EDMONTON – Canada earned a hard-fought victory over World Cup debutants Uzbekistan in their penultimate friendly before the tournament begins, with goals from substitutes Jonathan Osorio and Jayden Nelson, the latter who is one of the players still training with the team despite not making the squad.Jesse Marsch’s side will face the Republic of Ireland in Montreal on Friday, their final warm-up game before their tournament opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto on June 12.Given the conditions — the rain was pouring down for much of the game — and that Marsch made the first of many of substitutions after 30 minutes, this was an understandably fragmented game.Uzbekistan did have a couple of strong chances in the first half, with Maxime Crepeau twice saving well from visiting captain Eldor Shomurodov. For the hosts, there were moments in which they got into strong positions only to be let down by their final ballAs the game wore on, Canada’s attacking substitutes started to create more clear chances and finally opened the scoring through Jonathan Osorio just before the hour, the veteran midfielder taking advantage of some weak goalkeeping.Promise David thought he’d scored late on, but was flagged offside after his confident finish before Neslon had the last word, finishing coolly from Tani Oluwaseyi’s pass.Joshua Kloke breaks down the key talking points from the Commonwealth Stadium in EdmontonCanada used a split squad. Who stood out?Only two players started both halves for Canada: Jonathan David and Derek Cornelius. Otherwise, there were enough changes to make this friendly feel like a genuine split-squad game for Canada.Even in limited minutes, there was reason to feel plenty optimistic about multiple Canadians.Liam Millar, Ismael Kone and Alistair Johnston were part of a starting XI that certainly felt like the starting XI Marsch will roll out against Bosnia and Herzegovina in their World Cup opener on June 12. And all three looked comfortable and dominant in possession through the first half. Canada are not a team that often enjoy the lion’s share of the ball, but they did in the first half against Uzbekistan. Even as the visitors made pointed efforts to foul Canada into submission, Millar, Kone and Johnston persisted with clever passing and movement. Millar in particular was dangerous in attack and while defending close to his goal. All three feel on track to have strong World Cups.Liam Millar caught the eye with his direct running and trickery (Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)It was always the plan for Richie Laryea and Moise Bombito to play 30 minutes each as they work their way back from respective injuries. Both started and looked pacey and comfortable in and out of possession. Seeing Bombito leave the field, however, with a slight limp and an ice pack over his previously injured left tibia was concerning. However Canada Soccer later confirmed Bombito did not suffer any new injury through his 30 minutes.Other Canadians who looked effective in limited minutes: Luc de Fougerolles, who put his body on the line after previously suffering a concussion. Stephen Eustaquio was typically resilient in his play. His attacking game was impressive.