There is a new generation of teenage talent in Canada centre stage Tuesday night as Canada takes on Dominica in CONCACAF Nations League qualifying.

Ballou Tabla, Liam Millar, Alessandro Busti and Alphonso Davies will be heavily relied upon for a Canadian team looking to climb the international ladder.

All four of these players are property of big-name European clubs. Although they have yet to crack the first-team for their sides, the experience of being in the same environment as the world’s top players is essential, according to head coach John Herdman.

Here is a quick look at some of the country’s top young players:

Ballou Tabla

Position: Winger

Club rights: Barcelona

Age: 19

A native of Ivory Coast, Tabla moved to Canada at the age of eight and made the decision in January to represent Canada on the international stage. Following a stint with the MLS’ Montreal Impact, Tabla plays for the Barcelona B side in Spain’s second division where he rubs shoulders with the likes of Lionel Messi on the training pitch.

“He’s such a talented player, playing in an environment where he’s developing every day and developing at the level that is going to help this country step up to the next level, Herdman said. 

 

Liam Millar

Position: Forward

Club rights: Liverpool

Age: 19

Born in Toronto, Millar scored the most goals in Liverpool’s academy last season. He joined Liverpool’s under-23 squad in July.

“When you’re at a club like Liverpool, there’s nothing but standards and pressure there, Herdman said.

“It just feels like us as Canadians are getting recognized for how talented we actually can be and I think that we’re going to go pretty far in the next generation. I watched the U.S. against Colombia and I was thinking they’re not much better than us. And I thought we can really challenge these guys if we keep pushing and keep going the way we are going right now,” Millar said.

 

Alessandro Busti

Position: Goalkeeper

Club rights: Juventus

Age: 18

After learning from Gianluigi Buffon as a member of Juventus’ under-17 team, Busti now receives lessons from Cristiano Ronaldo on the training pitch. He is also a native of Toronto.

“Not many Canadians can actually say they’ve been at Juventus, trained at Juventus and been part of their ‘Primavera,’ which is pretty much their reserve team, their U19s,” said Herdman in May. “He’s trained with the first team, when there have been injuries, so he’s been around the likes of [goalkeeper Gianluigi] Buffon and some of the greats that are currently there.”

 

Alphonso Davies

Position: Winger

Club rights: Bayern Munich

Age: 17

Davies, originally from Ghana, was five years old when his family relocated to Canada. He made his Vancouver Whitecaps debut in June of 2016 and joined Bayern Munich in July of this year for transfer fee of $22 million, the most ever for an MLS club.

“I think Alphonso has sent a very clear message – come and play with me. You know, come and play on this team. And the fact that he’s at Bayern Munich and the fact that if he breaks into Bayern Munich. I mean, it will change everything,” Herdman said.

“It’s not every day that a player from Canada can go overseas and play for big clubs like that. I want to take this team to where it hasn’t been before,” Davies said.

But Canada’s pool of talent goes beyond just these four, and that’s why people are starting to wonder if the World Cup in 2022 might be a possibility.

“This is what it’s about. We’re going to do it. We’re going to push as hard as we can to give this country the best chance to create some solid foundation in 2022 so that when we get to 2026, people expect us to win games” Herdman said.

“If we raise that bar, we raise the whole dam together.”