Just a few months ago Victor Loturi had never received an international call-up from Canada at any level.

During a fantastic debut season with Ross County in Scotland, however, the former Cavalry FC player caught the eye of national team manager John Herdman who first called him up for March’s Nations League matches. Loturi was again part of the squad a few weeks ago at the 2023 Concacaf Nations League Finals.

Now, heading into the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup, the 22-year-old midfielder is well positioned to not only make his international debut, but play a significant role for Canada in their continued quest to lift their first trophy in 23 years.

Canada’s Gold Cup roster, after all, is surprisingly thin in the middle of the park. Toronto FC’s Jonathan Osorio is the only real national team regular on the squad. Liam Fraser and David Wotherspoon were part of the World Cup team, but Fraser hasn’t featured much since following a difficult club season in the Belgian second division, and Wotherspoon is currently without a club. Ali Ahmed has been called up by Canada for the first time, while young Jayden Nelson has had a solid start to life in Europe with Rosenborg BK, but hasn’t been in the national team picture much of late.

The bigger picture sees Ismaël Koné return to Watford to begin preseason, Montréal’s Sam Piette still sidelined with injury, while Atiba Hutchinson announced his retirement from international football after the 2023 Nations League Finals. Stephen Eustáquio, meanwhile, was initially named to the roster but has since been replaced.

That leaves Loturi, in terms of form and recent experience, as the best defensive midfield option on the Canadian roster going into the Gold Cup. Having made 33 appearances for a club in a European top flight this season, Loturi showed a tremendous work rate in the middle of the park. He is incredibly adept at not only winning balls in key positions but progressing play forward thereafter. He did all this while playing for a Ross County team who needed to win a playoff to stay in the Scottish top division and were regularly on the back foot in matches.

As Canada’s display against the United States, not to mention the World Cup, demonstrated that even when they are at full strength in the middle of the park having a defensively responsible and mobile midfielder like Loturi as an option could prove critical.

The lack of true number sixes in the program, and midfield depth in general, is a big part of why Canada were so desperate to recruit Columbus Crew midfielder Aidan Morris over the past few months. That ship has now sailed as Morris played the full 90 minutes for the United States against Jamaica on Saturday in a 1-1 draw to open their Gold Cup campaign.

But a less high-profile dual national battle might end up having a significant impact for Les Rouges, as South Sudan, who count Loturi’s brother and former CPLer William Akio among their ranks, were also looking to secure the international future of the young midfielder. The opportunity to play for an up-and-coming Canadian national team ultimately won out.

Loturi has now had the opportunity to learn from elite midfielders like Eustáquio, Hutchinson and Osorio while testing himself against Canada’s world-class attacking talent in training. He has also been integrated into recent tactical systems and processes ahead of important matches for the national team, something that should give him a leg up on other midfield options on the roster.

The way Canada’s Gold Cup draw has played out this year actually lends itself to integrating young and inexperienced international players. A group that consists of Guadeloupe, Cuba and Guatemala, starting with Guadeloupe in front of a home crowd at BMO Field on Tuesday, should give the team and some of its less experienced players a runway to build up confidence ahead of the knockout rounds. That’s where they are likely to face a stern quarter-final test in the shape of either the United States or Jamaica.

Of that group, and given his profile, Loturi might end up being one of the most important new faces to integrate as soon as possible. If he can continue the progression he has already shown at a position of increasing need for the national team, this competition could prove to be the international breakout of a player who will play a substantial role for years to come.

Loturi is one of now several Canadian Premier League alumni and current players to earn call-ups for the Canadian men’s national team. That includes former Cavalry FC and York United central defender Dominick Zator, who is also part of Canada’s Gold Cup roster.

Over the next few weeks, however, Loturi has the opportunity to become the first to make a significant impact for the country at a major competition. It would show not only that the league is playing an important role in deepening the player pool for the national team, but also developing starting-calibre players as well.