Sporting Kansas City midfielder Zorhan Bassong has been selected to the Canada Men’s National Team for two friendly matches during the FIFA international window in September. Bassong and Canada will travel to face Romania on Sept. 5 at Arena Națională in Bucharest before visiting Wales on Sept. 9 at Swansea.com Stadium in Swansea.
Prior to joining Canada, Bassong will be available for selection on Saturday when Sporting hosts the Colorado Rapids. The Western Conference clash will kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT with tickets available at SeatGeek.com and live coverage on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.
Bassong will return to Canada after competing for the Reds at the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup earlier this summer. He made two tournament appearances in the group stage, helping the team to an emphatic 6-0 victory over Honduras and playing the full 90 minutes at left back in a 1-1 draw against Curacao. Bassong was a late addition to Canada’s Gold Cup squad, having previously started in a 4-2 friendly win over Ukraine on June 7 in Toronto.
Led by head coach Jesse Marsch, Canada has automatically qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup as a co-host alongside the United States and Mexico. The Reds are 28th in the latest FIFA rankings and will meet No. 48 Romania and No. 31 Wales during their voyage overseas.
Bassong has enjoyed a strong second season with Sporting in 2025, starting in 14 of 21 appearances across all competitions. He scored his first professional goal at FC Cincinnati on April 26 and recorded assists in a 3-3 home draw against the New England Revolution on May 24 and a 3-1 road win at Houston Dynamo FC on May 31. Bassong donned the captain’s armband for the first time on Aug. 16 at Orlando City SC and added his third assist of the year on Sunday at Seattle Sounders FC.
Capable of playing as a central midfielder or a left back, Bassong played 25 competitive matches in his debut season for Sporting in 2024. He logged his first 17 appearances at left back before transitioning to a central midfield role last August and helping Kansas City reach the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final last September.
Born in Toronto and raised in Montreal, Bassong moved to Belgium in 2013 to join the Mouscron academy, where fellow Sporting left back Logan Ndenbe also competed as a youth player. Bassong furthered his development in the heralded academy systems at Belgian side Anderlecht and French club Lille, beginning his professional career at the latter in 2016.
In three years with Lille B from 2016-2019, Bassong logged 31 appearances and over 2,100 minutes. He joined Belgian outfit Cercle Brugge in January 2019 and left the club in July 2020.
Bassong enjoyed a two-year MLS stint with CF Montreal that began in early 2021. He played 26 regular season matches in his debut MLS campaign and added an assist in Montreal’s run to the 2021 Canadian Championship title, appearing in every match of the tournament. Bassong played 14 more matches in all competitions the following year—including two in the 2022 Concacaf Champions League and two in the Canadian Championship—as he helped Montreal set a club record for regular season wins (20) and points (65).
Following his time with Montreal, Bassong spent 2023 with two Romanian clubs, Arges Pitesti (10 matches) and Farul Constanta (two matches). He signed for Sporting on Dec. 12, 2023.
