EDMONTON – Canada’s poor luck with injuries isn’t just continuing; it has taken the worst possible turn.Canada head coach Jesse Marsch confirmed on Sunday that attacking midfielder Marcelo Flores ruptured his ACL during the Concacaf Champions Cup final on Saturday and will miss the World Cup.“We’re obviously disappointed for (Flores),” Marsch said. “All the guys had been asking about him all last night and all this morning. I was trying to give updates to the team on where things were at. We were all fearing that he wouldn’t have something like this, because it obviously didn’t look like a good injury. But our hearts are with him.”After entering as a substitute in the 63rd minute in the final between Tigres and Toluca, Flores took on Toluca’s Santiago Simón with the ball inside the Toluca box. Flores shifted back and forth multiple times before his right knee appeared to give out. He immediately hit the ground.Flores’ injury looked catastrophic as it unfolded. The television broadcast showed Flores clutching his right knee. He required assistance to walk off the pitch, unable to put pressure on his knee.“The big picture is not encouraging,” Tigres head coach Guido Pizarro said of Flores postgame.Marsch said Sunday he has not yet named a replacement for Flores.“We’re going to take a little time to just evaluate a few different things,” Marsch said.Flores was the final dual national Marsch worked to recruit before the World Cup. Flores was born in Georgetown, Ontario. His father, Ruben, was a former Mexican professional player. While Flores was coming up through Arsenal’s academy, he was touted by both Mexico and Canada’s national teams. Though he showed interest in Canada, Flores ultimately chose Mexico. He was cap-tied by Mexico and represented the senior national team three times.Because those three appearances came before the age of 21, Flores was still eligible for a FIFA one-time switch. Marsch began meeting with Flores late in 2025 in the hopes of bolstering Canada’s attack and changing Flores’ career. Flores’ dynamic play and shifty dribbling ability injected life into Canada’s attack during the March international window.“It was my dream to play for the Mexican national team because that’s the only thing I had been through … until Jesse told me to open my eyes,” Flores told The Athletic in March.Canada must now consider other options to fill the role Flores occupied. The issue for Marsch, however, is that no attacking player at his disposal is as versatile as Flores. When Marsch listed just four forwards on his squad, there was some thought that Flores could serve as the fifth forward in case of injury. Flores has played largely as a left winger this year for Tigres, while also spending time as an attacking midfielder and as a right winger.The first option would be to make a like-for-like replacement and bring Jayden Nelson into the World Cup squad. The 23-year-old Austin FC winger is a pacey and elusive attacker who can play different positions, as Flores does. Whether Nelson offers the upside Flores has remains to be seen, but the fact that Nelson featured so regularly for Canada in 2025 should be a vote of confidence. He is enjoying a solid start to his MLS season, bagging two goals in just 455 minutes.Nelson is the only extra attacking player Marsch kept with the team after naming his 26-man World Cup squad on Friday. The other two players still travelling with the Canadian team for their upcoming friendlies are defenders Ralph Priso and Zorhan Bassong.While Nelson would be the most seamless addition to the team, Marsch has to consider other options as well.Marsch is still entering the World Cup with just four forwards, one of whom is coming off hip surgery and has not played since February. A further injury to one of those forwards during the World Cup could paralyze Canada’s attack.While both Jacen Russell-Rowe and Daniel Jebbison were two of the three players sent home from Canada’s training camp, both should remain on high alert. For a team that has trouble scoring to begin with, Canada’s lack of forwards is concerning. Russell-Rowe in particular offers some of the speed and ability to attack the goal from outside the box that Flores would have for Canada.This is a developing story and will be updated.