

Posted by

Steve Bottjer ,

June 10, 2015 Email

Steve Bottjer

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With the Canadian Men’s National Team set to kick off their World Cup qualifying campaign for Russia 2018, it appears that Head Coach Benito Floro will continue to field squads that are a blend of up and coming youngsters and Canada’s most experienced players.



One player who brings both youth and experience to the current Canadian squad is 24 year old left back Ashtone Morgan. Currently on a great run of form at the club level with Toronto FC, the Toronto native brings his own considerable experience playing in the CONCACAF region with both Canada and TFC to the proceedings.



The Toronto FC graduate and 2011 Canadian U-20 Players of the Year made appearances for Canada in the team’s previous World Cup qualifying campaign and now several years later he is keen to play an even bigger role than he did when he was still a fledgling pro and International player.



“I’m just waiting for my chance to help the team out,” Morgan told RedNation. “I’ve been around with the national team for a couple of years now, including the last round of World Cup qualifying. I’ve just been soaking up all the information I could during the previous years and I’m trying to mature as a footballer and as a young man.”



As an attack-minded high energy player, Morgan is among a group of young players on the Canadian squad who have taken to Canada’s new tactical approach under Floro. While veteran players such as Julian de Guzman are expected to play key leadership roles in Canada’s away and home series against Dominica, it is conceivable that Morgan could line up in starting eleven with a fellow on the rise MLS player such as Jonathan Osorio or Russell Teibert to give Canada a high energy combo on the left flank.



“I feel a lot of the young guys on the national team fit his system because we are energetic and we love to play,” Morgan said. “I think his system and formation is helping us flourish while playing under him.”



“Whether it is myself and Russ or Russ and Oso or Oso and myself, all of us are just ready to contribute and get the job done in Dominica and at BMO Field and then to move onto the next round,” Morgan added. “Everything is Benito’s call. Everybody is up to play and ready to play and whoever gets the call to play will be focused and ready to play.”



With Morgan having re-emerged as a key player for Toronto at the club level, many are looking at 2015 as an opportunity for the Canadian International to do the same for Canada in World Cup qualifying and in this summer’s Gold Cup tournament. However, the mature and personable left back was quick to state that he has no grand plan other than to continue to get better and give it everything he has in every match for both club and country.



“There is always room to improve,” Morgan explained. “I’m just taking things game by game, trying to impose myself on each game and help the team with my qualities while getting three points in every game. I’m just excited to play and really happy.”



Given that Canada are kicking World Cup qualifying off against one of the smaller countries in the CONCACAF region in Dominica, many observers expect the Canadian team to cruise through their two matches this month. According to Morgan, approaching any match with that type of mindset would be a major fallacy for a Canadian team that still has everything to prove.



“Games are never easy and anything can happen in football,” Morgan explained. “You have to take things game by game. At the end of the day it is CONCACAF and anything can happen. So we need to be 100% sharp and mentally ready for anything they throw at us. We have to make sure that we go there and get the job done.”



Considering the fact that the summer months are presenting Canadian soccer fans with not only a home World Cup qualifying match against Dominica at BMO Field in Toronto on Tuesday June 16th, but also a Women’s World Cup on Canadian soil, a first ever set of Gold Cup matches played in Canada and men’s and women’s Canadian sides playing at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games, as well as all three Canadian MLS sides competing well and playing exciting soccer, it is now a genuinely exciting to time for the game in Canada.



With that in mind, Morgan was not shy in admitting that he is especially happy to be part of a particularly special summer for Canadian soccer.



“It is definitely a good time (to be a Canadian footballer),” Morgan said. “It is always a great time to be a Canadian footballer, especially this year. I’m just happy for all of us Canadians that get to play and I wish everybody the best of luck this year.”