Whitecaps Call Up’s

Given the growth of sports in the area one team that is taking centre stage is the Vancouver Whitecaps given the recent signing taking their game to the next level.

They sent out the following press release and wanted to share.

Enjoy the read:

Pro sports continue to take centre stage adding to that list are eight players with the following Ahmed, Nelson, Berhalter, Blackmon, Cubas, Cabrera, Bovalina, and Mackenzie have been called up as International football returns for several countries with 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup qualification on the line. 

Talent rises to the top hearing that eight Vancouver Whitecaps FC first team players have been called up to their respective countries which is tied for fourth-most in MLS for call-ups across the league.

The next  couple weeks.

Ali Ahmed, Jayden Nelson – Canada

Canada Men’s National team schedule
Romania vs. Canada     September 5 – 11 a.m. PT       Arena Națională, Bucharest, Romania

Wales vs. Canada          September 9 – 11:45 a.m. PT  Swansea.com Stadium, Swansea, Wales

Canada returns to action this month for a pair of European friendlies as they continue their prep towards next summer. 

The team will be looking to bounce back following their exit from the Concacaf Gold Cup in June and will hope to do so with the help of ‘Caps forwards Ali Ahmed and Jayden Nelson.

The attacking pair have been in scintillating form for the Blue and White this season.

At the time of writing, Ahmed has recorded a career-high six assists across all competitions, while Nelson sits third on the team in goal contributions with 11 and leads the team in assists with nine.

Both players started two of their three appearances for the CanMNT in the previous window and with only a couple windows left before the World Cup, they’ll be looking to solidify their spots in Jesse Marsch’s attacking corps this month.

The two friendly matches will air live on OneSoccer, available on the FuboTV Canada platform, as a linear channel on Telus’s Optik TV (Channel 980), as well as online at OneSoccer.ca and through the OneSoccer app.

Sebastian Berhalter, Tristan Blackmon – United States

United States Men’s National team schedule
United States vs. Korea Republic     September 6 – 2 p.m. PT 

Sports Illustrated Stadium, Harrison, New Jersey

United States vs. Japan    September 9 – 4:30 p.m. PT    Lower.com Field, Columbus, Ohio

The United States will also be looking to bounce back this window following their defeat at the hands of Mexico in the Concacaf Gold Cup final. 

They’ll play two friendlies against Asian opposition, first hosting Korea Republic in Harrison, New Jersey and then welcoming Japan to Columbus, Ohio.

Sebastian Berhalter returns to Mauricio’s Pochettino’s fold after a strong Gold Cup tournament that saw him start five of their six matches, while Tristan Blackmon earns his second invite to USMNT camp with eyes on earning his first international cap for his country.

The pair have had stellar campaigns for the ‘Caps, playing key roles in helping the team reach the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup final as well as cementing the club as a contender in the Western Conference. 

They’ve also earned league recognition as MLS All-Stars this season and have firmly placed themselves in the conversations for MLS’ year-end awards.

Andrés Cubas – Paraguay

Paraguay Men’s National team schedule
Paraguay vs. Ecuador September 4 – 4:30 p.m. PT   Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción, Paraguay

Peru vs. Paraguay
– Tuesday, September 9 – 4:30 p.m. PT          Estadio Nacional, Lima, Peru

Andrés Cubas is on the brink of helping Paraguay achieve history. 

The Albirroja, who have put together some impressive results during qualifying against Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia, can seal their spot in a World Cup for the first time in 15 years by earning just a single point in their final two matches of qualifying.

First up is a clash against former Whitecaps FC playmaker Pedro Vite and Ecuador, which will then be followed up with a trip to Peru to take on Kenji Cabrera in Paraguay’s final match.

Similar to his prowess with the ‘Caps since joining the club in 2022, Cubas has been an instrumental piece in Paraguay’s squad, starting 14 of the 16 matches during this qualifying cycle.

Kenji Cabrera – Peru

Peru Men’s National team schedule
Uruguay vs. Peru      September 4 – 4:30 p.m. PT     Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay

Peru vs. Paraguay      September 9 – 4:30 p.m. PT       Estadio Nacional, Lima, Peru

As previously mentioned, Kenji Cabrera will be facing off against Cubas this window when Paraguay pay a visit to Peru next Tuesday.

This marks Cabrera’s third call-up to his country’s senior side and he’ll be itching to earn his first international cap, as Peru aim to wrap up their qualifying campaign in style. 

Mathematically, Peru could still qualify for the playoff spot (seventh place), but they’d have to win both of their final matches against Uruguay and Paraguay.

Cabrera has made three appearances for Whitecaps FC since arriving in Vancouver.

Giuseppe Bovalina – Australia U-23

Australia Men’s U-23 National team schedule
Australia vs. Northern Marina Islands     September 3 Xi’an Sports Training Centre, Xi’an, China

Australia vs. Timor-Leste    September 6         Xi’an Sports Training Centre, Xi’an, China

China vs, Australia           September 9      Xi’an International Football Centre, Xi’an, China

Australia’s U-23s are set to compete in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers this window. Qualifiers for the 7th edition of the tournament, to be held in Saudi Arabia, will feature 44 teams that will then be divided into 11 groups.

Each group within qualifying will be contested in a centralised league format, with teams seeded into pots based on a points system derived from their final rankings across the previous three editions of the finals, which saw Australia’s U-23s drawn from Pot 1. 

The squad will need to finish as one of the 11 Group winners or the four best second-placed teams to advance to the finals.

The team will play three matches during the qualifiers against Northern Marina Islands, Timor-Leste, and hosts China.

This marks the third time Bovalina has been called up to Australia’s U-23 side.

Liam Mackenzie – Canada U-18

Canada men’s U-18 national team September schedule
Finland U-18 vs. Canada U-18            Friday, September 5

Switzerland U-18 vs. Canada U-18      Sunday, September 7

Comox, BC native Liam Mackenzie has also been called up to Canada’s U-18 for an upcoming preparation camp in Finland from August 30 to September 8.

As part of the camp, the team will play two friendly matches against Finland and Switzerland.

The camp marks an important step in the lead-up to the 2027 FIFA U-20 World Cup, with the qualification cycle beginning in 2026 at the U-19 level.

WFC2 & Whitecaps FC BMO Academy Call-Ups

In addition to the eight first team players called up this window, another eight Whitecaps FC 2 (WFC2) and Whitecaps FC BMO Academy players have received call-ups to represent their countries at youth level.

Whitecaps FC 2
– Rayan Elloumi: Canada U-18      Johnny Selemani: Canada U-17

Whitecaps FC BMO Academy
– Ben Nash: Canada U-18               Sahil Deo: Canada U-17
– Antoine Nehme: Canada U-17     Yuma Tsuji: Canada U-17
– Aziz Aguma: Uganda U-17         Kunle Tokode: Nigeria U-17