For the first time since this summer’s World Cup, Canada returns to the pitch on Saturday evening in Toronto with a visit from Chile.
You can catch Canada vs. Chile LIVE on Saturday at 7pm ET/4pm PT from Toronto’s BMO Field on TSN4, TSN.ca and the TSN App.
It’s the first of three friendlies during the current international window. The team will relocate to Montreal for a game against Peru on Oct. 3. Canada then travels to St. Paul, Minn., for what could be a heated “friendly” against rivals, the United States.
While Saturday’s match is a friendly, it won’t be without emotion. The game at BMO Field will serve as a goodbye from the national side to Junior Hoilett. A native of nearby Brampton, Ont., the 36-year-old Hoilett has been a fixture in the Canada setup since his senior debut in 2015. He will make his 70th appearance for Canada on Saturday, having appeared at both the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa America.
“Junior has helped so many of us throughout our career,” Canada and Toronto FC left-back Richie Laryea said. “Junior helped me a lot, first when I came here to TFC, when I got into the national team and he helped me so much when I was in England [with Nottingham Forest]. He’s a big brother to a lot of the guys. I think everybody looks up to him.”
Fellow Brampton native Promise David, on loan at Brighton, echoed Laryea’s sentiments.
“He’s been like a father figure to a lot of us, and me,” David said. “He even came down and watched me play in England already and brought his son. I think Junior’s one of the pioneers – him, Cyle [Larin], [Jonathan] Oso[rio], Richie – guys who have been here for years on years and competed and inspired a lot of us younger guys to know that we were capable enough to be at this level.”
A product of the Blackburn Rovers academy, Hoilett is currently without a club after 19 pro seasons. He spent the second half of last season at League Two side Swindon Town under former manager Ian Holloway, making 14 league appearances and scoring a goal.
Hoilett played a majority of his career in the United Kingdom with stints at Reading, Cardiff City and QPR. He also played in Scotland with Aberdeen and had a brief Major League Soccer spell with Vancouver Whitecaps. For his career, Hoilett notched 67 goals and 52 assists in 542 league matches.
While much of Canada’s roster from the World Cup returns for this window, the team is without captain Alphonso Davies, who is getting married, as well as defenders Alfie Jones and Derek Cornelius, who miss out through injury.
Whitecaps youngster Jeevan Badwal could have been in line for his first Canada appearance, but the 20-year-old midfielder withdrew from camp with an undisclosed ailment. Midfielder Ismael Kone, winger Marcelo Flores and defender Moise Bombito are also unavailable, still recuperating from long-term injuries.
It’s been a rough few years for Chilean football. This past summer saw La Roja miss a third straight World Cup. Their last major tournament, the 2024 Copa America, was also a significant disappointment with Chile going winless and crashing out at the group stage. La Roja met Canada in that very group stage, with the two teams settling for a 0-0 draw.
The squad picked for this current window features a majority of players coming from the Chilean Primera Division with five players representing Colo-Colo alone. Among the more familiar names on the squad are Sheffield United’s Ben Brereton Diaz, winger Dario Osorio of Crystal Palace and Sevilla defender Gabriel Suazo, who will wear the captain’s armband. Toronto FC defender Benjamin Kuscevic has also been called up to the side and has the chance to play in his home park.
Saturday’s meeting marks the sixth between the two sides and first in Toronto since 1988. Canada defeated Chile 1-0 on that date 36 years ago on a 90th-minute goal by Ian Bridge. That was Canada’s lone win against La Roja with Chile holding an all-time mark of 2-2-1.
