Analyzing Canada's biggest squad dilemmas going into World Cup

TORONTO - Jesse Marsch knew that Canada's friendlies during the March international window would serve as a critical fact-finding mission ahead of the World Cup. It was a time to solve the riddles in his squad, to find solutions where there were once problems. Except the draws against Iceland and Tunisia at BMO Field perhaps didn't provide as many answers as the head coach had hoped.

"I've got some tough decisions to make, I know that," Marsch said after Tuesday's goalless draw with Tunisia. "With a heavy heart, I'm going to make some people disappointed to not be in the World Cup, but the competition in the squad is strong as it's ever been here in Canada."

Marsch says he and his staff are "zoned in" on how the 26-man group will look if everybody's fit, but there can be no doubt that the job of picking his strongest XI got much harder during the team's final camp before the World Cup roster is announced in May.

The worries

The biggest problem during these friendlies was Marsch missing what he calculated as "eight to 10 players" from his squad. Comfortably under half of the personnel in the two lineups to face Iceland and Tunisia had a clear pathway to being starters at the World Cup, and it's fanciful to think the injury bug can be fully remedied before the big kickoff against Bosnia and Herzegovina - yes, Italy missed another World Cup - on June 12.

An ACL tear and a series of hamstring injuries means it will be 434 days that captain Alphonso Davies hasn't played for Canada on the eve of its next friendly against Uzbekistan on June 1. Moise Bombito and Alistair Johnston were part of this latest camp but unavailable as they work their way back from long-term injuries. Luc de Fougerolles, who was selected in the squad, remained on the bench after he partially tore an ankle ligament in early March.

Stephen Eustaquio is cruelly sidelined with a blood clot after a promising start to life at Los Angeles FC, and his club colleague Jacob Shaffelburg is dealing with a troublesome groin injury. Promise David, a revelation for Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise, was a legitimate contender for Tani Oluwaseyi's place up front alongside undisputed starter Jonathan David, but he's in a race to be fit for the tournament following hip surgery. Alfie Jones, who surely has a place in the final squad locked down, was also unavailable, along with two players who were battling to make the final roster, Zorhan Bassong and Jamie Knight-Lebel.

Such a litany of injuries meant there were places in the squad and even significant minutes for players who, barring a similarly long list of absences at the end of May, are unlikely to be part of Marsch's World Cup plans. The fact that forward Aribim Pepple remains uncapped, watching both friendly matches from the bench while Canada failed to score from open play for the sixth time in the last seven games, doesn't say a lot for his prospects.

Kamal Miller struggled in the 2-2 draw with Iceland, playing a limp back pass that created the European side's opening goal. Nevertheless, the defender - who's suffered a considerable fall since his standout displays at the 2022 World Cup - replaced the injured Ralph Priso in the 26th minute Tuesday against Tunisia. It felt like an undeserved second audition for Miller, one that was only afforded due to Priso's unfortunate setback and Derek Cornelius still working his way back to full fitness after his own muscle injury in November. Miller didn't improve his international chances, either, with a couple of misplaced passes putting his team under pressure and a clumsy challenge that only avoided red-card scrutiny because Liam Millar's heroic block (more on that later) denied Tunisia what looked like a sure goal seconds later.

Junior Hoilett, a superb servant for Canada with 69 caps, was also given some minutes against Tunisia. But now 35 and barely playing at Swindon Town in England's fourth tier, the popular veteran's cumbersome cameo could be his final international outing. The injury list would need to be enormous - well, just as it is right now - for Hoilett to be in the final World Cup squad.

There is also a scarcity of club minutes and form among Marsch's likeliest starters. In some cases, this won't influence the head coach's plans. Jonathan David could be pushed out of the first-team picture at Juventus for the rest of the season now that Dusan Vlahovic and Arkadiusz Milik are both fit again. Still, he'll feature from the first whistle against Bosnia unless he's out of commission. The confidence and fitness of Cornelius - another player with a seemingly strong grip on a starting berth - could be a growing concern given he's fallen out of favor at Rangers.

The list of Canadians who are fit and performing well while playing regularly for their clubs isn't as long as you'd like with the World Cup so close. Could Marsch use their displays over the next two months to inform his final selection decisions? Jones was one of promotion-chasing Middlesbrough's most reliable players before his injury, so if he hits the ground running when he returns to duty in England's Championship, why can't he push to start over Cornelius if his status at Rangers is unchanged? Club form could also be used to make the final call on whether Dayne St. Clair (the likely favorite) or Maxime Crepeau should be Canada's starting goalkeeper, and neither has started the MLS campaign strongly.

