One step closer. Just 40 weeks away.
After an unexpected quarterfinal exit at the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup, the Canadian men’s national team returns to the field looking to turn the page in their September friendlies against Romania and Wales.
With exhibition matches being the only remaining fixtures until the 2026 FIFA World Cup opener at Toronto FC’s BMO Field, each match presents a vital opportunity to assess.
“We've taken a strategy that these next three windows, we're almost treating like one window. So it's six matches, six good matches,” head coach Jesse Marsch told reporters in Bucharest ahead of Friday’s contest at Arena Națională.
"There are certain things we want to develop on the inside of our team to fully prepare for what next summer looks like. One of them is about our leadership and communication on the pitch, and then one is that we continue to push the entire squad.”
Roster battles continue
Canada’s preparations see roster battles at nearly every position, with some pushing for starting spots and others for inclusion in the squad. Yet, it's the goalkeeping battle between Minnesota United FC MLS All-Star Dayne St. Clair and the Portland Timbers’ Maxime Crépeau that hangs as the most significant question.
St. Clair has been viewed as the de facto No. 1 of late, earning four starts in Canada's last six matches, including three of their Gold Cup contests. However, Marsch confirmed that competition for the starting job at the upcoming World Cup remains open.
“Both goalkeepers will get a match in this window, and they know that the competition is still alive, and they've handled it incredibly well,” Marsch added. “Both have been very mature in the whole process. They understood the things that I think they both need to do to improve and be important for us, and they both supported each other at such a high level.
"It's going to come down to the finest of margins, and when the decision gets made, which we don't want to wait until right before the World Cup, it will probably be one of my most difficult and important decisions for the team.”
Leaders emerge
Outside of the goalkeeping aspect, developing leadership across the roster is a critical focus, with those heading to their second World Cup hoping to take more control and lead the younger group.
“We’ve had some interesting experiments with trying to pull more personality out of our group and to encourage them to understand that they are the ones who control what this team is,” added Marsch.
“My ultimate goal is that I can just sit on the bench and be a fan like everyone else.”
Summer moves
While he may be a national team coach, Marsch spent most of his summer helping Canadians find the best possible fits at club level for the start of the European seasons and the run towards the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs.
In total, 14 players joined new clubs since the Gold Cup, including Mathieu Choinière’s MLS return with LAFC, Nathan Saliba’s move from CF Montréal to Belgium’s Anderlecht, and Tani Oluwaseyi’s move to LaLiga’s CF Villarreal, among others.
Marsch hopes all those moves can lead to an in-form squad for next summer.
“I’m personally very excited about the potential of the squad that we will put together,” Marsch said.
“We’re very hopeful that we can have, especially with a lot of transfers over the summer, a lot of players that settle into their club situations, that can have really good form and fitness, stay healthy, and push themselves at the highest level to be ready.”
