Sporting Kansas City midfielder Zorhan Bassong has been added to the Canada Men’s National Team roster for the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup.
The 18th edition of the international men's soccer championship of the North, Central American and Caribbean region will run from June 14 to July 6 in Canada and the United States. Bassong becomes the first Sporting player selected to a Gold Cup roster since American midfielder Gianluca Busio and Mexican forward Alan Pulido participated in the 2021 tournament.
Led by head coach Jesse Marsch and sitting 30th in the latest FIFA world rankings, Canada will open its Gold Cup campaign in Group B on June 17 by facing Honduras at BC Place in Vancouver. The Reds will close out the group stage at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston with matches against Curacao on June 21 and El Salvador on June 24. All three Canada fixtures will be shown live on FS1.
Canada Schedule: 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup (Group B)
- Tuesday, June 17: vs. Honduras (9:30 p.m. CT, FS1)
- Saturday, June 21: vs. Curacao (6 p.m. CT, FS1)
- Tuesday, June 24: vs. El Salvador (9 p.m. CT, FS1)
The Gold Cup knockout rounds will consist of the quarterfinals on June 28-29, the semifinals on July 2 and the final on July 6. Fourteen venues in 13 cities will host Gold Cup matches, with Vancouver the lone Canadian city represented. Canada is seeking a second Gold Cup title after previously lifting the trophy in 2000, the only time a country other than the United States or Mexico has won the competition.
Bassong earned his third career cap for Canada on Saturday, starting and playing 85 minutes at left back in a 4-2 Canadian Shield victory over Ukraine at BMO Field in Toronto. It was his first senior appearance for Canada since January 2020 when he participated in friendlies against Barbados and Iceland. Bassong also played three matches for the Canada U-23s at the 2020 Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship, played in March 2021 in Mexico.
Now in his second year with Sporting, Bassong has made 14 club appearances and earned eight starts this season across all competitions. He scored his first professional goal in Kansas City’s 2-1 loss at FC Cincinnati on April 26 and most recently 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 played 25 competitive matches in his debut season for Sporting in 2024, logging 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.