"I'm not sure," Marsch admitted about his choice between St. Clair and Crepeau. "I'll be honest, I think it's as close as it's always been.

"I know I can't make a wrong decision - that's a beautiful thing to know."

Biggest winners of the window

Marsch's difficult choices were further complicated by the impressive performances from some players who went into the March camp on the fringes of a starting spot. It's a good kind of problem to have, but it doesn't make the coach's life any easier.

Richie Laryea, for example, has now started in each of Canada's last 11 matches, but Marsch answered questions on his prospects of being a World Cup starter ahead of the Iceland and Tunisia friendlies. It wasn't overly positive. The American tactician indicated Ali Ahmed had possession of the left-wing spot, presumably leaving first-choice roles at left-back and right-back (Laryea's natural spot) to Davies and Johnston, respectively.

That may have changed.

Laryea often plays as if he models his game on the aphorism, "a rising tide lifts all boats." He takes it upon himself to control the ebbs and flows of Marsch's Canada. Within the first 10 minutes of Saturday's second half against Iceland, when Canada was 2-0 down, he was pushing forward from his left-back position to offer the verticality that was sorely missed before the break. He also pushed away an Icelander who was idling over a Canadian free-kick. His impact was less pronounced against Tunisia, but he still retained possession well with a 90% pass success rate despite his willingness to trigger attacks from full-back. His role as the unelected moral arbiter of Tunisian conduct, showing little sensitivity as he screamed for fallen opponents to get up, also made for entertaining viewing.

When Laryea exhibits this drive and aggression, he raises his teammates around him. He should now be undroppable. He might lead by example better than anybody else in Marsch's ensemble, and he's certainly one of the players who best embodies the coach's philosophy.

The outlook for Canada's wingers has changed, too. Millar and Marcelo Flores should be practically assured of a place in the squad, and perhaps even be pushing for starting contention once the friendlies against Uzbekistan and Ireland are over in early June. The pair both offered something different for Marsch.

Millar was direct, and his snappy deliveries from out wide were problematic for Tunisia. He also claimed the match's finest moment. Canada lost possession in Tunisia's box and the visiting team raced upfield, bypassing the midfield and easily getting beyond center-backs Joel Waterman and Miller. In around 10 seconds, Tunisia's Sayfallah Ltaief was squaring the ball for Elias Saad to score into a gaping net.

But in that time, Millar had also sprinted from the edge of Tunisia's six-yard box to the equivalent part of Canada's danger area, to slide and block a sure-fire goal. He roared at the Canadian crowd as his "adrenaline kicked in," he said after the match.

"I knew Liam was fast but I didn't know he was that fast," midfielder Ismael Kone admitted following the game. "I'm super proud of him."

Yet Flores is the biggest winner of all during this international window. The Ontario-born winger recently switched allegiance from Mexico to Canada and made his debut as a substitute against Iceland before facing Tunisia from the start. He made an instant impression.

He has a rubberiness that allows him to bounce off players in tight areas and a technical ability that helps him continue to progress play. He sometimes intentionally decides against winning a free-kick for his team, instead maintaining the tempo with a sensible pass to a teammate in space or executing an unpredictable twist to lose his man - or men, giving the attention he was drawing from opponents - and carve out an opening. And he's very much of the Marsch ilk with his industry off the ball as he puts defenders under pressure but still displayed the awareness to drop back in coverage when Laryea was committed higher up the pitch.

"We have a lot of guys that are athletic and play with power, and he has a little something different. He's clever, he's quick, he moves around in the game, he can help see final plays," Marsch explained of Flores' qualities.

The main challenge is getting the 22-year-old acclimated to the squad's approach and his teammates as quickly as possible.

"We've got to continue to work with his ability to understand how to see and play with the guys around him, and how the guys can now help him make last plays and be available," Marsch said.

Marsch has an unenviable task of putting all of this together - and he can't please everybody with his selections for Canada's World Cup opener against Bosnia. But it's possible to build something that can deliver a series of historic moments for the men's team. A first World Cup win is certainly an attainable goal, and from there a roadmap could be drawn for the unchartered territory of the knockout rounds.

Canada should aim to outperform its co-hosts, Mexico and the United States, this summer with its aggressive pressing, continued defensive solidity, and - with a little fine-tuning and reinstalled belief over the pre-tournament friendlies - a return to goal-scoring form.

"I know we have the firepower on this team, and I know that part's going to come together, and I want us to continue to be a disciplined, sound, organized, savvy, intelligent, experienced team," Marsch said of his vision. "And I think through that we can make some waves in the World Cup because we have talent and now we have a real, clear identity."