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Jesse Marsch has plenty of reasons to get excited about his Canada player pool.
Yes, being able to coach up the obvious younger names like Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies and Inter Milan’s Tajon Buchanan would have many international coaches enthused at the possibility of upsetting more established nations around the world. But Marsch sees a wider group of players he’s eager to work into his preferred style of play, which is built on thoughtful pressing in all areas of the pitch and dynamic ball movement.
“Some of the raw athleticism and team speed is obvious,” Marsch said of the players he now has at his disposal as Canada’s new coach. “I like to play the game in transition. I like to be dynamic. I like to impose our will upon the opponent in all phases of the game. I think this player pool has both athleticism and intelligence and obvious football quality. But the combination of intelligence and athleticism will provide us with an opportunity to compete against the best teams in the world.”
Marsch will very quickly get the chance to deploy his players against those kinds of teams.
Marsch told The Athletic he expected to bring a larger-than-normal squad to Canada’s upcoming high-profile friendlies against the Netherlands on June 6 and France on June 9. His plan is to “examine behaviours” and determine “which players to invest in.”
From there, Marsch will whittle down his list and release one of the most important squad lists he’ll take charge of, however long his tenure ends up being: his 26-man squad to play in Copa America (including the tournament opener against world champions Argentina).
Here’s our prediction on what Canada’s roster will look like, including updates on each player’s early season form and insight from Marsch himself, via a one-on-one conversation.
Goalkeepers
Maxime Crepeau (Portland Timbers), Dayne St. Clair (Minnesota United FC), Tom McGill (Brighton & Hove Albion)
Crepeau and St. Clair remain unquestioned picks for Canada for the near future.
Crepeau has allowed more goals than he would have liked as of late, without a single clean sheet this MLS season. But the Timbers aren’t putting up defensive masterclasses either, allowing more shots on target than all but four MLS sides. His experience, reach, maturity and, crucially for a team that wants to play with pace – his distribution – make him Canada’s starter.
St. Clair’s underlying numbers with Minnesota United are similar to Crepeau’s this season. In a pinch, his athleticism could make him an easy player to turn to.
McGill makes the cut over Montreal’s Jonathan Sirois, but it was close. McGill has begun picking up more Premier League 2 appearances with Brighton as of late.
With the need for Marsch to be the most dominant voice in camp for now and to create a new culture, it feels unlikely he goes back to longtime goalkeeper and captain Milan Borjan.
Centre-backs
Derek Cornelius (Malmo FF), Moise Bombito (Colorado Rapids), Kamal Miller (Portland Timbers), Kyle Hiebert (St. Louis City SC), Joel Waterman (CF Montreal), Luc De Fougerolles (Fulham), Jamie Knight-Lebel (Bristol City Under-21)
Centre-back has recently been the most problematic position for Canada. The depth and players featuring in top European leagues just haven’t been there.
Marsch, however, remains optimistic.
“I had heard a lot about the challenges at centre-back but upon watching things more carefully, I think we have a lot to work with,” Marsch said.
Cornelius should be one of Canada’s first-choice centre-backs, having won multiple trophies with Malmo over the past year. It was surprising he didn’t feature against Trinidad and Tobago in Canada’s last match. Given how consistently he’s played and the composed, all-round performances he’s put up over the last season, Cornelius won’t stay on Canada’s bench from here on in.
There’s a trio of MLS centre-backs that Marsch seems high on: Bombito is racking up playing time for Colorado this season and offers impressive strength and aerial power. Waterman can bring the necessary quality on the ball and it sounds like Marsch is a genuine fan of his game. Miller’s experience with Canada makes him necessary in the squad, though I don’t know if his starting spot is still as sure as it used to be.
I’d expect one of those three to join Cornelius as starters should Marsch deploy a back four.
“I think all those guys could be contributors,” Marsch said of the aforementioned defenders. “I’ve got to figure out which guys to invest in the most and provide them with the tutelage and tactical know how to help turn them into more complete players come 2026.”
On that note, Zac McGraw is another centre-back Marsch mentioned to The Athletic, but between his lack of playing time and how many goals the Portland Timbers have allowed with him on the field, he may hold off on bringing him to Copa America for now.
From there, Marsch will likely keep one eye to the future when adding players at the back. De Fougerolles and Knight-Lebel are 18 and 19, respectively, but both continue to work their way up towards playing in England’s top two leagues and feature tremendous upside. De Fougerolles has shown more know-how on the ball while Knight-Lebel is more of a meat and potatoes defender. Though this season both have rounded out their respective games. While Knight-Lebel might seem like a surprise, he’s based in Europe and I’d expect him to get invited to the larger camp and earn his spot from there.
“We’ve got to blend in some new young players and if you know me, you know that my belief and ability to develop young players is one of the things I enjoy the most and have had some success with,” Marsch said of young centre-backs. “And so I think that that will be important, that we identify which are the right young players to build into the future.”
Full backs
Tajon Buchanan (Inter Milan), Alistair Johnston (Celtic), Jacob Shaffelburg (Nashville SC), Liam Millar (Preston North End), Sam Adekugbe (Vancouver Whitecaps)
The possible absence of Richie Laryea due to injury coupled with the likelihood of Alphonso Davies playing higher up the pitch leaves Canada with a dearth of players who can line up exclusively as fullbacks.
Buchanan only earned limited minutes after his transfer to Inter at the start of the year. But opening his Serie A account with an impressive goal on May 10 could lead to more looks in Italy. I’ve got him listed as a full back here, but he could just as easily be deployed as a winger or midfielder given his versatility (he can play both sides of the pitch), pace and dynamic play on the ball.
