At just 17 years old, York United FC’s Shola Jimoh is beginning to carve his name into Canadian soccer’s future.
The Brampton-raised winger has been named to Canada Soccer’s preliminary roster for the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup, a significant step in what has already been a rapid ascent.
Jimoh is among the 60 players selected by national team head coach Jesse Marsch for the provisional squad ahead of this summer’s continental championship.
The list will be trimmed to a final group of 23 by June 4, ahead of Canada’s opening group stage clash against Honduras at Vancouver’s BC Place on June 17.
While most eyes will gravitate toward the bigger names in the pool—Jonathan David, Stephen Eustaquio, and Cyle Larin—Jimoh’s inclusion speaks volumes about the depth of talent developing in the Canadian Premier League (CPL) and, specifically, York United’s growing pipeline.
Jimoh’s rapid rise continues
The teenage winger has featured in all seven of York’s CPL matches this season, making two starts and providing one assist.
His early-season form has built on a promising debut campaign in 2024, where he scored four goals, including two match-winners, and became the second-youngest goal-scorer in CPL history at just 16 years and 96 days.
Signed under the league’s Exceptional Young Talent designation in June 2024, Jimoh’s rise has been anything but accidental.
With roots in Brampton East SC and time spent in both the Toronto FC Academy and United Football Academy, he’s taken each step of the developmental ladder with intent.
That path has already led to previous involvement with the senior national team, including a November 2024 training camp and a spot on the preliminary roster for the 2024-25 Concacaf Nations League Finals.
Internationally, Jimoh has also represented Canada at the U15 and U17 levels, helping secure qualification for the U17 World Cup.
His call-up to the senior Gold Cup provisional list signals not just continuity in his international exposure, but growing trust in his ability to contribute at higher levels.
Canada eyes Gold Cup redemption on home soil
The 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup, set to run from June 14 to July 6, brings together 15 nations from North and Central America and the Caribbean, along with guest side Saudi Arabia.
Matches will be played across 14 stadiums in 11 cities, with Canada hosting group stage matches for the first time since 2023. Marsch’s side, currently ranked 30th in the world, will face Honduras, Curacao, and El Salvador in Group B.
Despite Marsch serving a two-game suspension to start the tournament, expectations remain high for a Canadian team eager to improve on its quarter-final exit at the hands of arch-rivals USA in a tightly contested penalty shootout in 2023.
The roster’s composition reflects a wide scouting net, featuring MLS veterans, European-based pros, and rising youth prospects like Jimoh.
Among the standout inclusions are Forge FC product Kwasi Poku—who moved to Belgium’s RWD Molenbeek for a CPL record fee in 2024—and 19-year-old forward Santiago Lopez of Liga MX side Pumas UNAM.
Jimoh may be the youngest in the group, but his inclusion signals a broader shift—a powerful testament to the Canadian Premier League’s rising influence and York United’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of talent.
As the CPL continues to forge a path on the international stage, players like Jimoh aren’t just prospects; they’re the future face of Canadian soccer, ready to carry the nation’s ambitions forward.
