Canada coach Jesse Marsch continues to give youth its due ahead of Panama game

Canada coach Jesse Marsch continues to give youth its due, handing Jamie Knight-Lebel, Santiago Lopez and Kwasi Poku their first senior call-ups for the October international window.

The Canadian men, currently ranked 38th in the world, face No. 37 Panama on Oct. 15 at Toronto's BMO Field in their first outing since their fourth-place finish at Copa America in July.

"Panama will be an important competitive challenge for us as we prepare for the quarterfinals of the Nations League next month," Marsch said in a statement Tuesday.

BMO Field is also scheduled to host the 2024-25 CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal second leg Nov. 19.

Marsch's team has just the Panama game scheduled during the FIFA international window.

"Opponents were not available for a friendly at the start of the October window due to major competition qualifying and domestic tournaments," Canada Soccer said in a Sept. 24 statement. "The global competition schedule created immovable conflicts for every major federation except for U.S.A., Mexico, and Panama."

The Canadian team is holding a camp in Montreal ahead of the Toronto friendly with an open training session planned for Oct. 9 at Saputo Stadium. Players will also be visiting local youth soccer clubs.

Seventeen of the 26 players called into the Canada camp are 25 or younger with goalkeeper Max Crepeau (30) and midfielder Jonathan Osorio (32) the elder statesmen of the group.

Knight-Lebel and Lopez are both 19 while Poku is 21. All three are Canadian youth internationals.

The roster also features 18-year-old Fulham defender Luc de Fougerolles, 20-year-old Nathan Saliba and 21-year-old Niko Sigur.

Knight-Lebel, currently on loan from Bristol City to Crew Alexandra in the English fourth tier, and Poku,