The 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup was the first taste of international action for many past and present MLS NEXT Pro stars, as well as a nice visual to see how they fit in the pecking order of their respective national teams.
MLS NEXT Pro Class of 2022 standout Ali Ahmed's star shined bright for Canada, the last team standing with an MLS NEXT Pro contingent.
The Canadians' quarterfinal crash-out to the United States on Sunday might have been the end of their road in the tournament, but it was just the beginning for a generation of 2026 FIFA World Cup hopefuls.
Ahmed, also representing the Vancouver Whitecaps, stood out as a clear headliner in the young Canadian troop. In all, he amassed 298 minutes across four matches. Playing as a starter in each of them.
Even fresh off a crushing defeat in shootout fashion, Canada head coach John Herdman couldn't help but smile when asked about how his youngster handled his first-ever international opportunity. Funny enough, Herdman keeping tabs on his son (Jay) in MLS NEXT Pro had a little something to do with Ahmed landing on the Canadian Men's national team radar.
"It's a strange one because he played with my son's team on Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2. So I got to see him play every week, and you could just see something pretty special about this kid," Herdman said.
Ahmed was a standout for Whitecaps FC 2 in 2022, which prompted the club to sign him to a first-team contract as one of their first business moves in the offseason. The deal minted him as the first WFC2 player to make that jump in the club's MLS NEXT Pro era.
"He has this strange style. He can eliminate pressure. He can run all day. He defends well, and you see him just breaking from the midfield. So that was some of the behavior that's been seen with the Whitecaps. He played a couple of games at wingback and at fullback. He's got that versatility, his games in attacking midfield, I really liked. You can see he's raw, but he fit in brilliantly,"
The "strange style" comment is apt, and it isn't a slight. In fact, it's an enviable problem to have for Canada and the Whitecaps as Ahmed continues to blossom.
As Herdman highlighted - Ahmed, 22, has plenty of tools to choose from, which makes him one of the most exciting Canadian prospects in the sport. His two-way play slotted him in the midfield throughout most of Canada's Gold Cup run, but he's no stranger to anchoring a backline. Or scoring goals.
But there's an intangible trait that underlines all the praise Ahmed is garnering: uncommon grit.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle for Ahmed was rising to the occasion while in recovery from a serious injury. On May 24, less than a month before Canada announced its Gold Cup roster selection, Ahmed's momentum was thrown into jeopardy when he suffered a concussion in the Canadian Championship. He scored the second goal in the Whitecaps' eventual 3-0 win over Pacific FC but found himself in the hospital rather than celebrating with his teammates when the final whistle blew.
"It was a tricky one, honestly," Ahmed told MLSNEXTPRO.com. "When the injury happened, I knew the Gold Cup was coming up soon. So, I just was trying to get back as soon as possible."
Ahmed knew he was in the running for his chance on the international stage and was fixated on that prize. But the setback wasn't going to make it easy in getting back up to full speed. But his foray into the international scene came nonetheless, and it was a clear vote of confidence from the Canadian leadership. Outside of training sessions, there was no ramp-up to it, either. His next appearance following a commonly traumatizing injury was a start against Guadeloupe in Canada's Gold Cup opener. He was good for a 90-minute shift and an 89% passing rate in that outing, which was the biggest game of his young career.
"I wanted to get some games in and unfortunately I couldn't," he said. "I took my training (minutes) as games. I wouldn't say I was 100% fit right away. But I was good to go."
Herdman made it clear in his postgame remarks the tournament was a proving ground for the next generation of Canadian stars. Like many, Canada was without some of its name-brand players in the Gold Cup. There was no Alphonso Davies or Tajon Buchanan, well-established dynamic players that might have pushed Ahmed's debut out to a cycle of friendlies (which are proving difficult for Canada and others to come by in a crowded soccer calendar) so, making a memorable first impression was obviously critical.
Following Canada's Gold Cup crash-out, Ahmed's focus will be getting back into the Whitecaps' first-team setup. In MLS play, Vancouver only won one of their last five, but are holding onto the last playoff position in the Western Conference. His return should be a welcome sign for head coach Vanni Sartini and co.
"I think there's a lot to come from Ali Ahmed," Herdman said. I'm hoping he gets more time as a young Canadian at a Canadian MLS club. I'm hoping Vanni is able to give him some opportunities there and push him on because I think he's shown he can live at that level,"
Though Ahmed and Canada's Gold Cup didn't end in hoisting a trophy, there are individual wins that should be celebrated. He left an overwhelmingly positive impression and has catapulted himself as one to watch in the race to claim a coveted spot in the 2026 World Cup and you get the sense he has the right outlook when you ask him about it.
"The feeling with this group is we're as tight as one could be. We fight for each other." Ahmed shared. "Honestly, it's a really tight group. We call each other brothers like a family. So, when you have that feeling and when you get on the pitch, it's easy to work for each other."
