Canada will be without star player Alphonso Davies for the impending January/February window of Concacaf World Cup Qualifiers, Canada Soccer announced Friday.
Davies, a Vancouver Whitecaps FC product, has been ruled out by German Bundesliga side Bayern Munich as signs of mild myocarditis were detected after he contracted COVID-19. Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle and has been linked closely to the coronavirus.
Canada, first in the Octagonal standings and chasing their first World Cup trip since 1986, await this trio of Octagonal matches:
- Jan. 27 at Honduras
- Jan. 30 vs. United States
- Feb. 2 at El Salvador
Davies is instrumental to Canada’s quest for a Qatar 2022 berth, which goes to Concacaf’s top three teams (fourth place goes to inter-confederation playoff). The 21-year-old has 10 goals in 30 caps with head coach John Herdman’s team.
During his MLS career, Davies debuted for Vancouver in 2016 and secured the second-most expensive outbound transfer in league history, moving to Bayern for up to $22 million in Winter 2019.
Now, he’s among the world’s best left-sided players – capable of featuring at outside back or in the attack.
