James Riley to captain Cascadia in ConIFA World Cup
by Steve Clare
The full squads for the ConIFA Football World Cup will be announced tomorrow but Prost Amerika can reveal the names of some of the men who will represent Cascadia in the tournament for non FIFA nations.
Drawn against Isle of Man, Barawa and Tamil Eelam, Cascadia will play three matches between May 31 and June 3.
The big news is that the squad will be led by three time US Open Cup winner James Riley who played for Sounders FC between 2009 and 2011, making 84 appearances. Riley will captain the Cascadia side whose full squad will be announced tomorrow.
Coach James Nichols reacted with joy to the news that Riley had agreed to fly over to spearhead the campaign:
“To have someone of James Riley’s experience and pedigree in soccer is a huge boost and he will captain Cascadia in the upcoming World Cup.
“He is someone we’ve had a dialogue with for a number of weeks and he has a real passion and desire to do well for this team. I’m sure his professionalism will rub off on other members of the squad.”
The squad includes some players currently in the UK whose season ends before the tournament starts.
Perhaps the most notable inclusion though comes from outside of that area. Canadian midfielder Jordan Wilson who plays in the Danish Second tier for Nykobing will play and be joined by his brother Patrick who plays at Hamble FC.
Jordan Wilson
Photo: Nykobing FC
That quality will be bolstered by the selection of ex Manchester United Under 21 player Josh Doughty and Sporting Bengal’s Charlie Gregory have already been revealed by Prost Amerika.
Other North American based players of interest are rumoured to be Kitsap Pumas striker Hamza Haddadi , Hector Morales and Yuri Farkas of AFC Ann Arbor, and Keaton Levock of Northwood University.
Some of the players who won’t have to traverse the Atlantic to represent Cascadia include Max Oldham (Corinthian Casuals), Nikko Stokes (Waltham Forest), the Wilson brothers, Tayshan Sami Hayden-Smith, Anthony Wright (Banbury), Calum Ferguson (Elgin City), Julius lansiquot (Cockfosters FC), Brian Simpson (Hertford Town), and Ellis Routledge (unattached).
More Cascadia stories:
Meet the 23 men who will fly the flag for Cascadia in London
CAPTAIN CASCADIA – Sounders James Riley in advanced talks with CAFF
Meet Cascadia’s hosts: Sutton United; a hard ground to enter, an easy club to like
Ex Man United starlet to play for Cascadia
Meet Cascadia’s Hosts: Fisher FC the fan owned club that wouldn’t die
ConIFA make shock bid for Kenny Miller
Cascadia announces first player for ConIFA World Cup
EXCLUSIVE: Cascadia appoints ConIFA World Cup coaches
Cascadian team prepares for first CONIFA World Cup
