TORONTO, May 30 : Alphonso Davies will play for Canada at the World Cup, the final squad announcement relieving the nation's fears that the injured captain wouldn't be better in time.The 26-man team was announced Friday, containing few surprises. As expected, Bayern Munich's Davies is included in the squad, as are other prominent players like Jonathan David of Juventus.The Canadian squad was announced on TV, with drone-based footage showing a banner of each member high up on Toronto's signature CN Tower.
Much of the chatter around the announcement has been about Davies, who suffered a hamstring injury in the Champions League semi-final against Paris St Germain. Canada coach Jesse Marsch has previously said Davies would be in the squad. Marsch has also said Davies would join the rest of the team in Edmonton on May 31, allowing time for his injury to heal. His team mates spent this week training in Charlotte, North Carolina. Marsch has struggled with his starting goalkeeper choice, admitting feeling "tormented" in picking between Maxime Crepeau of Orlando City and Dayne St. Clair of Inter Miami. His choice is not expected for a few days. Davies is an exception to the general anonymity of soccer players to most Canadians, who favour ice hockey, American-style football, basketball and baseball. The Bundesliga full back is known to millions, gathering swarms of fans at the 2022 World Cup. David also has a large following in Canada, particularly with its millions of citizens of Italian and Haitian descent. One popular 2022 player is not in the squad: Junior Hoilett. The longtime squad member has slowed in his 36th year, and Marsch is known to emphasize speed. Marsch, an American, is a prominent coach, having managed both Germany's RB Leipzig in 2021 and England's Leeds United in 2022-23, as well as winning numerous honours in the MLS, both as a coach and a player. Soccer has become a much more popular spectator sport in Canada in recent years, with English and Spanish football leagues becoming widely followed, a national league forming, and Major League Soccer seeing strong fan support. Canada squad:Goalkeepers: Maxime Crépeau from Orlando City SC, Owen Goodman from Barnsley FC (on loan from Crystal Palace FC), and Dayne St. Clair from Inter Miami FC.Defenders: Moïse Bombito from OGC Nice, Derek Cornelius from Olympique de Marseille, Alphonso Davies from Bayern Munich, Luc de Fougerolles from Fulham FC, Alistair Johnston from Celtic FC, Alfie Jones from Middlesbrough FC, Richie Laryea from Toronto FC, Niko Sigur from Hajduk Split and Joel Waterman from Chicago Fire FC.Midfielders: Ali Ahmed from Norwich City FC, Tajon Buchanan from Villarreal CF, Mathieu Choinière from LAFC, Stephen Eustáquio from FC Porto, Marcelo Flores from Tigres UANL, Ismaël Koné from U.S. Sassuolo Calcio, Liam Millar from Hull City FC, Jonathan Osorio from Toronto FC, Nathan Saliba from R.S.C. Anderlecht and Jacob Shaffelburg from LAFC.Forwards: Jonathan David from Juventus FC, Promise David from Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, Cyle Larin from RCD Mallorca, and Tani Oluwaseyi from Villarreal CF.
