Canada coach Marsch loads up on defender invites to World Cup camp as star Davies’s injury status uncertain

It’s crushing to think about the World Cup dreams that will be dashed before other men’s dreams come true.

Head coach Jesse Marsch has called 32 players to Canada’s last pre-tournament training camp this week in Charlotte, N.C. Junior Hoilett, James Pantemis, Kamal Miller, and Theo Bair are not among them. Their sad fates are already sealed. 

Six more players will start camp and not make the squad, either. When 26 luckier ones fly to Edmonton on Saturday to continue their preparations for the tournament of their lives, the final cuts will head home.

Marsch, who found himself on the bubble with the U.S. national team as a player, has spoken often about the toll these selections take on him. “My thoughts are always about, when I make decisions, the guy who doesn’t get the call,” he said after the team’s friendly against Tunisia in March.

Of those who didn’t receive an invite at all, Hoilett might be the most surprising omission. The 35-year-old is a calming presence and could have proved a creative influence especially if Alphonso Davies, under the weight of injury concerns and club intrigue, can’t play in the end. 

Pantemis — who, like Hoilett, was on the team that went to Qatar in 2022 — also seemed to be making a case for consideration with his sometimes-spectacular play with the Portland Timbers.

WATCH | Who will make Canada’s roster?:

Predicting who makes Canada’s World Cup roster

With the World Cup just around the corner, Canada’s roster decisions are heating up.

We break down who the locks are, who’s on the bubble, and which players could surprise their way onto the squad. Plus, what each player brings to the team and how this group could shape Canada’s World Cup run.

Marsch named only three goalkeepers to camp, and all three will make the team: Maxime Crépeau, Dayne St. Clair, and Owen Goodman. The head coach’s indecision about who will start might have left him reluctant to make that choice any harder than it already is.

The same isn’t true for defenders. Canada’s backline has been wobbled by injuries beyond Davies, and Marsch has called in backups for his backups. He’s bringing a dozen to camp, including familiars like Moise Bombito, Derek Cornelius, Alistair Johnston, Richie Laryea, and Niko Sigur. 

At least three of his cuts will come from among their swollen ranks.

Alfie Jones, who’s taken longer than expected to return from ankle surgery, is a surprise inclusion in some ways. Healthy, he might have been a starting centre back, but he hasn’t played since an abbreviated Boxing Day fixture with Middlesbrough.

His questionable fitness will dictate not only his World Cup destiny but the destiny of others. Ralph Priso, for instance, received a well-earned invitation after his stellar recent play with the Vancouver Whitecaps, but he would seem a long shot to make the full squad unless a regular isn’t fit enough. So would Zorhan Bassong and Jamie Knight-Lebel.

Canada will hold its breath and hope that Davies, its captain, isn’t among the hobbled.

He’s suffered three different muscle and hamstring injuries with Bayern Munich since his return from ACL surgery in December and hasn’t played a minute since May 6. He hasn’t played for Canada in more than a year, and it’s unclear if he’ll attend camp or continue his treatment in Munich until the competition window opens on June 7.

Davies signed a massive contract extension with the Bundesliga champions weeks before his knee injury, which he sustained in CONCACAF Nations League action with Canada in March 2025. Bayern executives threatened to sue Canada Soccer, and their star left back’s subsequent struggles has understandably left them feeling more embittered.

Professional clubs must release players for international duty, but according to German tabloid reports, Bayern has been putting significant pressure on Davies to take the summer off and return to full fitness. This week will determine whether he’s healthy and defiant enough to play for his country first.

There were no surprises among Marsch’s 11 midfield selections, although he’ll need to cut two of them. Liam Millar, who won promotion to the Premier League last weekend after Hull’s narrow playoff win over Middlesbrough, is among the roster locks, along with Stephen Eustáquio, Ali Ahmed, Tajon Buchanan, and Ismael Koné.

Jayden Nelson and Jacob Shaffelburg seem the most in danger of not making the team.

Six forwards round out Marsch’s camp. Jonathan David, Cyle Larin, and Tani Oluwaseyi will make the final squad, and Daniel Jebbison is a virtual certainty.

The real question is whether Promise David, who has made a remarkable recovery from the ruptured hip tendon he suffered in February but hasn’t played since, will be fit enough for inclusion. Even before his injury, he was hard pressed to meet Marsch’s superhuman work-rate demands. Jacen Russell-Rowe has been invited in case David’s comeback efforts fall short.

Marsch will announce his final roster Friday: anointing 26, but with his thoughts, as always, with the names he doesn’t name.