Jesse Marsch has revealed his first roster as men’s national team coach for upcoming friendlies against the Netherlands on June 6 and France on June 9.
And less than two weeks after being officially hired as Canada’s new men’s national team coach, Marsch has put his stamp on how Canada could look moving forward.
While Marsch originally told The Athletic he would bring a larger-than-normal group to these friendlies to assess his player pool before whittling down his roster ahead of 2024 Copa America, he ended up selecting 26 players.
Barring any late injuries or drastic changes, this squad could essentially be similar to the one that travels to the United States for Copa America.
Goalkeepers
Maxime Crépeau (Portland Timbers)
Thomas McGill (Brighton & Hove Albion FC)
Dayne St. Clair (Minnesota United)
Grégoire Swiderski (Girondins de Bordeaux B, listed as training player)
Fullbacks
Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich)
Alistair Johnston (Celtic FC)
Richie Laryea (Toronto FC)
Dominick Zator (Korona Kielce)
Centre-backs
Moïse Bombito (Colorado Rapids)
Derek Cornelius (Malmö FF)
Luc de Fougerolles (Fulham FC)
Kyle Hiebert (St. Louis City SC)
Kamal Miller (Portland Timbers)
Midfielders
Mathieu Choinière (CF Montréal)
Stephen Eustáquio (FC Porto)
Ismaël Koné (Watford FC)
Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC)
Samuel Piette (CF Montréal)
Wingers
Charles-Andreas Brym (Sparta Rotterdam)
Tajon Buchanan (Inter Milan)
Junior Hoilett (Aberdeen FC)
Liam Millar (FC Basel)
Jacob Shaffelburg (Nashville SC)
Forwards
Thelonius Bair (Motherwell)
Jonathan David (LOSC Lille)
Cyle Larin (RCD Mallorca)
Iké Ugbo (ESTAC Troyes)
Who are the surprise inclusions?
While the expected names will suit up for Canada, including Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David, Tajon Buchanan and Stephen Eustáquio, Marsch’s selections mean there’s a few surprises involved.
Richie Laryea underwent hamstring surgery on March 19 after suffering an injury in his first appearance for Toronto FC this season on Feb. 25. He has not appeared against for TFC, yet Laryea was included in Marsch’s squad, signalling the possibility of him returning in time to play against either the Netherlands or France.
Canada’s lack of fullbacks also led to the inclusion of former Canadian Premier League player Dominick Zator, who last played for Canada at the 2023 Gold Cup. Over two matches Zator totalled just eight minutes. Those have been his lone minutes for Canada, yet Zator played every minute in all but one match in the Polish first division for Korona Kielce this season. This suggests Marsch could lean towards bringing players into camp who are in form and not based on past experiences with Canada.
The same goes for Junior Hoilett. The longtime Canada winger was not named to the March squad against Trinidad and Tobago for a crucial Copa America qualifier as part of a squad overhaul and a focus on youth led by then interim coach Mauro Biello. However a winter move to Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen has seen Hoilett log increased playing time. He’s always been seen as a valued leader among Canadian players and undoubtedly fills the leadership quota a new coach desires.
Finally, the lone new player in the squad is goalkeeper Grégoire Swiderski. The 18-year-old plays for Girondins de Bordeaux B, the Under-21 side for French second division team Girondins de Bordeaux. Swiderski started two games for Canada’s Under-20 side earlier this year during the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship qualifying and kept two clean sheet. He will be a training player and ineligible to play games. The exposure to Canada’s tactical plans early on could benefit Swiderski long-term, however.
Who could start for Canada under Marsch?
It will be fascinating to see not just who starts for Canada, but how well and how quickly they adjust to Marsch’s preferred style of play built on pressing and intense running in transition. Very few, if any, of his players utilize this approach with their respective club sides.
Maxime Crepeau has earned the starting spot in goal after serving as Milan Borjan’s understudy for years. At centre-back, continued transition towards younger starters is likely: Expect Derek Cornelius to be tested continually against some of the world’s better attackers from France and the Netherlands after his stellar season in Sweden. Moïse Bombito’s height and athleticism should warrant starts, as well. He is one of Canada’s centre-backs of the future.
Alistair Johnston remains one of Canada’s few sure things towards the back of the pitch. After an excellent season at Celtic that saw him win the double, there’s little chance of him slowing down for Canada.
Ismaël Koné and Stephen Eustáquio remain first-choice starters in Canada’s midfield. Koné’s pace means he could flourish under Marsch.
Alphonso Davies should feature higher up the pitch, perhaps as a winger at times. Marsch seems intent on not playing Davies as a left back. Davies has shown the ability to link up well with Jonathan David and Cyle Larin in transition. It’s easy to see why Marsch would want to try to exploit teams on the counter attack with Davies’ pace.
Tajon Buchanan earned more playing time with Inter Milan towards the end of the season. He remains a likely starter as Canada’s most dynamic player. Buchanan was Canada’s best player at the 2022 World Cup and another strong tournament this summer could put him on the verge of becoming a household name in Canada.
David and Larin should start, but with asterisks. For David, is it possible he starts as more of a No. 10, deeper on the pitch and with a focus on using his soccer IQ and intelligent runs to find space on the counter attack? Larin should also start but how he fares under Marsch’s pressing-heavy system will be one of the question marks of early matches.
What do these friendlies mean for Canada?
Marsch will have little time to get oriented with his new team against France, ranked No. 2 in the world according to FIFA, and the Netherlands, ranked No. 7. You could make the case that perhaps a new coach would have preferred friendlies against lower-ranked opponents to test out a new tactical set-up that will be unfamiliar to players, sure. But for years Canadian coaches and players have wanted to test themselves against the world’s best. Even if the timing isn’t right, these are the types of opponents Canada figures they will eventually have to play against more often. If nothing else, booking friendlies against France and the Netherlands could reduce any nerves Canada will have when they face World Cup champions Argentina in the Copa America opener on June 20.
Even though Canada Soccer had chances to book friendlies against lower-ranked teams that will play in Copa America, the organization also wanted to optimize some of their best players already being in Europe at the conclusion of their club season. Reduced travel for the likes of Davies, Buchanan, David, Larin, Eustáquio and Koné should benefit their performances in these friendlies.
(Photo of Junior Hoilett: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
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