MONTREAL – We finally have the answer to what was the biggest question facing the Canadian men’s team going into the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Coach Jesse Marsch revealed on Thursday that Maxime Crépeau will be Canada’s starting goalkeeper, a decision that ends a tightly contested battle with fellow shot-stopper Dayne St. Clair that had been going on for close to two years.
But other questions remain as Canada prepares to kick off its World Cup campaign on June 12 in Toronto against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Canada faces the Republic of Ireland on Friday night at Stade Saputo in its final World Cup tune-up, a game that could provide some insight into some other big questions surrounding Marsch’s side.
Will Moïse Bombito be fully fit for the World Cup?
Bombito started in Canada’s 2-0 win over Uzbekistan in Edmonton earlier this week in his first game for club or country since last October, when he suffered a left tibia fracture while on duty with his French team OGC Nice.
Bombito was on restrictive duty vs. Uzbekistan due to his lengthy injury layoff and was subbed out in the 32nd minute. He was seen walking back to the locker room with an ice pack wrapped around his lower leg.
Considered Canada’s best defender (and one of its most important players), Bombito laboured through his first game for his country since March 23, 2025. He looked well short of match fitness against Uzbekistan and failed to make a play on a dangerous scoring chance that saw the visitors nearly open the scoring.
In an ideal world, Bombito would start against Ireland and renew his partnership with Derek Cornelius in the middle of defence at the World Cup.
But whether that happens remains to be seen — Bombito didn’t train with Canada on Thursday, putting him in doubt for the match vs. Ireland.
“We’re being patient with Moise. We’re kind of going step by step. He had a bit of a reaction after the game in Uzbekistan, so it’s taking a little bit more time. But again, he’s a guy that we’re giving every opportunity to rebound from this and show that he can be ready to play. And we haven’t even started talking about secondary options or anything else because we’re focused on making sure that we give him every opportunity,” Marsch said.
It could be that Alfie Jones, Luc de Fougerolles or Joel Waterman end up partnering Cornelius at the World Cup if one of them steps up in a big way in Montreal on Friday.
Who will replace Marcelo Flores?
A day after being named to Canada’s roster last week, midfielder Marcelo Flores ruptured his ACL in the Concacaf Champions Cup final, ruling him out of the World Cup.
Flores injured his knee when he took a non-contact fall in the 77th minute while playing for Tigres UANL against Deportivo Toluca. The incident occurred when Flores was trying to elude a defender, and he suddenly fell to the pitch in pain.
Nations have until the day before their opening game at the World Cup to replace outfield players on their roster who have suffered a serious injury. Ever since Flores was knocked out of contention, speculation has run rampant as to who might take his place in Canada’s World Cup roster.
Three players who didn’t make the cut in Canada’s original roster are in Montreal and training with the team: fullback Zorhan Bassong, centre back Ralph Priso and winger Jayden Nelson.
Priso and Nelson came off the bench in the second half for Canada against Uzbekistan, and both were outstanding. Priso helped keep things locked down at the back with his solid defensive work and passing ability, while Nelson scored in injury time to seal the win and offered Canada’s attack a touch of genuine dynamism with his fleet-footed dribbling skills. Bassong was an unused substitute.
Other players who are considered candidates to replace Flores include young forward Daniel Jebbison (who debuted for Canada last year under Jesse Marsch) and veteran winger Junior Hoilett, who has 17 goals and 16 assists in 69 appearances since making his first appearance in 2015.
Marsch revealed on Thursday that no decision has been made about who’ll replace Flores. But a strong showing by Priso or Nelson against Ireland could tip things in their favour.
“(For) Marcello’s replacement, we are waiting until after this match. We want to just use all the information we have, because we still are evaluating all of our players coming back from injury to make sure where they’re at. That being said, I think Jayden (Nelson) played very well against Uzbekistan, and certainly I think he’s made a good case for himself,” Marsch said.
“But we just need to really use all of the time we have to evaluate all our different situations to put the best squad together, and if we need to make any changes, we have to have all the information possible. So, we’ll probably make it after this game.”
Who will partner forward Jonathan David?
Jonathan David is the all-time top scorer for the Canadian men’s team with 39 goals in 76 appearances, and barring an injury, the Juventus forward will start all of Canada’s games at the World Cup.
The question about who will partner David up top in Canada’s starting 11 at the World Cup has gone unanswered for almost as long as the Crépeau vs. St. Clair debate has gone on.
The other three forwards on Canada’s World Cup roster are Cyle Larin, Promise David and Tani Oluwaseyi, and all of them bring something different to the table.
Larin ranks second in all-time scoring for Canada’s men’s team with 30 goals and is third in all-time caps with 89 (tied with former midfielder Julian de Guzman). Larin has the decided edge in terms of experience, and he’s also been in a rich vein of form since joining English club Southampton on loan in January, with nine goals in 22 appearances.
Promise David didn’t score against Uzbekistan, but he did get into dangerous scoring positions after being subbed on in the 70th minute. It was a very encouraging sign in his first game back for Canada after suffering a hip injury in February with his club, Belgian outfit Royale Union Saint-Gilloise. David is a bull-in-a-China-shop striker who bullies opposing defenders with his size and strength, but he’s also a threat to score whenever he’s in and around the box.
The criticism against Oluwaseyi is that he can be wasteful and isn’t a clinical finisher. Indeed, he had four shots against Uzbekistan but was unable to score as he squandered a few dangerous scoring chances. At the same time, he’s the fastest of Canada’s four forwards, and the only one who can stretch defences and get in behind with regularity. He set up and collected assists on both of his team’s goals vs. Uzbekistan.
Marsch didn’t drop any hints as to who he envisions starting next to Jonathan David at the World Cup.
“I think there’s a chance that it could depend on the match plan and matchups, and we know we have three very capable strikers. I think they showed that. I thought we had four good performances from (our) strikers against Uzbekistan,” Marsch said.
Still, you’d have to think that the three contenders could boost their candidacy in a major way with a strong performance vs. Ireland.
Editor’s note
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 27 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.
