<\/p>\n Another hero on the day was goalkeeper Maxime Cr\u00e9peau. His second-half save on a Bosnian breakaway kept the game within reach for Canada. <\/p>\n The 32-year-old was born in Greenfield Park, Quebec, but he\u2019s not the only notable athlete associated with the town.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also four-time Olympic medallist \u00c9milie Heymans<\/a> (diving) and three-time medallist Charline Labont\u00e9<\/a> (hockey). Not to mention fellow soccer player Isabelle Morneau, who was inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame in 2014.<\/p>\n Providing the assist on Larin\u2019s goal was Promise David. He\u2019s a relative newcomer to the national team, but made his World Cup dreams clear years ago:<\/p>\n He isn\u2019t related to teammate Jonathan David. But in case the name stuff is confusing, you can use Jonathan\u2019s nickname instead. It\u2019s Iceman, based on his demeanour and his coolness in front of goal.<\/p>\n On the nickname front, Nova Scotia\u2019s own Jacob Shaffelburg has a decent one too: Maritime Messi.<\/p>\n Striker Tani Oluwaseyi doesn\u2019t have a nickname yet, but he\u2019s got a guilty pleasure. The 26-year-old recently told Toronto Life magazine<\/a> he\u2019s a fan of British reality TV show Love Island: \u201cI hate reality TV in general, but something about that show just moves me.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking of movement, midfielder Tajon Buchanan always has plenty of it down the right wing. His dynamic play earned him a move to Inter Milan in 2024, making him the first Canadian to ever play in Italy\u2019s Serie A.<\/p>\n That opened the door for other Canadians, such as Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9, who currently plays for Sassuolo. The 23-year-old, already playing in his second FIFA World Cup, made headlines in September following a tense exchange with Canada head coach Jesse Marsch. <\/p>\n But Marsch and Kon\u00e9 quickly made amends, with Marsch saying soon afterwards<\/a> that the rupture and repair brought the two of them \u201ccloser than [they\u2019ve] ever been\u201d. <\/p>\n His partner in central midfield, Stephen Eust\u00e1quio, is similarly fiery. His older brother Mauro represented Canada at the youth levels, and currently manages Inter Toronto FC in the Canadian Premier League.<\/p>\n READ: Top 12 historic moments for Canada\u2019s national soccer teams<\/a><\/p>\n Alistair Johnston also has a soccer-playing sibling: his younger brother, Malcolm. Now, the elder Johnston is a defender and isn\u2019t expected to score lots of goals. <\/p>\n In fact, his only goal for the national team came in Canada\u2019s most lopsided win ever: a 11-0 victory over the Cayman Islands in 2021.<\/p>\n Fellow defender Derek Cornelius also has one career goal for Canada. But here\u2019s his fun fact: his go-to karaoke song<\/a> would be Three Little Birds by Bob Marley. <\/p>\n A two-for-one fun fact: both Liam Millar and Luc de Fougerolles were part of the youth academy of English Premier League club Fulham (though not at the same time).<\/p>\n Impressively, Millar left southern Ontario to join the London-based club at age 13. Meanwhile, de Fougerolles (who was born and raised in London) joined the academy at just 8 years old! <\/p>\n There are other connective spiderwebs on this Canada team too. Richie Laryea and Cyle Larin both played for semi-pro Sigma FC in the mid-2010s. They were both drafted by Orlando City SC in Major League Soccer (Larin in 2015, Laryea in 2016).<\/p>\n And they both have last names starting with \u201cLar\u201d \u2014 which isn\u2019t super interesting, but facts flow better when they come in groups of three.<\/p>\n Here, let\u2019s do another groups-of-three example. Midfielder Ali Ahmed (one) began playing soccer at age 6 with the North Toronto Soccer Club. So did Olympic gold medallist Quinn<\/a> (two) and me, the person who wrote this article (three).<\/p>\n OK, maybe the groups-of-three thing doesn\u2019t always work. <\/p>\n![\"Tajon](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260611-CANMNT-Training-284.jpg\")
Tajon Buchanan reacts during a training session with the Canadian men\u2019s national team on June 11, 2026. (Credit: Audrey Magny\/Canada Soccer)<\/p>\n![\"Canada's](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260605-CANMNTvIRL-804.jpg\")
Canada\u2019s Liam Millar controls the ball during a friendly match against Republic of Ireland on June 5, 2026. (Credit: Audrey Magny\/Canada Soccer)<\/p>\n