The weather wasn’t great, the first half wasn’t, either, but come the second half, Canada gave the 46,164 fans who showed up in Edmonton what they came for.
Second half goals from veteran Jonathan Osorio and the up-and-coming Jayden Nelson gave Canada a 2-0 win over Uzbekistan at Commonwealth Stadium. It was the penultimate match the red and white play before their World Cup campaign begins on June 12.
Canada next travels to Montreal to take on the Republic of Ireland in its final match before the World Cup on June 5.
Here’s everything we’ve learned about Team Canada’s preparation for the World Cup since the last edition of this journal last Thursday.
Davies touches down in hometown Edmonton
Alphonso Davies finally joined the Canada men’s national soccer team in Edmonton. After missing the training camp in Charlotte, the Canadian captain arrived in his hometown and seemed thrilled to be back with a group he loves spending time with.
“The energy of the team,” Davies said of what he’s missed most. “We have a great dynamic of guys who love to be around each other and there’s nobody that really feels left out. Everybody that comes into camp feels like they’re home and these are their brothers. Off the pitch we’re just having fun with each other but we know that, on the pitch, it’s time for business.”
Davies has been carefully monitored by his club team Bayern Munich in his bid to recover from a hamstring injury that initially ruled him out four to five weeks, putting his World Cup in doubt. He refuted reports from Germany that Munich were pushing Davies to skip the World Cup and prioritize his health for his club team.
The comments from Marsch to this point have played down the likelihood that he can play a sizeable role against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12 in Toronto, but the hope is that he figures to be part of the equation later in the tournament.
Marsch expressed that the team is very motivated to give Davies a chance of playing in the World Cup, indicating that his status for the entire group phase is questionable.
“We know that the further we go in the tournament, the more time that he’ll have to fully recover,” Marsch said. “Even more, what it’s gonna be is a progression of a few minutes in the first game and [ultimately] we wanna give him a chance to be a big player in this tournament for us.”
Bombito limps off against Uzbekistan
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – JULY 9: Moïse Bombito #15 of Canada dribbles the ball during the Copa America 2024 semifinal match between Argentina and Canada at MetLife Stadium on July 9, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Stephen Nadler/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
Moïse Bombito, at full health, is Canada’s best central defender. He may even be the best central defender in North America. That’s why, despite not having played since Oct. 2025, Marsch named him to the World Cup squad.
In his first match for Canada in over 200 days, Bombito teased a bit of the pace and strength that makes him such an appealing option but ultimately limped off the pitch after 30 minutes. Increasing the panic was video of him walking to the tunnel with a noticeable limp and an ice pack on the tibia area where he broke the bone that saw him sit out so long.
After the match, Marsch said it was all part of the plan and that Bombito should be ready for Ireland. That now looms large in terms of his availability but the Montreal man currently does not look ready to start on June 12 against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
If there is a reason not to push the panic button, it’s in knowing that Luc de Fougerolles was outstanding after he came on. Having fully recovered from a concussion, the 20-year-old was making interceptions, blocking crosses, and even managed a couple aerial contests on headers to show he’s put the concussion behind him.
During his recovery, de Fougerolles explained to in Charlotte that the first few days were just about sleeping at least 10 hours a night, not doing too much, and staying away from his club team’s facilities (Belgium’s FCV Dender EH). He progressed to some light running, then arrived in Carolina for individual sessions before becoming fully available after 10 days under protocol.
“It matters to an extent but with the national team we don’t get to play with each other as often, anyway,” de Fougerolles said with regards to playing with different partners at centre-back. “In training, you train with each other and switch up so, all the centre-backs, I’ve been playing with at some point in time, I understand them.
“The principles are always the same regardless of what centre-backs are playing, we know what Jesse expects from centre-backs so we all know what to expect when we play. I know what the person next to me is going to do and I hope they know what I’m going to do.”
Did Crépeau settle the goalkeeper debate?
