TORONTO – Moise Bombito participated in modified training with Canada’s men’s national team on Monday as the coaching staff appears to be holding out hope that the centre-back will be available to play in the World Cup.The Athletic reported on Sunday that the defender was set to be taken out of his nation’s World Cup squad after it was determined that he would not be able to compete on a leg he broke in October while playing for French side Nice.However, despite indications that the 26-year-old would be forced to withdraw from the team, head coach Jesse Marsch did not publicly rule him out of the World Cup after Monday’s training session.“Moise, we’re just going to go day by day,” Marsch said. “I thought he looked really good today so that was a positive development for him.”Canada, drawn into Group B, begin their World Cup against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12.Marsch talking to Bombito during a game in March 2025.Bombito did not take part in the beginning of Canada’s training session, instead completing solo training for approximately 30 minutes. The beginning of the session involved 8-on-8 drills.When Bombito did return, he did not move as sharply or run with as much force as he has in the past. He wore what appeared to be tape over his shin, which is where his injury originally occurred.“Every day with Moise, you know how powerful, athletic, how good of a player he is,” Canada defender Richie Laryea said of what he saw from Bombito during training. “He always looks good, even if he’s not at a hundred percent.“I think he still looked good today. Obviously, there’s going to be a decision made on him in the next couple of days. But I hope he recovers well and very fast in the next three to four days. He’s obviously a very important piece of the team, and we would love to add him.”If Bombito does indeed miss the World Cup, his most likely replacement is Ralph Priso. The Vancouver Whitecaps centre-back has remained with Canada’s team and played in the second half of their friendly against Uzbekistan last week.However, there is more concerning news for Canada on the injury front: Priso did not train with the team on Monday, taking part in what Canada called “return to play” training. When Priso was on the field, he was in running shoes, not cleats.“(Priso) picked up a little bit of muscle strain,” Marsch said. “So that’s why we didn’t play him in in the game against Ireland. We think that he’ll be ready to start training in the next day or so.”Besides Priso, Canada do not have any other extra centre-backs training with the team.If Bombito does indeed miss the World Cup, Priso his most likely replacement (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)Canada received some positive news with their lengthy list of injuries on Monday as Jacob Shaffelburg and Ali Ahmed, who took part in their first full training sessions with Canada. Both have been dealing with respective hamstring injuries.Alphonso Davies remained in return-to-play training. The Bayern Munich full-back did not train with the team, instead running on a secondary pitch for the entire session.Canada’s training session was upbeat with Marsch spending most of the second half of the session projecting positivity through a finishing drill.Canada has struggled to score, and Marsch’s aim was to get Canada’s attackers to embrace simpler movements near the goal. Marsch continued to project positivity through the session. Of note, Ismael Kone looked impressive during the finishing drill. His shots came off with accuracy and power.“We want (Kone) to be a bigger part of final plays, getting in the box,” Marsch said. “Ismael was putting (the ball) in the upper corner and burying a lot of chances. We need to get him more looks, no doubt.”Jun 8, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms