A nice honor for the Nashville SC rookie! From Club release:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Dec. 23, 2020) – Nashville Soccer Club in conjunction with Canada Soccer announced today that Defender Alistair Johnston will join the Canada Men’s National Team for his first-ever international call in January 2021.
“We are so proud of Alistair’s recent call-up to Canada, and glad that his country sees the same special qualities in him that Nashville Soccer Club and our fans see,” said General Manager Mike Jacobs.
“The opportunity to join the top players in Canada for this camp will be a tremendous experience for him to continue his growth as a player, and we are so excited for him to be able to measure himself among his nation’s elite. Alistair is very well-deserving, and we believe in him and his potential as he embraces this next opportunity,” added Jacobs.
The 22-year-old defender had a groundbreaking first season in Major League Soccer after being selected with the 11th overall pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft. Johnston made his MLS debut coming on as a sub in the club’s first ever MLS win on Aug. 12.
Since then, he established himself as a regular starter in 18 of the 21 matches he played for the Boys in Gold in 2020. Johnston and Nashville posted a goal-against average of 0.96 goals per game in the regular season, the best of any expansion club in league history.
The right back helped lead Nashville to two Audi MLS Cup Playoff victories, as they became the second expansion club to ever reach the Conference Semifinals in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs in their inaugural year. Along the way, they sealed eleven clean sheets and a 309-minute playoff shutout streak, which set a new MLS record for most minutes played without allowing a goal in MLS Playoffs’ history.
Nashville SC release
I’ve been beating the drum that he deserves the call since about halfway through the season, and obviously I think it’s well-deserved. A solid camp for the 22-year old could obviously see him make an impact on the Canucks’ Olympic qualifying squad and hopefully establish himself as a bigger player for his country going forward.
Obviously, however, with Randall Leal expected to be a mainstay for Costa Rica next Summer, the depth chart could be getting thinned out just a bit if Johnston becomes a CanMNT regular and the team advances in the variety of competitions that will take place in 2021.
Club and Country 