Canada Roster Takeaways: What Changes Could Jesse Marsch Make With Key Absences, New Faces?

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·21. Mai 2025

Canada Roster Takeaways: What Changes Could Jesse Marsch Make With Key Absences, New Faces?

With just over a year to go until the FIFA World Cup hits Canadian soil for the first time in 2026, Canada’s men’s national team is gearing up for a formative summer.

While Canada will look to win its second ever Concacaf Gold Cu p, the national team also looks to important friendlies in Toronto ahead of the tournament against the Ivory Coast and Ukraine.

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Canadian manager Jesse Marsch named his 60-man preliminary roster for the Gold Cup on Monday and will name the full 23-man squad at a later date. On Wednesday, he unveiled the 23-man roster for the friendly matches, featuring many top players as well as significant absences.

Among the key absences were center back Moïse Bombito of OGC Nice, left back Alphonso Davies of FC Bayern Munich, and Celtic FC right back Alistair Johnston.

Here are three takeaways from the friendly squad list.

Bombito’s Absence Forces Center Back Adjustments

Derek Cornelius will look to maintain Canada's stingy backline despite not having Moïse Bombito, Alphonso Davies or Alistair Johnston. / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Under Marsch, no position has been as settled as center back. For nearly a year, it’s been taken up by Bombito and Derek Cornelius. Yet, there will be an adjustment, with Bombito absent due to a wrist injury.

It will be a significant test of Cornelius’ leadership and a mark of how he has grown as a defender after his first season in Ligue 1, where he played 21 games for OGC Nice. Before the move, he worked well in a partnership, but has not been the veteran leader in the heart of defense.

Expect Marsch to try each of Crewe Alexandra’s (on loan from Championship side Bristol City) Jamie-Knight Lebel, Fulham’s Luc De Fougerolles and CF Montréal’s Joel Waterman over the two matches, and potentially in the Gold Cup.

Knight-Lebel, 20, played 33 games in EFL League 2 this season and comes into the camp after impressing Marsch in October. Still young, he is an aggressive six-foot-three defender with versatile capabilities. However, he is lacking pace compared to Bombito.

He’s certainly tested at this point, and he has immense potential ahead of what could be his first full season in the English second division.

Meanwhile, De Fougerolles returns to the squad after getting a run at the Copa América. On the smaller side at five-foot-10, he hasn’t played regularly in men’s soccer, but could see involvement. At just 19, he still has a long way to go in his development.

Waterman rounds out the three options as far as potential goes. He has consistently played with Montréal, but at 29, he is likely an MLS lifer. He is consistent and well-rounded, but not necessarily a difference-maker.

All three will likely get minutes in the two games and earn calls to the Gold Cup, with Knight-Lebel likely the most enticing option to replace Bombito.

Which New Striker Could Start With Jonathan David?

Royale Union Saint-Gilloise's Promise David recently switched to represent Canada instead of Nigeria and could earn his first cap / Courtesy of Royale Union Saint-Gilloise

Amid the search for his next club after leaving Lille, Jonathan David will play in the friendlies, but who will line up alongside him?

With five in-form outright strikers on the roster, Marsch has plenty of options.

Promise David is likely to get some significant minutes alongside Jonathan. Still awaiting his first official cap, Promise has scored 25 goals with Royal Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium this season and ranks 12th for the most goals in Europe’s top 10 leagues.

A dynamic and forceful striker with an elite touch, he could form a potent partnership with Jonathan. Both players thrive on running on through balls, while Jonathan can also take on hold-up duties. Should they gel, there is a chance they could become Concacaf’s best partnership.

Other strikers on the roster include Tani Oluwaseyi, whose counter-attack prowess has helped him score six goals for Minnesota United in 13 games in 2025, and Daniel Jebbison, who played briefly in March’s Concacaf Nations League and recently scored for AFC Bournemouth against Manchester City.

Real Mallorca’s Cyle Larin also returns to the roster and has been the primary option alongside David. However, he has struggled to find chances in recent camps and has scored just seven goals in 31 La Liga games in 2024-25.

Which New Players Could Step Up?

Jayden Nelson (right) helped Vancouver Whitecaps FC get past Lionel Messi's Inter Miami CF in the Concacaf Champions Cup. / Anne-Marie Sorvin-Imagn Images

Established players will remain the core of Canada’s summer rosters, yet several new faces will also have a chance to impress.

While David and Knight-Lebel stand out as two who will likely get significant opportunities, keep an eye on Vancouver Whitecaps FC winger Jayden Nelson and CF Montréal’s Nathan Saliba.

In his first season with the Whitecaps, Nelson has been a revelation. While he struggled for consistency in a previous MLS stint with Toronto FC from 2020 to 2022, he improved while on loan in Germany and Norway, and has been a key to Vancouver’s MLS and Concacaf Champions Cup success.

This season, he’s proven to be a quick-dribbling and pace-focused winger and could play a similar role that Jacob Shaffelburg has played in the past. This season, the 22-year-old has two goals and four assists in 490 minutes of MLS action.

Saliba, meanwhile, will likely see limited minutes but could turn heads. Still just 21, he has shown he can dominate a possession-heavy team and has improved defensively on a dismal Montréal side this season.

Both players should be on the Gold Cup roster as well, where their impacts are likely to be more significant.