Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Ross County’s Victor Loturi in contention for Canada’s Copa America squad

Midfielder Loturi is in the provisional Canadian squad for this summer's finals.

Victor Loturi who is in contention for Copa America
Victor Loturi warming-up as part of the Canada side in the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Image: Shutterstock.

Ross County midfielder Victor Loturi is in contention to feature at the Copa America this summer after he was named in Canada’s provisional squad.

Loturi has already been involved in the Canadian squad, having won his solitary cap during last summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup finals, in a group stage match against Cuba.

The 22-year-old is in his second season with the Staggies, having joined from Cavalry in his homeland in 2022.

Loturi has been a consistent performer for County this season having started 25 games – including all but two since Don Cowie took interim charge in February.

Victor Loturi celebrates scoring for Ross County against Motherwell. Image: SNS

Canada are undergoing a transition period, with Mauro Biello currently in temporary charge following the departure of John Herdman to Toronto last August.

They reached this summer’s tournament courtesy of a 2-0 play-off win over Trinidad and Tobago in March.

Should Loturi make the final squad for the finals in United States, which begin on June 20, he will be part of a Canada side that takes on defending champions Argentina, along with Peru and Chile in the group stage.

Cowie feels the international recognition is proof that Loturi has a bright future ahead of him.

He said: “I have got so much belief in Victor. I know he didn’t start at the weekend, but that comes back to what I’ve said previously – it’s about the group.

Victor Loturi (who is in contention for Copa America) warming up on the pitch
Victor Loturi warming up ahead of Canada’s game against Honduras in 2023. Image: Shutterstock.

“I think he has got outstanding potential. I’m always saying to him he needs to believe in himself a bit more, because I see so much quality in him.

“It’s no surprise he’s in consideration for Canada.

“It’s about him showing real belief in himself. If he does that, he can do whatever he wants in football.”

Loturi challenged to take more risks

Cowie, who served as County’s assistant manager prior to being handed the interim reins, is determined to help Loturi make further development during his time with the Staggies.

He added: “I have seen an improvement.

Ross County interim boss Don Cowie giving a thumbs up from the stands
Ross County interim boss Don Cowie. Image: SNS

“One thing I demand off him, and I’m sure he would echo this if you asked him, but because he is so comfortable on the ball and likes to maintain the ball, sometimes it’s about taking risks and playing forward a bit more.

“It’s about him adding that to his game to take him to that next level, and I have seen big improvements in that this season.

“I always joke with Vic, but he just loves football. No matter if we are having a juice break in training, he has always got a ball at his feet.

“He just lives for football. For him to get international recognition must make him so proud for all the hard work he has done.

Victor Loturi in action against Hibernian
Victor Loturi in action against Hibernian. Image: SNS

“We will try and keep pushing him as much as we can, to really fulfil the potential he has got.”

Midfielder has come out of shell since departure of brother Akio

Loturi initially arrived in Dingwall alongside his brother William Akio, with the pair brought to Scotland by former boss Malky Mackay.

Forward Akio’s stint was to prove less successful, as he spent the second half of last season on loan at Raith Rovers, before he returned to Canada last summer to join Loturi’s former club Cavalry.

Ross County's William Akio pointing up to the sky after scoring against Aberdeen
Ross County’s William Akio celebrates after scoring his late equaliser against Aberdeen. Image: SNS

Although Cowie felt it was beneficial for Loturi to make the move alongside his brother, he has seen a growth in the midfielder since Akio’s departure.

Cowie added: “It was a massive challenge for him, coming over from the other side of the world.

“I think the first year was good for him because William, his brother, was here, which helped him settle.

“In the same token of William no longer being here, it has meant he has had to come out of his shell more and develop more as a person.

“He has to engage with everyone else, because he has not got the comfort of his brother.

“If anything, it was maybe a negative for him with William no longer being here, but for me it has turned into a positive because it has enabled him to really stand up and grow as a person.”

Conversation