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Former Syracuse soccer players Tajon Buchanan and Kamal Miller were selected to Canada’s 26-man roster for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. It marks the first time that SU will have a men’s soccer player featured in the tournament.

Buchanan played at Syracuse for two seasons from 2017-18 before signing a Generation Adidas Contract. He was later selected by the New England Revolution with ninth overall pick in 2019 MLS SuperDraft. At Syracuse, the forward recorded 12 goals and six assists across 33 appearances, 32 of which he started.

Currently, Buchanan plays for Club Brugge in the Belgian First Division A. The club also finished second in Group B of the UEFA Champions League to advance to the Round of 16, which begins in February. In June 2021, Buchanan made his Canada senior national team debut in a 7-0 World Cup qualification match win over Aruba. He scored his first goal in a 2-1 loss to Mexico at the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where he was named the tournament’s best young player.

In 2015, Miller, then a freshman, started all 25 games for Syracuse as the Orange made their first-ever College Cup appearance. The defender started every single game in which he played (78) from 2015-18. Following his senior year, he was selected 27th overall by Orlando City SC in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft.

Miller now plays for CF Montréal in the MLS and was named to the league’s All-Star roster this year. After playing on Canada’s U20 youth national team, Miller received his first senior call up in March 2019 for a CONCACAF Nations League game against French Guiana. He’d later make his senior team debut in June 2019 in the team’s 7-0 win over Cuba at the 2019 Gold Cup.

Canada, who finished first in the CONCACAF’s World Cup qualification, was drawn into Group F. They will play Belgium, Croatia and Morocco in that order. The team is making its second-ever World Cup appearance, with the last occurring in 1986.

Published on November 13, 2022 at 11:45 am

Contact Cole: colebambini@gmail.com | @ColeBambini