Ayo Akinola is embracing the Maple Leaf.

Canada Soccer announced on Wednesday that the 21-year-old Toronto FC striker is switching international allegiance from the United States to Canada.

Shortly thereafter, Akinola spoke with TSN's Matthew Scianitti.

"The process for me to choose Canada was a very long one," Akinola conceded to Scianitti. "It was a very long, hard conversation with me and my family. For me, the decision-making and the whole process of it was trying to see both the pros and cons of both the US and Canada and seeing what would benefit me the most as a professional player. When I talked to my family - my brother, my dad and my mom - [it was] just seeing their points of view and perspectives on which country benefits me the most. We felt like Canada made the most sense for me."

Born in Detroit, Akinola was raised in Brampton, Ont. and has been a part of TFC’s youth setup since 2015. Akinola has never represented Canada at any level, having played for the US at under-15, under-17 and under-20 levels. He received his first USMNT senior cap in a December friendly against El Salvador in which he scored.

But because FIFA regulations allow players 21 and under who have not made three senior appearances to reclassify, Akinola was permitted to make the switch. He also could have qualified to play for Nigeria through his parents.

Akinola says that attending a Canada camp last month went a long way to informing his decision.

"It influenced it a lot, in all honesty," Akinola told Scianitti. "Without that camp, I think I would've waited a little bit longer. I feel like for me, I needed that camp to see what it's like on the other side of Canada, see what the camp is like, how the other players are, how they interact with each other. What's the style of play, the formation? What's the staff like? So it was a big, big part for me to at least join a camp with Team Canada because, like I said before, I don't think my decision would have been clear like in the past."

 Canada head coach John Herdman says he can't wait to welcome Akinola aboard.

“It's great news, we've been working for the last 18 months to bring Ayo home to play for Canada,” Herdman said in a statement. “He's excited to get going and I'm looking forward to immersing him into the Men’s National Team environment.”

Akinola calls Herdman and the potential to play for him "the X-factor" in deciding to come aboard.

"For John, he's really made it clear since [last summer's] MLS Is Back [tournament] that all he wanted to do was [get] me to join Canada," Akinola said. "And I think for me, it was the clarity that in what he saying to me. It made a whole lot of sense for me to show that he cared, day in and day out. [He] frequently messaged me, phone calls just to check how I am. After every TFC game, I'd get a message from him. Just to see that, to see that a coach is invested in you - in this day and age, it's very rare for a coach to devote [time] to a player at all because now it's more like 'What can you do for me now?' in a league like this. I feel like, for me, just to have a coach that was invested and devoted in me and had the belief and trust in me throughout many, many months, that was X-factor."

Akinola has made 43 appearances across all competitions over four seasons for the Reds senior team, scoring 13 times.

His first opportunity to don the Maple Leaf could be at next month’s Gold Cup.

Akinola was named to CMNT’s 60-man provisional roster. Canada’s tournament gets underway on July 11 with a game against Martinique in Kansas City, KS.