Zator Gets Canada Nod

Canadian defender Dominick Zator’s high-stakes move to a Polish relegation battle has paid off.

The former Canadian Premier League defender has turned heads through his strong performances in the Ekstraklasa, with John Herdman now calling him back up to the Canadian national team.

“I knew this is a big opportunity for me to showcase my abilities in a top division European club and I think that might be enough to spark the interest of the national team to possibly get called up to another camp,” Zator had said when he first made the move.

The national team camp will take place from March 19-29 and will see Canada play two Concacaf Nations League matches against Curacao (March 25) and Honduras (March 28).

The 28-year-old has helped transform a leaky Korona Kielce defensive line, earning team of the week plaudits as seven straight defensive shifts helped them etch ever so slightly out of the drop zone. Four of those seven matches came as wins, which is more than they’d managed in the three months preceding his arrival.

Zator is a well-known name in CPL circles, having made 105 appearances between hometown side Cavalry FC and York United. The six-foot-two defender was quick to cement himself as a top defender in the league, becoming the third CPL athlete to earn a call-up following the league’s inaugural season in 2019, though he didn’t get to debut in the ensuing match against the United States.

While multiple CPL teams had been vying for his signature when his contract with York United expired, a move to Europe – and a bigger opportunity to catch John Herdman’s eye – lured the defender in instead.

With Dominick Zator looking like an excellent defensive pickup in the Polish top flight, it’ll be interesting to see if the former CPL defender can carve out a few minutes on national team duty later this month.

The Canadian national team has yet to formally unveil its full camp roster for the March window matches.