Sports
Marsch Selects 10 MLS Players as Canada Launches 2030 World Cup Cycle
Canada head coach Jesse Marsch has called up a 26-man roster for the national team's first camp of the 2030 FIFA World Cup cycle, including 10 players from Major League Soccer clubs.
The goalkeeping group features Owen Goodman of Dundee FC, James Pantemis of the Portland Timbers, and Dayne St. Clair of Inter Miami CF. The defensive unit includes Derek Cornelius (Olympique de Marseille), Richard Chukwu (Toronto FC), Luc de Fougerolles (Real Salt Lake), Jovan Ivanisevic (FK Sarajevo), Alfie Jones (Middlesbrough FC), Richie Laryea (Toronto FC), Ralph Priso (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), and Niko Sigur (Toulouse FC).
In midfield, Marsch selected Jeevan Badwal (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Tajon Buchanan (Villarreal CF), Mathieu Choinière (LAFC), Stephen Eustáquio (Swansea City), Junior Hoilett (currently unattached), Liam Millar (Birmingham City), Samuel Piette (CF Montréal), Nathan Saliba (Villarreal CF), and Jacob Shaffelburg (LAFC). The forward line consists of Jonathan David (Atlético de Madrid), Promise David (Brighton & Hove Albion), Daniel Jebbison (AFC Bournemouth), Cyle Larin (Southampton FC), Tani Oluwaseyi (Villarreal CF), and Jacen Russell-Rowe (Toulouse FC).
Canada will play three friendlies during this expanded international window, which was designed to reduce disruption to club schedules worldwide. The team faces Chile on Saturday, September 26 at BMO Field in Toronto at 7 p.m. ET, followed by Peru on Saturday, October 3 at Stade Saputo in Montréal at 2 p.m. ET. The window closes with a match against the United States on Tuesday, October 6 at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota, at 8 p.m. ET. The U.S. also served as a co-host of the 2026 World Cup.
Among the 10 MLS call-ups, five players were part of Canada's 2026 World Cup squad. Toronto FC's Richie Laryea and Real Salt Lake's Luc de Fougerolles were regular starters during that tournament run, while LAFC duo Mathieu Choinière and Jacob Shaffelburg also saw playing time. Inter Miami's Dayne St. Clair served as backup goalkeeper to Orlando City's Maxime Crépeau, who is absent from this camp due to a personal matter.
Vancouver Whitecaps homegrown midfielder Jeevan Badwal joins with one international cap, matching Portland Timbers goalkeeper James Pantemis. Toronto FC defender Richard Chukwu, who signed a homegrown contract in July, remains uncapped.
Ten players in the squad have MLS ties through past club or academy affiliations, most notably the Villarreal CF trio of Tajon Buchanan (formerly of the New England Revolution), Nathan Saliba (CF Montréal), and Tani Oluwaseyi (Minnesota United FC). Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies, a former Vancouver Whitecaps player, is unavailable for this camp as he celebrates his recent marriage and honeymoon.
Marsch signed a contract extension before the 2026 World Cup that will keep him in charge of the Canadian men's national team through 2030. He was first appointed in May 2024 after previously managing CF Montréal and Red Bull New York, and has since guided Canada to significant milestones. The team made history at the 2026 World Cup by advancing from the group stage and defeating South Africa 1-0 in the Round of 32, before falling 3-0 to Morocco in the Round of 16. Canada also finished fourth at the 2024 Copa América under Marsch and reached a program-record No. 26 in the FIFA World Rankings.