Canada’s men’s national soccer team coach, Jesse Marsch, has held talks with Vancouver Whitecaps defender Tristan Blackmon about the possibility of him representing Canada at the international level.
Blackmon, 28, has had outstanding performances with the Whitecaps, especially during his participation in the Concacaf Champions Cup final, where they will face Cruz Azul in Mexico City on June 1.
According to sources, the conversations are exploratory, and Blackmon is evaluating the situation to determine if he will be called up by the United States men’s national team.
The preliminary 60-player squads for the Gold Cup will be announced on Monday.
Although Blackmon does not have Canadian citizenship, it is reported that the Canadian Soccer Association is willing to expedite his Canadian passport application if he decides to move forward with the proposal.
Vancouver Whitecaps defender Tristan Blackmon has been selected three times for the MLS Team of the Week this season. Photo: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
According to Section 5(4) of the Canadian Citizenship Act, the Minister may, at their discretion, grant citizenship to any person to “reward services of exceptional value to Canada.” The idea is for Blackmon to obtain his passport before the 2026 World Cup, with enough time to adapt to the Canadian national team.
There is a precedent of Canada granting citizenship to American athletes. Last December, world champion pairs skater Deanna Stellato-Dudek became a Canadian citizen, allowing her to compete with her partner Maxime Deschamps at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.
Canada will co-host the 2026 World Cup along with Mexico and the United States.
Blackmon has never played internationally for the United States at any level, although he was on the preliminary roster for a USMNT training camp that was held last January.
He played college soccer at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, before debuting professionally with LAFC in 2018, where he initially started as a right-back. He also had loan spells with Phoenix Rising of the USL Championship in 2018 and 2019. Overall, at the professional level, Blackmon has made 217 appearances in all competitions, scoring nine goals.
Blackmon was part of the LAFC team that won the Supporters’ Shield in 2019, and was on three Canadian Championship teams with the Whitecaps in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
