It was immediately evident to Greg Spagnoli that Jonathan Osorio, Cyle Larin and Tajon Buchanan each possessed a “diamond in the rough persona” during their respective playing tenures with the St. Edmund Campion Catholic Secondary School senior soccer team in Brampton, Ont.

“They had qualities that were a little bit ahead of their time in terms of their maturity and understanding of the game,” said coach Spagnoli, now a vice-principal for St. Marcellinus Catholic Secondary School in Mississauga. “Obviously, whether or not you demonstrate that early on, there's a very huge development pathway to become a professional athlete. They definitely honed their skills, applied their trade and worked very hard to get where they got to.”

In the years after Osorio, Larin and Buchanan all led the Campion Bears to Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association AAA boys’ soccer championship glory in 2009, 2011-13 and 2015 respectively, they've realized their full potential together as members of Canada's men's national team. They donned the maple leaf at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the first Canadian entry since 1986 in the world’s most prestigious football competition.

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This year, they will emerge from the players’ tunnel on home soil at Toronto’s BMO Field June 12 to rapturous enthusiasm and support from the vast majority of the 45,000+ spectators on hand to witness Team Canada’s 2026 FIFA World Cup Group B opening clash against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Surely, it will be a 34th birthday Osorio won’t soon forget. The veteran midfielder will be right at home at BMO Field, considering his 13 years starring for Toronto FC in Major League Soccer (MLS), including the last three campaigns as team captain.  Over the course of his record 409 appearances for the club, Osorio has captured four Canadian Championships and the 2017 MLS Cup. His 89 games to date for Canada are tied with Julian de Guzman (2002-16) behind Atiba Hutchinson’s (2003-23) record of 104.

Spagnoli, who has kept in touch with Osorio through the years via text, phone calls and the occasional post-game meetup at BMO Field, recalled his former pupil “being the brains behind the operation” and a guy who “liked to be on the ball a lot to distribute (it) to his teammates.”

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Larin, 31, suits up for Canada after spending the 2025-26 season split between Feyenoord Rotterdam in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom’s Southampton Football Club. Spagnoli said Larin is “a striker, has a nose for the net and knows how to get into positions where he can score.” His 30 goals in 88 appearances for Team Canada trail only teammate Jonathan David’s 39 tallies in 75 contests on the all-time list.

The 27-year-old Buchanan recorded a seven-goal campaign for a potent Villarreal CF squad that finished third out of 20 teams in the highest Spanish professional league, La Liga. Spagnoli praised the wide midfielder as “very athletic” and a man “who likes to take on defenders one-on-one and break them down to get into spaces behind the lines to get to the net.” It was Buchanan’s cross that was headed into the net by Alphonso Davies for Canada’s first-ever World Cup goal on Nov. 27, 2022, against Croatia.

Spagnoli will be on hand in the stands on June 12 to cheer on his former student athletes, now refined diamonds shining brightly on the biggest stage. Watching Osorio, Larin and Buchanan realize their dreams is a thrill for the longtime teacher who worked with his colleagues to provide these three young men — and all St. Edmund Campion Catholic Secondary School students — with a holistic education. He said in this Catholic school community it is about “developing the person before the player.”

“I'm hopeful we were able to help them understand the importance of being a good person and a family member and what it means to work hard and being able to bring those collective skills to their future and whatever aspirations they should pursue,” said Spagnoli.

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He expects St. Edmund Campion and his current school, St. Marcellinus, will rally around the World Cup with school spirit.

“We want to grow the game, (and we believe it’s) a responsibility of all school communities to try and showcase the talent that we have,” said Spagnoli.