There has been a long winded debate between Marsch’s ears over who Canada’s starting goalkeeper should be.
Both Maxime Crépeau and Dayne St. Clair have effectively taken turns during Marsch’s tenure but it is puzzling that the head coach has let the uncertainty play out as long as he has. Marsch, though, insists that there is no wrong choice to be made and so seems content to take as much time as he can with it.
A decision was made to give Crépeau the first half against Uzbekistan and St. Clair the second half, and if this match was the deciding factor, then Crépeau appears to have nudged himself ahead with an outstanding performance. He officially made one big save when an Uzbekistan forward was through on goal diving to his left, but there was a second save that was perhaps even better. It was a reflex save off a header that Crépeau managed to tip over the bar, before the linesman flagged for offside.
Marsch expects the World Cup’s starting goalkeeper to be the man who starts on Friday in Montreal against the Republic of Ireland, so the countdown is officially on.
Can Oluwaseyi move back ahead of Larin up front?
Canada, frankly, looked uninspired in the first half. They really struggled to create quality chances and there didn’t seem to be much of a connection between Jonathan David and Cyle Larin.
The game took on a completely different tenor in the second half as Marsch rolled out the substitutions, and Tani Oluwaseyi coming in for Larin was arguably the biggest difference. He executes Marsch’s desired style extremely well with his ability to press, and showcased his ability to help Canada create chances in open play with assists for both of his side’s goals.
Encouragingly, Promise David replaced Jonathan with 20 minutes to play and showed that the hype over his stunning rehab from a major thigh injury in February is very real. He looked a real threat after coming on and finished in impressive fashion with his left foot only to have the goal called back for offside.
Marsch later confirmed that Promise had been primarily finishing with his right foot in training to ease his left foot back, but pure instinct kicked in when he finished with the left in this one despite initial instructions to avoid it. He will be a crucial option for Marsch off the bench, at least until he can build his way to being fit enough for 90 minutes.m
Priso, Nelson favourites to replace Flores at World Cup
EDMONTON, ALBERTA – JUNE 01: Ralph Priso-Mbongue of Canada competes for the ball with Farrukh Sayfiev of Uzbekistan during the international friendly match between Canada and Uzbekistan at Commonwealth Stadium on June 01, 2026 in Edmonton, Alberta. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)
With Marcelo Flores forced out of the squad in heartbreaking fashion after rupturing the ACL in his right knee in his final match for his club team this past Saturday, Marsch has to pick a replacement.
Of the players not in the squad, both Vancouver Whitecaps defender Ralph Priso and Austin FC left winger Jayden Nelson were tremendous coming off the bench. Nelson capped off the victory with a smart side-footed finish after Oluwaseyi laid the ball off for him perfectly. It was a deserved goal after some excellent exploits on the left side of the pitch and even through the middle that gave Canada life in attack.
Priso was asked to play on the left side, which is unfamiliar to him, making his performance all the more impressive. If it were up to me, with one spot between the two of them, Priso would be my pick based on the current squad needs. He showed he can handle the left side, he can play centre-back, right-back in a pinch, and even central midfield. He has the pace and dynamism that Marsch likes as well.
Liam Millar is expected to start at left wing and looked terrific starting against Uzbekistan. Richie Laryea looked fit and ready to go in his 30 minute start, while Ali Ahmed is trending in the right direction as well. Then, of course, there is Davies who will also feature on the left side once he’s fit enough. Jacob Shaffelburg is also recovering and may feature against Bosnia.
With all those options on the left, it makes more sense to bring Priso in and shore up the defence in light of Bombito’s underhwelming health status.
Notes
Ismaël Koné was arguably the best player on the pitch for Canada. I’ll have more on him later in the week.
Niko Sigur also looked very good after coming on in the 30th minute and had a brief spell on the left side (he’s more accustomed to right-back) but took to the role really well.
Canada did get caught out on the break a few times and that’s something they’ll look to clean up moving forward.