Canada to play Mexico on Thursday at SoFi Stadium
(March 17, 2025) — Sporting Kansas City midfielder Zorhan Bassong has been added to the Canada Men’s National Team for the 2025 Concacaf Nations League Finals, which will take place on March 20 and 23 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Led by head coach Jesse Marsch, Canada will battle Mexico at 9:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, March 20, in the second match of a semifinal doubleheader also featuring the United States against Panama. The Concacaf Nations League Final and Third Place Playoff are scheduled for Sunday, March 23. All four matches in the Concacaf Nations League Finals will stream live in English on Paramount+.
Bassong has earned his second selection to the Canadian national team since signing for Sporting KC ahead of the 2024 MLS season. The versatile midfielder joined Canada last October and was an unused substitute in a 2-1 friendly win over Panama in Toronto. Bassong has two career caps for Canada’s senior national team, both of which came in January 2020. In March 2021, he played three matches for the Canada U-23s at the 2020 Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship in Mexico, helping the Reds emerge from the group stage and reach the semifinals.
Now in his second year with Sporting, Bassong has made five appearances this season in all competitions, including starts in each of the club’s last four matches since Feb. 25. He played 25 competitive matches in his debut season for Sporting last year, logging his first 17 appearances at left back before transitioning to a central midfield role in August and helping Kansas City reach the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final in 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), points (65) and goal differential (+13).
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.
