Luca Koleosho has international options, but enjoys time in Canada’s soccer camp

Having left home at 11 to pursue his soccer dream in Spain, Luca Koleosho has worked hard to get where he is today.

Now 18, the RCD Espanyol winger is in camp with Canada but has plenty of international options having been born in the United States to a Nigerian father and Italian-Canadian mother, who was born in Montreal.

Koleosho owns four passports. While he has yet to choose his international path, he says he’s enjoying his time with Canada.

“Getting to meet up with the players, the coaches and all the staff again has been really nice,” Koleosho said. “The training has been really good so far.”

His first taste of the Canadian team was somewhat chaotic. He was part of the ill-fated camp in Vancouver in June when the players boycotted a planned friendly with Panama because of a contract dispute.

Koleosho left the camp early and was not involved in subsequent CONCACAF Nations League games against Curacao and Honduras.

“After all the turmoil off the field, you were wondering whether he was going to come back,” coach John Herdman said when his roster for September friendlies was announced.

“Literally the kid came in and he was only scheduled for an experience for that Curacao [game] period. We weren’t willing to put him on the pitch at that time because it would have meant cup-tying [him].”

“It was a difficult experience,” Herdman added. “But he enjoyed it. He enjoyed the environment. I think Alphonso Davies is his favorite player and he made some good relationships with Johnny David and some of the young players. And certainly he connected well with the staff. There was never really a doubt that he wasn’t going to come back. This window we’ll be looking to get him minutes.”

Koleosho was not one of the six substitutes used in Friday’s 2-0 win over No. 48 Qatar in Vienna. That could change Tuesday when the 43rd-ranked Canadians take on a star-studded Uruguay side, ranked 13th in the world, in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Like the Qatar match, it’s a friendly so, unlike CONCACAF Nations League play, Koleosho’s international future would not be decided if he steps on the field.

Koleosho, who turned 18 on Sept. 15, is still weighing his options.

“But I’m enjoying it here. So we’ll just see how things play out,” he said.