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A hip injury has prevented Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio from joining Canada for a key Copa America qualifying playoff match this Saturday against Trinidad and Tobago.
The veteran midfielder has been replaced by FC Dallas midfielder Liam Fraser.
Osorio’s loss is a blow for interim head coach Mauro Biello. With 71 caps, the 31-year-old Osorio was the most senior player — and the only one over 30 — on the Canada roster, as well as a candidate to captain the side.
Citing the need for a “cultural reset” within the national team, Biello summoned a young 23-man roster featuring 10 players with fewer than 10 caps.
CF Montreal midfielder Samuel Piette is the senior man on the roster now, with 67 caps. Forward Cyle Larin has 65.
The 26-year-old Fraser has 19 caps, last appearing for Canada off the bench in a 2-2 draw with the U.S. at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in July in Cincinnati.
The hip injury kept Osorio from travelling to New York for Toronto’s 2-1 loss Saturday at NYCFC.
“He twisted his ankle on the Thursday and then just got a little flare-up in the hip again,” Toronto head coach John Herdman said after the game. “So just one thing tends to lead to another.”
Osorio was tested Friday “and it just didn’t feel right,” he added.
“For Oso, [it was]Â really precautionary. He just wasn’t good to go,” Herdman said. “A big loss for us in that sense.”
The 50th-ranked Canadian men take on No. 96 Trinidad at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The winner slots in Group A along with top-ranked Argentina, No. 33 Peru and No. 42 Chile at the 16-team Copa America which kicks off June 20 across 14 cities in the U.S.
Canada roster
Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United (MLS).
Defenders: Moise Bombito, Colorado Rapids (MLS); Derek Cornelius, Malm├╢ FF (Sweden); Luc de Fougerolles, Fulham (England); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).
Midfielders: Mathieu Choiniere, CF Montreal; Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Ismael Kone, Watford (England); Liam Fraser, FC Dallas (MLS); Samuel Piette, CF Montreal (MLS).
Fullback/Forwards: Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Liam Millar, Preston North End (England); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS).
Forwards: Theo Bair, Motherwell (Scotland); Jonathan David, Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Jacen Russell-Rowe, Columbus Crew (MLS); Ike Ugbo, Sheffield Wednesday (England).
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