Johnston continues to rack up titles and playing time as Celtic’s first-choice right back. He was one of previous head coach John Herdman’s most trusted players and, given his relentless motor, I don’t see that changing under Marsch.
Shaffelburg is a player who genuinely intrigues Marsch. His energy and confidence are just two of many of the qualities the new coach desires. It wouldn’t surprise me if his work rate leads to a surprise start over the next month or so.
Millar is deployed more of a winger but with the need to get Davies into an attacking role, I could see the 24-year-old being deployed as a forward-thinking fullback.
Sam Adekugbe last played for Canada in November 2023 in the first leg of the Copa America qualifier against Jamaica. He’s been logging more and more time with the Whitecaps from April on and I could see him getting the nod for insurance.
But if Laryea is injury-free come early June after the friendlies — and Toronto FC coach John Herdman has suggested he could appear soon enough — he should be at Copa America.
Midfielders
Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich), Stephen Eustaquio (Porto), Ismaël Koné (Watford), Mathieu Choinière (CF Montreal), Ali Ahmed (Vancouver Whitecaps), Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC)
Let’s start with what is still the million-dollar question in Canadian soccer: Where is Davies going to play?
That’s a question that Marsch hopes to resolve soon. He told The Athletic he was hopeful to meet Davies in Munich this week.
If he does snack on bretzel with his star player, Marsch could outline how he doesn’t want him at left back, but in more of a midfield role.
“Obviously, this year with Bayern he has played more of a left midfielder than he played the past,” Marsch said. “The way I like to play, I like to have rotations where maybe a player is in one position defensively, but then in possession they move into different spots. So I think that that will be key for Alphonso in general: We have to put our best players in positions where they can be at their best. And that will help the team, I think, achieve the most. I have to get to know these players more carefully before I can fully answer. But clearly, I don’t want him to just be a defender. I want him to be a big part of how we attack and how we’re aggressive in possession and in transition.”
A shift in tactical plans shouldn’t alter the importance of Eustaquio and Koné by any means. Together, their blend of intelligence and ability to play through lines will make them indispensable as starters for Marsch.
Choinière offers versatility and fluidity. And, most importantly right now, big time confidence, having requested a trade from CF Montreal and proving with dependable performances why he might be missed.
Ahmed’s athleticism makes him a natural fit for Marsch’s style, though he will require more tactical polish from his new national team coach.
Osorio is in but I don’t know how much playing time he’ll get. While Marsch isn’t going to pick a squad based solely on each player’s speed, some decisions will be factored on whether his players have the necessary legs to get into the right pressing spots. Osorio is as intelligent a soccer player as Canada has, which could end up resulting in a call to Copa America. I just wonder if his strength, the ability to slow down a game on the ball, doesn’t exactly jive with what Marsch wants.
Whenever Osorio’s career wraps up – which I hope is not any time soon – he should be remembered as one of Canada’s most decisive leaders on the pitch. And that experience and mentality is what could lead to a call to play against opponents he’s undoubtedly studied extensively.
Forwards
Jonathan David (Lille), Cyle Larin (Mallorca), Iké Ugbo (Sheffield Wednesday), Theo Bair (Motherwell), Charles-Andreas Brym (Sparta Rotterdam)
David and Larin remain unquestioned starters. Though under Marsch, I could see David dropping back into more of a No. 10 role more often than he did under Herdman. Marsch will want his best players to be a little more spread out on the pitch and likely have David and Larin less of a strike duo. David in particular has a much higher soccer IQ than he generally gets credit for. He should be able to fulfill Marsch’s pressing instructions towards the middle of the park.
When it comes to Larin, Marsch undoubtedly has a challenge on his hands right now. Larin can be a mercurial forward. His rapid drop in production from his time with Valladolid in the second half of 2022-23 (Eight goals in 19 appearances) to Mallorca (Six goals in 40 appearances) is evidence of that. His struggles to finish his opportunities this season have been well documented.
The biggest xG underperformers in Europe’s top five leagues this season. 😬
Are you surprised by any of the top 10? 💭 pic.twitter.com/MMuDNJqIvl
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) May 15, 2024
But we know Larin is capable of great heights while playing for Canada. He’s the country’s all-time record goalscorer, after all.
One of the biggest questions surrounding Marsch and this squad is whether he can tap into Larin’s true potential and provide him with the kind of tactical blueprint to produce more regularly.
“I actually wouldn’t say that they lack pace,” Marsch said of David and Larin. “I think they have enough pace. Obviously team speed is important, but it’s about the team understanding at what moments they need to sprint and be explosive and how to do that collectively and not just in pressing, but in transition and even in possession. You want dynamic movements so that you’re constantly challenging the opponent to deal with your mobility. So I actually think both those guys will fit in really well.”
I’ve been pulling for Ugbo with Canada. He can heat up so dramatically at the club level, as evidenced by the six goals in five Championship matches he notched before getting called into Canada’s March camp. And then against Trinidad and Tobago, while he did log an assist, his tentativeness in the box was concerning.
Still, his upside warrants his inclusion, especially over a lengthy tournament.
Bair last appeared for Canada in 2020. But after scoring 13 goals in 33 appearances for Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership this season, why not give him a few minutes towards the end of one of the upcoming friendlies to see how he handles the opportunity?
Finally, Brym was mentioned by Marsch as a player he’s been watching closely lately. He logged consistent playing time in the Netherlands’ top division this season.
“The key again will be for me to get it working with them and get training with them and to make sure that I’m instilling a lot of the things that I know will reward them as dynamic attacking players,” Marsch said.
(Photo: Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
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