Canada thumps Anguilla 8-0 for second straight win in CONCACAF U17 qualifying play

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This article was published 11/02/2025 (591 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HAMILTON – Aidan Evans scored twice as Canada thumped Anguilla 8-0 Tuesday for its second win in as many games in CONCACAF U-17 men’s qualifying play.

Evans plays in England for Fulham’s under-18 team.

William Daniels, Aghilas Sadek, Marius Aiyenero, Sergei Kozlovskiy, Johnny Selemani and Kevin Khan also scored for Canada, which led 4-0 at the half at the National Sports Centre in Devonshire Parish.

Canada’s senior men are ranked 31st in the world compared to No. 209 for Anguilla, whose population number a little more than in 2,023. Anguilla is located some 165 kilometres east of the British Virgin Islands and 370 kilometres east of Puerto Rico.

The CONCACAF qualifying format is a single-round format with 35 participating teams in North and Central America and the Caribbean split into eight groups. The group winners qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which runs Nov. 5-27 in Qatar. The newly expanded U-17 World Cup will feature 48 teams and take place on an annual basis between 2025 and 2029.

Tuesday’s results set up a Canada showdown with unbeaten Curaçao, also 2-0-0, on Thursday. Canada then plays host Bermuda on Sunday.

Canada blanked Turks and Caicos 6-0 in its opening game Sunday. Anguilla lost 3-0 to Turks and Caicos and 3-1 to Bermuda in its first two outings.

Canada led 1-0 after eight minutes when Anguilla goalkeeper Shemor Browne fumbled a cross, leaving a tap-in for Daniels who is with Leicester City’s under-18 side in England.

Browne was busy in the Anguilla goal, making several tough saves when Canada was able to infiltrate a packed defence.

Canada turned it on as the first half wore on with goals in the 36th, 39th and 43rd minute. Another goal was waved off for offside.

Browne needed treatment early in the second half after taking a ball to the face. Aiyenero, Kozlovskiy and Selemani added goals in the 65th, 68th and 82nd minute.

An ailing Browne gave way to Andrew Service in the 87th minute. Khan made it 8-0 in stoppage time after another Canada goal was denied for offside.

With a tight turnaround between games, Canada coach Mike Vitulano made nine changes to his staring lineup with only captain/left back Richard Chukwu, from the Toronto FC academy, and centre back Moise Clovis Archange, from the Orlando City under-17 side, retaining their place.

The 21-man Canadian roster features 10 players from the three Canadian MLS teams’ academies.

Canada has qualified for eight of the 19 editions of the FIFA U-17 World Cup but has yet to win a game there.

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Canada lost to Spain (2-0), Uzbekistan (3-0) and Mali (5-1) last time out, in Indonesia in 2023. That dropped its all-time record at the U-17 World Cup to 0-20-4.

Canada also went 0-3-0 in 2019 in Brazil (the 2021 edition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Canada has scored just 11 goals — one of which was an Argentine own goal — while conceding 70 at the tournament.

The young Canadians held a camp in Costa Rica in November, beating Costa Rica 3-0 and Mexico 2-1 in friendlies. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 11, 2025.