Rush Canada alumnus and Toronto FC midfielder Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty has earned his first international call-up by the Canadian men’s national team, making the 16 year-old the youngest-ever call-up.

After signing as a professional with Toronto FC at the age of 15 and becoming the youngest player in TFC history to sign a First Team contract, Marshall-Rutty turned 16 on June 16. The previous youngest men’s call-up was Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies, who was a 16-year-old Vancouver Whitecaps player when he got his call-up on June 6, 2017.

Marshall-Rutty saw 18 minutes of action in MLS play with Toronto in the 2020 season, coming off the bench in Philadelphia on Oct. 24.

The Canada camp is expected to feature two training scrimmages against as-yet-unannounced opposition as well as a Canada intrasquad scrimmage. The Canadian men, currently ranked 72nd in the world, have not played since Jan. 15, 2020. They face a busy 2021 with CONCACAF World Cup and Olympic qualifying set to start in March and the Gold Cup in July.

With a reputation for developing elite youth players through a distinct pathway to the heights of competition, Rush Soccer began in 1997 in Littleton, Colo., and now includes more than 100 partner clubs and a nationwide membership of more than 45,000 players and growing. Dozens of Rush alumni have soared to the heights of the game, including American internationals like Lindsey Horan (USWNT, Portland Thorns) and Christian Pulisic (USMNT, Chelsea FC), Mark McKenzie (USMNT, Philadelphia Union) and many others. Currently, there is a Rush Soccer club in almost every state across America and there are more than 40 International Rush Clubs based in Africa, North and South America, Asia and Europe.

We’re so proud of you @jahkeelerutty 💙 Youngest-ever call-up by the @CanadaSoccerEN national men’s team! 🇨🇦🚀 #RushSoccer https://t.co/E3TwDTu1Fh

— Rush Canada Soccer Academy (@rush_canada) January 10, 2021