Arfield joins 23-man Canada squad for Mexico qualifiers

Scott Arfield will play for Canada.

The 27-year-old Burnley midfielder is among 23 players called up Friday by Benito Floro to face Mexico in a pair of World Cup qualifiers at the end of the month, ending a year of speculation surrounding his international status.

Arfield was born and raised in Scotland, but through Canadian parentage he is able to wear the Maple Leaf in international play. Several reports linked the former Scotland youth international to a nationality switch, and his inclusion in the latest Canada squad puts all the speculation to rest.

The rest of Floro's squad is made up of familiar faces to the Canadian program. Led by veteran Julian de Guzman, there are several stalwarts among the names. Atiba Hutchinson, Will Johnson and David Edgar will look to add to their cap totals, while young central defender Manjrekar James will hope to further integrate himself into the program in the crucial pair of qualifiers.

Currently sitting in second place in Group A with four points after two games, Canada will host the Mexicans at BC Place in Vancouver on March 25 before traveling to Azteca Stadium for the reverse fixture four days later. Canada Soccer announced that over 46,000 tickets have been sold so far for the clash at BC Place.

"Such a big crowd is very important for Canadian soccer," Floro said in a statement. "We had great support for our last match (in November) and it was a very nice experience for everyone, so we must continue that with the upcoming match against Mexico. Everyone wants Canada to play well and hopefully we can get a result for our supporters."

CANADA ROSTER

1- GK- Simon Thomas | NOR / FK Bodø/Glimt
2- FB- Nik Ledgerwood | CAN / FC Edmonton
3- CB- Manjrekar James | HUN / Diósgyöri VTK
4- CB- Dejan Jaković | JPN / Shimizu S-Pulse
5- CB / M- David Edgar | ENG / Sheffield United
6- M- Julian de Guzman | CAN / Ottawa Fury FC
7- W- Iain Hume | ESP / SD Ponferradina
8- M- Will Johnson | CAN / Toronto FC
9- F- Marcus Haber | ENG / Crewe Alexandra
10- W- David Junior Hoilett | ENG / Queens Park Rangers
11- W- Tosaint Ricketts | Unattached
12- CB- Doneil Henry | ENG / West Ham United
13- M- Atiba Hutchinson | TUR / Beşiktaş JK
14- M- Samuel Piette | ESP / Deportivo La Coruña
15- CB / M- Adam Straith | NOR / Fredrikstad FK
16- M- Scott Arfield | ENG / Burnley FC
17- FB- Marcel De Jong | CAN / Ottawa Fury FC
18- GK- Milan Borjan | BUL / PFK Ludogorets Razgrad
19- CB- Steven Vitória | POR / Benfica
20- FB / CB- Karl W. Ouimette | USA / New York Red Bulls
21- F- Cyle Larin | USA / Orlando City SC
22- GK- Kenny Stamatopoulos | SWE / AIK Fotbol
23- W- Tesho Akindele | USA / FC Dallas