World Cup team ‘best squad Canada has ever had:’ Marsch

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Jesse Marsch knew what Canada’s World Cup roster was going to be — right up until he didn’t.

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For months, he watched as player after player dropped with major injuries; chief among them, Alphonso Davies.

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Promise David had surgery for a ruptured hip tendon in February, while Alfie Jones went under the knife for an ankle injury the month before. Ali Ahmed picked up a hamstring injury in Norwich City’s season finale earlier this month. Jacob Shaffelburg hasn’t trained with LAFC all May because of his own muscle injury.

Centrebacks Moïse Bombito and Derek Cornelius were both working their way backs from serious injuries, and Luc de Fougerolles just cleared concussion protocol with his club team last week.

The list reads like a hospital ward.

So on Friday, when Marsch named his 26-man squad, he put his faith in the medical staff as much as the players themselves.

“I had to pivot my strategy for this pre-camp,” said Marsch. “My first idea was to name the squad at least a week ago, but we realized that when the injuries kept mounting, that we just weren’t going to be in a position to do that.

“We’ve had a pretty good idea of who our core group is for a while. The real X-factor in all these decisions was just trying to determine a month ago, two weeks ago, a week ago, last night, which players are going to be healthy and who can we project to be close to 100 per cent and in the form of their life going into this tournament.”

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The team — sans Davies, who will meet them there — travels to Edmonton this weekend, ahead of a June 1 warm-up with Uzbekistan, and another against the Republic of Ireland on June 5 in Montreal.

“Luckily we’re on track with a lot of guys,” Marsch said. “Will everyone be 100 per cent for the Bosnia match? No … but we will have a really strong core that will be ready for that match.

“When I looked at the names on the board that we put last night, I felt right away that this was our current best squad, and then probably one of the best squads — if not the best squad that Canada has ever had.”

Starting at the back, the goalkeeper trio will be MLS stoppers Max Crépeau and Dayne St. Clair, and Crystal Palace’s Owen Goodman.

Bombito is back on the pitch after fracturing his left tibia last October, and will partner with Cornelius at centre back, along with Jones and Surrey United alum Joel Waterman.

Davies probably won’t be seen until the final knockout round game, while his usual backup, Richie Laryea, made the cut despite recovering from a thigh issue.

North Vancouver’s Niko Sigur, along with de Fougerolles and Johnston, round up the defence.

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Ahmed, Tajon Buchanan (Villarreal CF), Mathieu Choinière (LAFC), Stephen Eustaquio (FC Porto), Marcelo Flores (Tigres UANL), Ismail Kone (Sassuolo Calcio), Liam Millar (Hull City FC), Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC) and Nathan Saliba (Anderlecht) all made the cut.

Shaffelburg, one of the biggest question marks coming in, was also included in the squad.

“I was nervous no matter what — even if I didn’t have an injury — of if I was going to get called in,” said Shaffelburg. “But Jesse has faith in me, which I really appreciate, and I owe a lot to him. So, super thankful.”

Up top, Jonathan David (Juventus) looks to put his Serie A struggles behind him with a strong World Cup campaign, and the ‘Brampton Bagsman’ — Cyle Larin (Mallorca) — is back for a second straight World Cup appearance. Tani Oluwaseyi (Villarreal CF) and Promise David are the other two forwards.

David didn’t thing he was going to recover in time to make the squad, but a call from Marsh settled his nerves.

“I didn’t think it was possible, I’m not going to lie,” he told TSN. “Jesse called me and said ‘We’re gonna give you as much time as we need. You’ll be fine, you’ll be fine.’

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“And I was like, ‘You know what? If he’s banking on me, no reason I shouldn’t bank on myself.’”

CANADA’S WORLD CUP ROSTER

Goalkeepers

Maxime Crépeau, 32, Candiac, Que.

Owen Goodman, Owen, 22, Alliston, Ont.

Dayne St. Clair, 29, Pickering, Ont.

Defenders

Moïse Bombito, 26, Montreal, Que.

Alphonso Davies, 25, of Edmonton, Alta.

Derek Cornelius, 28, Ajax, Ont.

Luc de Fougerolles, 20, London, UK

Alistair Johnston, 27, Vancouver, B.C.

Richie Laryea, 31, Toronto, Ont.

Alfie Jones, 28, Bristol, U.K.

Jonathan Osorio, 33, Brampton, Ont.

Niko Sigur, 22, Burnaby, BC

Joel Waterman, 30, Aldergrove, BC

Midfielders

Stephen Eustàquio, 29, Leamington, Ont.

Marcelo Flores, 22, Georgetown, Ont.

Ismaël Koné, 23, Montreal, Que.

Liam Millar, 26, Toronto, Ont.

Nathan Saliba, 22, Longueuil, Que.

Jacob Shaffelburg, 26, Port Williams, N.S.

Ali Ahmed, 25, Toronto, Ont.

Tajon Buchanan, 27, Brampton, Ont.

Mathieu Choinière, 27, St-Alexandre, Que.

Forwards

Jonathan David, 26, Ottawa, Ont.

Promise David, 24, Brampton, Ont.

Cyle Larin, 31, Brampton, Ont.

Tani Waseyi, 26, Mississauga, Ont.