Canadian national team head coach Jesse Marsch has named his 32-man roster (along with six training players) for their upcoming pre-FIFA World Cup friendlies against Uzbekistan and Ireland, whilst also committing his long-term future to the team.
The former Leeds United and RB Leipzig boss still has until June 1 to name his final 26-man roster for the tournament, and it seems he plans to use every second available to him to ensure he makes the right final calls.
Amongst those included are Bayern Munich stalwart Alphonso Davies (who is currently managing a hamstring injury), Villarreal's Tajon Buchanan, and Juventus' Jonathan David.
Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies is one of the headline names in Marsch's latest squad -Credit:S. Mellar/FC Bayern via Getty Images
However, one call that has received mixed reactions is the decision to train in Charlotte, North Carolina, as of May 25, for their friendlies. Their stint across the border will only be brief, though, with Canada set to be based at the National Soccer Development Centre in Vancouver for the duration of their stay in the World Cup, which will be held across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
Explaining the decision, Marsch said, via Joshua Kloke of The Athletic, "What we're going to see, especially in a North American World Cup, is higher temperatures, we're going to see more humidity, and we're going to see more national teams that struggle to understand how to manage that in their play.
"However, we have a lot of temperature-controlled stadiums in the U.S. So I think Atlanta, Dallas, LA, specifically, those stadiums have roofs so they can play in different temperatures.
"But if you ever have to play in Kansas City or Miami or even New York in the summer, you're talking about high levels of heat and humidity. And we learned that through Copa America.
"Our Canadian boys are not used to playing in the high levels of heat. And what we learned even in Copa America, training down in Atlanta in 36, 37, 38-degree weather, and then conditioning them through fitness and training to understand how to handle those elements prepared them to be successful in that tournament.
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"So, we came down to Carolina to put them in higher heat, higher temperatures, more humidity, as well as with the home World Cup, to create a little bit more of an isolated environment where we could focus on now preparing the team for exactly what we wanted, which is the matches."
Both of Canada's pre-World Cup games will take place back on home soil, with Uzbekistan set to take them on at Play Alberta Field at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton on June 1, followed by Ireland at Stade Saputo in Montréal on June 5.
Their World Cup campaign will commence on June 12 when they host Group B rivals Bosnia and Herzegovina at BMO Field in Toronto. They'll then face Qatar six days later at BC Place in Vancouver, where they'll remain to close out the group stage against Switzerland on June 24.
But regardless of whether or not Canada progresses past the group stage, it seems Marsch will continue to lead the way for at least four more years, having penned an extension through the next World Cup in Morocco, Portugal, and Spain on Monday.
In a statement, former U.S. Men's National Team midfielder Marsch said, "From day one, I've felt a deep connection to this team, to this country, and to the direction of the program.
Marsch recently signed an extension through the 2030 World Cup -Credit:Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images
"I believe Canada has tremendous potential with this generation of players and look forward to seeing the development of soccer across the country. I'm thrilled to make a longer-term commitment here, to helping develop this program for years, and continuing to push this group to the highest level."
Goalkeepers:Maxime Crépeau (Orlando City SC), Owen Goodman (Barnsley), and Dayne St. Clair (Inter Miami)
Defenders:Zorhan Bassong (Sporting Kansas City), Moïse Bombito (OGC Nice), Derek Cornelius (Rangers), Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich), Luc de Fougerolles (FCV Dender EH), Alistair Johnston (Celtic), Alfie Jones (Middlesbrough), Jamie Knight-Lebel (Swindon Town), Richie Laryea (Toronto FC), Ralph Priso (Vancouver Whitecaps), Niko Sigur (Hadjuk Split), and Joel Waterman (Chicago Fire)
Midfielders:Ali Ahmed (Norwich City), Tajon Buchanan (Villarreal CF), Mathieu Choinière (LAFC), Stephen Eustáquio (LAFC), Marcelo Flores (Tigres UANL), Ismaël Koné (Sassuolo), Liam Millar (Hull City), Jayden Nelson (Austin FC), Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC), Nathan-Dylan Saliba (R.S.C. Anderlecht), and Jacob Shaffelburg (LAFC)
Forwards:Jonathan David (Juventus), Promise David (Royale Union Saint-Gilloise), Daniel Jebbison (Preston North End), Cyle Larin (Southampton), Tani Oluwaseyi (Villarreal), and Jacen Russell-Rowe (Toulouse FC)
Training Players:Nathaniel Abraham, Zayne Bruno, Tim Fortier, Maël Henry, Dylan Judelson, Elijah Roche
