Just eight months after making his debut for the Canadian-based Major League Soccer team, the Vancouver Whitecaps, Liberian-born Alphonso Davies has made his debut on Canada’s national team, putting an end to the hopes of many Liberians that he would represent Liberia.
Born November 2, 2000, in Monrovia, Davies moved to Ghana with his family to escape the civil war. At the age of five, his family moved to Ontario, Canada, where he grew up and started playing for their youth team, the Edmond Internationals. He then moved to the Edmond Strikers, where he was spotted by the Whitecaps’ scouts in 2015.
To develop his talent, Davies initially played in the United States Soccer Development Academy league with the Whitecaps FC Residency. The young Davies impressed and in 2016, he was promoted to the United States Soccer League’s Whitecaps FC-2, an affiliate team of the Vancouver Whitecaps.
After two years in the lower division league, Davies’ work on the pitch attracted the Whitecaps’ senior side and he was offered a contract to play in the top tier of North American football. He signed a two-year contract with the club with an option to extend by another two years.
He eventually became the youngest active player in the MLS, and the third youngest player to have signed an MLS contract. He is also the second youngest player to play in the MLS, behind American forward Freddy Adu, who made his debut in the MLS at the age of 14 for DC United in April 2004.
His brilliant form with the Whitecaps got him notice with the Canadian national team. He was called up to the Canadian U-20 squad against England before being invited to the U-17 team against Jamaica. Davies scored in the 37th minute to help his side get a 3-0 win over their Jamaican counterpart.
His 2016 ended on a high as he was named Canada’s U-17 player of the year for his performances with the U-17 and U-20 teams. Already a top player in the MLS, many Liberian football fans hoped to see Davies representing Liberia in the 2019 African Nations Cup qualifiers. However, things went the opposite as Davies received his Canadian citizenship just five days before Liberia’s first Nations Cup qualifiers game in Zimbabwe.
Davies, who arrived in Canada as a refugee, became a Canadian citizen on June 6, making him eligible to play for Canada’s senior team. On the day he became a Canadian citizen, Davies received an immediate call-up to the Canadian senior team for a friendly match against Curacao and Canada’s preliminary 40-man list for the 2017 Gold Cup.
Seven days following his first senior invitation, he made his debut for the senior national team, coming on in the 53rd minute, replacing 21-year-old Toronto Football Club midfielder Raheem Edwards. Davies played the remaining 27 minutes to help Canada to a 2-1 win over Curacao.
Until he plays in a competitive match for Canada’s senior team, Davies could still feature for Liberia, according to the FIFA rules. Davies has up to his 21st birthday to request to change the Association for which he is eligible to play international matches.
However, the possibility for the young star to represent Liberia appears far from happening as he would likely prefer playing for Canada over Liberia, given the work Liberia still must do to attract players.
Photo Courtesy Of Canadian Broadcasting Cooperation
