Marsch and Canada ready to hit new heights at World Cup

The countdown is on for Jesse Marsch and Canada.

With the momentous occasion of a co-hosted World Cup fast approaching - opening kickoff for the tournament is 76 days away - Canada heads into two of its final tuneup matches, against Iceland and Tunisia, with optimism and excitement. The Canadians, ranked 29th in the world by FIFA, have high hopes of making some noise going into the summer.

Preparation hasn't come without its share of challenges, though.

Captain Alphonso Davies, recovering from a hamstring strain suffered in the Champions League with Bayern Munich, remains sidelined amid a frustrating 12 months for the superstar left-back. He hasn't suited up for the national team since tearing his ACL on March 23, 2025.

Moise Bombito and Alistair Johnston, key pillars of the squad, have battled long-term ailments of their own, undergoing surgeries for a fractured tibia and serious hamstring tear, respectively. They're both back with Canada for this month's training camp, but won't take part in either of the upcoming friendly matches in Toronto.

It's possible all three players, so vital to the men's team's upward trajectory, might not feature together for Canada - or at all, in fact - until the squad's World Cup opener June 12. Not ideal, clearly, but Marsch, like he does with everything, handles it matter-of-factly.

"Any time that you get injuries, I always think it's about how to engage the next group of players that have the opportunity to step up," Canada's coach told theScore earlier this month. "To see the way that everyone's responded has made us all very proud."

That's been visible during the extended absences of the aforementioned stalwarts, who Marsch describes as three of Canada's "most important" players.

Aside from a 4-0 loss against the Netherlands in Marsch's first match as head coach in June 2024 - which came less than a month into his tenure - Canada has been exceedingly difficult to break down under the former Leeds United and RB Leipzig tactician. Since that baptism of fire in Rotterdam, Canada's conceded only 17 goals in 27 matches across all competitions. A mere four of those have come in the first half of games - an indication of readiness coming out of the tunnel - and neither Dayne St. Clair nor Maxime Crepeau has given up more than two tallies in any single outing.

Despite missing the majority of their first-choice back-four in recent international windows, the Canadians have kept six clean sheets in their last seven games.

Personnel has often changed out of necessity as Marsch compensates for injuries and introduces new faces to broaden Canada's player pool, but the attitude and well-defined style has remained consistent.

"The way we operate is that we have a really good level of competitiveness, but also support and belief in each other so that everyone knows whoever's called on for the day is going to get the job done, and everyone else is going to support them," Marsch explained. "Whether you have to come from the bench, or if on a (certain) day you have to be a cheerleader from the sidelines, we're all all-in and we're doing this for the country, and it means a lot to a lot of people. That part has been great."

It is, simply, next man up.

Over the last year, since Davies has been sidelined, Richie Laryea has arguably been the team's most consistent performer filling in at left-back; he's inarguably been an in-game tone-setter in that time. Wide midfielder Ali Ahmed has thrust himself into contention for a starting role this summer. Swiss Army knife Niko Sigur continues to showcase his versatility. Several forwards have been given opportunities to prove that they deserve to partner undisputed starter Jonathan David up front.

Improved depth, especially as a vehicle to overcome adversity presented by injuries, has been a key point of focus since Marsch took the job. You don't succeed - you can't succeed - with only 11 core players. That will continue to be emphasized against Iceland on Saturday and Tunisia on Tuesday.

Intriguing playmaker Marcelo Flores is likely to make his official debut after committing to Canada over Mexico - his red cornrows will be hard to miss. Striker Aribim Pepple, meanwhile, has been rewarded for his good form at Plymouth Argyle with a first senior call-up. With Promise David sidelined after undergoing hip surgery, the 23-year-old Pepple, formerly of the Canadian Premier League, should get the chance to bolster an attack that has struggled at times to find the net with regularity.

That seven-game stretch referenced earlier where the Canadians have been so stout defensively? They have only seven goals at the other end in that time.

Marsch believes in his side's attacking process and tactical approach - using abundant team speed and relentless, aggressive pressing to create chances in transition, where Canada scores the majority of its goals. The opportunities have been there, even if the goals haven't always flowed freely.

"If you look at the history of me as a coach, I've probably won more 4-3 games than anything else. So winning 1-0 or having these 0-0 matches is a little bit unusual for me," Marsch said, laughing. "But I'm enjoying the defensive stability knowing that we still have a lot of firepower in the team."

Opportunity of a lifetime

Canada isn't yet capable of offering the financial incentives necessary to entice the likes of Belgium or Portugal to travel for friendlies like the rival United States has managed during this international window; Marsch admits the world's top-ranked sides are being paid "a lot of money" as appearance fees for their pre-World Cup matches. But he's excited about the tests posed by Iceland and Tunisia, organized teams which, particularly in the case of the latter, should mimic some of the defensive structures Canada figures to see from World Cup opponents Switzerland and Qatar this summer.

More than anything, though, Marsch is excited to simply be playing in front of a home Canadian crowd, something that's only happened seven times to date during his tenure as the team's bench boss.

"It'll be good to energize the entire fan base and the entire country around what this team is and what we're going to be this summer," said the Wisconsin-born manager who's quickly built a bond not only with his Canadian players, but with the nation's supporters.

It will also be an opportunity for Canada to continue growing on the pitch and exploring the fine margins that make the difference against teams with World Cup pedigree and experience. A "mentality of winning" that Marsch and his staff continue to work on implementing.

"We have the talent. We have the mindset as a team. We have the mentality to fight for each other. And now it's just really upgrading all of our leadership and intelligence to manage every moment," Marsch said. "It's been a big reason why we've been so stable and sound, but we'll need to be even better for this summer."

Canada already knows it will take on Qatar and Switzerland at the World Cup. It's opening opponent, however, remains a mystery. That'll be determined Tuesday, when four-time world champion Italy meets Bosnia and Herzegovina in one of UEFA's playoff finals to determine which teams slots into Group B as one of the tournament's last qualifiers.

Marsch has been diplomatic since the draw in December, acknowledging that any of the potential European opponents for that June 12 opener at BMO Field would pose unique challenges - Wales and Northern Ireland were also in the mix before losing in the playoff semifinals.

But it's not lost on him, or anybody else, what a meeting with the Azzurri - and a potential victory - would mean, especially in a city with such a significant Italian community. Marsch, who lives in Italy and is quick to state how much respect he has for the storied footballing nation, can't help but get excited about the prospect of sending shockwaves through the sport.

"If we want to make a big impact on the game in the country, I can't think of a better scenario to ignite the sport in Canada than beating Italy in Toronto on home soil in the first game of the World Cup," he said.

Canada, remember, is still looking for its first-ever win at a men's World Cup after losing all six of its previous matches. What better occasion could there possibly be to make history?