USA U23 coach addresses why American-Canadian-Nigerian attacker was left out of roster

Published: February 24, 2021

The United States have released their preliminary roster for the 2020 Concacaf Men's Olympic Qualifying tournament, which is set to run from March 18-30 in Mexico.

Toronto FC striker Ayo Akinola was not included in the United States U23 squad list and has also been left out of Canada's roster.

The 21-year-old is eligible to represent the senior national teams of both countries as well as Nigeria, where his father originally hails from.

United States U23 head coach Jason Kreis has addressed why the American-Canadian-Nigeria attacker is not part of the group.

"Ayo is a player that is having some health issues, and that's why he was not listed in our group. So we believe that he's unable to train or play right now," Kreis said to MLSSoccer's official website.

Akinola, who is being courted by the Canadian Soccer Association, missed out on Canada's January camp due to an undisclosed injury and has not started full training with Toronto FC ahead of the upcoming season.

Igho Kingsley

Photo Credit : ussoccer.com

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