A staff member looks on as goalkeeper James Pantemis, right, makes a save on teammate Stephen Afrifa during practice for Canada's men's national team in Toronto, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Neil Davidson

TORONTO - Shola Jimoh was headed out to buy some food when he got a text from a number he didn't recognize.

"I opened it and I saw (it from) Jesse Marsch. I was shocked," said the 16-year-old York United FC winger.

The Canada coach was inviting the diminutive teen to this week's training camp in Toronto, ahead of the full national team gathering in Florida next week to prepare for the two-legged CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.

Canada, ranked 35th in the world, plays No. 136 Suriname on Nov. 15 in Paramaribo. The second leg is four days later at Toronto's BMO Field.

Marsch, who is expected to name his roster for the Suriname series on Friday, has relished the chance to bring new and more familiar faces into camp

"It's fun seeing the group coming together in a different way than what we would normally have," he said.

Jimoh, a Grade 11 student who studies online, got a lift to the Toronto FC training centre camp from his father Thursday. He planned to take the subway home.

"It's really exciting and I'm learning a lot, every single day," said the soft-spoken teen. "Just seeing the different intensity in the levels of the game, it's fun."

Jimoh said he's just trying to "stay in the moment and enjoy every single day."

While Marsch called in veterans like Toronto FC's Jonathan Osorio and Richie Laryea, CF Montreal's Samuel Piette and Portland's Maxime Crepeau and Kamal Miller, he also summoned younger talent like Jimoh, Toronto's Adam Pearlman, Richard Chukwu, Kobe Franklin and Deandre Kerr and CF Montreal's Alessandro Biello and Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty.

"It's everything a young Canadian player wants to be part of," said Pearlman, a 19-year-old defender. "It's been intense. it's been hard. But it's been a really great experience for a young player like me."

On Thursday, Pearlman, Jimoh and Chukwu, a 16-year-old defender from Toronto FC II, shared the pitch with Canada Soccer Hall of Famer Dwayne De Rosario, invited to camp as a guest coach along with Halifax Wanderers coach Patrice Gheisar.

"It's an amazing dynamic to have past legends helping out with training and giving their insight from their experiences," said the 32-year-old Osorio, a veteran of 81 Canadian appearances. "And then having so many young guys taking in information from them. It's just a really good mix here. It feels like the right mix of old and new and present. And it makes for a really good environment in training."

The 29-year-old Piette, who has 69 caps, was impressed by the new faces.

"It's good to see them in action, see the quality, the talent. A lot of talent," he said. "I'm really surprised, to be fair."

Jimoh, a Canadian youth international, saw action in 16 Canadian Premier League games this season with four goals and one assist.

In July, Jimoh signed an "Exceptional Young Talent" contract with York. That roster category, announced in July 2023, is designed to help develop young Canadian players with teams allowed to sign two additional under-18 domestic players outside of their 23-man roster.

"He's got massive potential," said Piette. "Obviously really young … but that's football nowadays. Players are getting younger and younger and better and better."

Marsch said Jimoh has had a good week in camp.

"He shows some real cleverness on the ball at times, some explosiveness in the way he plays. But also intelligence, in that when I try to give him little things to be thinking about, he's able to apply them quickly. For a16-year-old that's a really good sign."

Marsch also singled out Chukwu, saying he has responded well to the challenge.

"It's certainly exciting to have to two 16-year-olds that can come out here and perform like this," he said.

Marsch, who opened up camp in Montreal last month and sent out players to local clubs, is deliberately making the national team more accessible.

"Look, I'm calling it the people's team," he said. "And if we want it to be the people's team, then it has to be open to the public. And there has to be touchpoints in the community — the coaching community, the fan community — and these players are engaged in that way, to do that.

"They're excited about being around the national team and they're excited about sharing it. And letting more people experience it. And they're excited about creating an energy around the team that can lead us to doing something really special in 2026 (at the World Cup)."

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2024