Shola Jimoh’s Sr. Team Canada Call-Up

News broke earlier his week that Brampton’s very own 16 year old football phenom, Shola Jimoh, had been called up by Jesse Marsch for Canada’s Sr. Team in a training camp designed to keep the North American players in form now that the MLS and CPL seasons are all but over.

Shola started his football in Brampton but his advanced ability and talent saw him move to Dutch Connections by age 10. There was early interest in Shola from the likes of the Eredivise side Feyenoord and eventually Shola signed with the Toronto FC Academy program.

This year Jimoh made the leap from academy player to full professional when interest from a rejuvenated York United came his way. York United’s rejuvenation stems from the club’s take-over by a Mexican consortium led by siblings with a family history of Liga MX success. With Shola Jimoh’s signing they clearly signaled their intent to keep good on their promise of identifying young Canadian talent and helping it develop so that it can move on to the next level, possibly Mexico if not Europe and/or the MLS.

This season proved to be York United’s most successful to date, in part due to Shola’s contributions at critical moments with clutch goals and assists. In their final game of the season, Jimoh was subbed on in York’s playoff match against Atletico Ottawa as his side trailed 1:0 with less than 10 minutes to go. Jimoh scored in the 90th minute and forced the match into extra time only to see Atletico Ottawa take the lead again within 5 minutes. Not willing to let things go, Jimoh stormed up the field and assisted York United’s second equalizer. Atletico Ottawa eventually advanced after winning a penalty shoot out but the silver lining for York was obvious, in Jimoh, they had unearthed a Canadian gem. A star for the future who, at age 16, changed the game in a matter of minutes.

How is Shola Jimoh doing at the CMNT Training Camp?

According to the CBC, Shola’s doing extremely well in his first CMNT training camp.

During one attacking drill, Jimoh hit the post with his first attempt at goal. His second was on target but blocked. With his third, he received a pass from national team mainstay Jonathan Osorio before rifling a shot past first-string goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau.

Chris Jones · for CBC Sports · Posted: Nov 07, 2024 10:25 AM EST

You can learn more about Shola Jimoh’s progress and watch him in action via the Canadian Premier League and this CBC article.