{"id":67225,"date":"2026-05-30T04:14:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T04:14:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/67225\/"},"modified":"2026-05-30T04:14:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T04:14:09","slug":"choiniere-to-waterman-every-mls-player-on-canadas-world-cup-roster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/67225\/","title":{"rendered":"Choini\u00e8re to Waterman: Every MLS player on Canada&#8217;s World Cup roster"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Eight players compete in MLS for five different MLS clubs, making up 31% of head coach Jesse Marsch&#8217;s team.<\/p>\n<p>Of the 26 players named, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/news\/ahmed-to-saliba-every-mls-export-on-canada-s-world-cup-roster\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">another 10<\/a> (38%) are either MLS homegrown products or developed in the league.<\/p>\n<p>Combined, those 18 players account for 69% of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/news\/canada-roster-for-2026-world-cup-8-mls-players-canmnt-squad\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">CanMNT roster<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\n      Canada: Group B schedule<\/p>\n<p>June 12: Canada vs. Bosnia &amp; Herzegovina, 3 pm ET | Toronto, Ontario<br \/>\nJune 18: Canada vs. Qatar, 6 pm ET | Vancouver, British Columbia<br \/>\nJune 24: Canada vs. Switzerland, 3 pm ET | Vancouver, British Columbia<\/p>\n<p>The 2026 World Cup has expanded from the usual 32 nations to 48 total. The top two teams advance from each group, and the top eight third-place finishers also make the knockout phase (Round of 32).<\/p>\n<p>The tournament, which is co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, spans from June 11 to July 19.<\/p>\n<p>Experience: 23 caps<br \/>\nAge: 27<br \/>\nFrom: Saint-Alexandre, Qu\u00e9bec<\/p>\n<p>After a standout half-season loan from Swiss Super League side Grasshopper, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/mathieu-choiniere\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Mathieu Choini\u00e8re<\/a> was fully acquired by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/los-angeles-football-club\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">LAFC<\/a> ahead of the 2026 campaign.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/cf-montreal\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">CF Montr\u00e9al<\/a> product has featured consistently under Marsch and provides experience in Les Rouges&#8217; midfield.<\/p>\n<p>Experience: 30 caps<br \/>\nAge: 32<br \/>\nFrom: Greenfield Park, Qu\u00e9bec<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/maxime-crepeau\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Cr\u00e9peu<\/a>, who missed Qatar 2022 due to a broken leg suffered during LAFC&#8217;s MLS Cup triumph, is headed to his first World Cup.<\/p>\n<p>Now with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/orlando-city-sc\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Orlando City<\/a>, Cr\u00e9peau is vying for Canada&#8217;s No. 1 goalkeeper job alongside <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/inter-miami-cf\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Inter Miami CF<\/a>&#8216;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/dayne-st-clair\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dayne St. Clair<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Experience: 54 caps<br \/>\nAge: 29<br \/>\nFrom: Leamington, Ontario<\/p>\n<p>Canada&#8217;s midfield metronome, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/stephen-eustaquio\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Eust\u00e1quio<\/a> pulls the strings in the center of the pitch and gives Marsch a proven veteran presence. If healthy, he is a locked-in starter.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Eust\u00e1quio is on loan with LAFC through June from Portuguese powerhouse FC Porto. The deal includes a purchase option.<\/p>\n<p>Experience: 74 caps<br \/>\nAge: 31<br \/>\nFrom: Toronto, Ontario<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/richie-laryea\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Laryea<\/a>&#8216;s performances for Canada last year led Marsch to call the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/toronto-fc\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Toronto FC<\/a> veteran <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/joshuakloke\/status\/1978298207286259780\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">&#8220;our best player overall.&#8221;<\/a> That all but secured Laryea&#8217;s second World Cup trip.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The fullback started two of Canada&#8217;s three group stage games in 2022 and hopes to remain a key contributor this summer.<\/p>\n<p>Experience: 90 caps<br \/>\nAge: 33<br \/>\nFrom: Toronto, Ontario<\/p>\n<p>Another returning member of Canada&#8217;s 2022 World Cup squad,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/jonathan-osorio\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Osorio<\/a> provides a reliable presence in midfield and plenty of experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Now in his 14th season with Toronto FC, he is Canada&#8217;s second all-time appearances leader with 90 caps.<\/p>\n<p>Experience: 31 caps<br \/>\nAge: 26<br \/>\nFrom: Kentville, Nova Scotia<\/p>\n<p>After missing the start of the 2026 season due to injury, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/jacob-shaffelburg\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Shaffelburg<\/a> recently returned to action for LAFC.<\/p>\n<p>Shaffelburg&#8217;s speed and direct play make him an attractive option in attack, as does his proven success on the international stage.<\/p>\n<p>The former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/nashville-sc\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Nashville SC<\/a> standout was Canada&#8217;s breakout star during their semifinal run at Copa Am\u00e9rica 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Experience: 19 caps<br \/>\nAge: 29<br \/>\nFrom: Pickering, Ontario<\/p>\n<p>After backing up Milan Borjan at the 2022 World Cup, St. Clair is eying Canada&#8217;s No. 1 goalkeeper job at this summer&#8217;s tournament.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He is in his first season with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/inter-miami-cf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Inter Miami CF<\/a> after winning 2025 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year honors at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/minnesota-united-fc\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Minnesota United FC<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Experience: 17 caps<br \/>\nAge: 30<br \/>\nFrom: Langley, British Columbia<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/joel-waterman\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Waterman<\/a> offers Canada a reliable defensive option, as he did during the 2022 World Cup.<\/p>\n<p>While the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/chicago-fire-fc\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Chicago Fire FC<\/a> center back didn&#8217;t take the field in Qatar, he could see minutes this summer as Les Rouges navigate injuries to key defenders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Eight players compete in MLS for five different MLS clubs, making up 31% of head coach Jesse Marsch&#8217;s&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":67226,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[17,7305,27288,28197,7312,27291,27755,21637,7311,28203,27289,27303,5380,27744,330,3543],"class_list":["post-67225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-canada","tag-chicago-fire-fc","tag-dayne-st-clair","tag-essentials","tag-inter-miami-cf","tag-jacob-shaffelburg","tag-joel-waterman","tag-jonathan-osorio","tag-los-angeles-football-club","tag-mathieu-choiniere","tag-maxime-crepeau","tag-orlando-city","tag-richie-laryea","tag-stephen-eustaquio","tag-toronto-fc","tag-world-cup"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67225"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67225\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}