KANSAS CITY, Kansas.- There are decisions which are made with the heart more than the head, and then there are the choices made by players, like Ayo Akinola, who have the option to play for more than one national team.
For many, the decision is made by default at birth, but shifting life circumstances and recent policy changes by FIFA for certain circumstances have provided more options possible for players.
Canada coach John Herdman was certainly pleased Akinola made the decision to play for the maple leaf flag over Nigeria, his parents’ homeland, and the United States, where he was born and played during his youth international career.
“He’s part of this young generation,” Herdman explained. “Ayo could be part of the group that qualifies for 2022 and plays in a home World Cup. He’s a strong, powerful player.”
Herdman sees a lot of potential in Akinola, who scored in the one senior level match he played in for the U.S. (the friendly game did not cap-tie him). A strong, physical, yet swift striker, Akinola only took a minute to show his ability for Canada when making his debut against Haiti, charging into the box and drawing a penalty that Canada converted into a goal.
“He knows those gaps, he knows those moments,” Herdman observed of the striker’s style, adding that he has held film sessions with Akinola in which he shows exactly how the forward could improve. “He’s got a lot of growth in him,” Herdman said. “He can take his standard to that next level.”
Besides having lived in the country most of his life, Akinola had another personal incentive to switch to Canada. His younger brother, Tom, plays for Canada as a youth international.
The reality is also that Canada is a team on the rise, performing well thus far in this Gold Cup even without the help of the injured Alphonso Davies, a UEFA Champions League winner with Bayern Munich. The team is on an all-time international win streak of eight games in a row and has qualified for the final round of Concacaf World Cup Qualifying games for Qatar 2022. Herdman believes that Canada qualifying for Qatar would give their program even more legitimacy.
“Canada is becoming more of a force, given the way that we play,” said Herdman, mentioning how Canada becoming a top team in the region is an attractive element for dual-nationals considering options. “If you can show that there’s potential in a red jersey, then I think more players will come.”
Of course, realizing potential goes for a player as much as a team. “This tournament is a chance to really, really get to know Ayo, to find out what his potential is in this Red shirt,” said Herdman.
