Experimental squad? Stars take break? 3 KEY TAKEAWAYS from the CanMNT roster

Fresh off a Concacaf Nations League finals loss to the United States, the Canadian men's national team won't have too much time to sit and wait for a shot at redemption as John Herdman announced Monday morning his 23-player squad for the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup.

Highlighting the list are a few new faces, some returning talents, and a few surprise veterans returning to the fold in what was expected to be a younger, leaner team. Here are 3 takeaways from the CanMNT's Gold Cup roster.

New trio ushering in CanMNT's next gen

Among the names listed on the team, fans will immediately spot three names that aren't typically called up: Namely, defender Zac McGraw of the Portland Timbers, Ali Ahmed of the Vancouver Whitecaps and Jacen Russell-Rowe of the Columbus Crew.

The biggest newcomer is McGraw, a dual-national centre-back with tremendous upside that Herdman and his staff are reportedly quite high on. His inclusion is great for a few reasons, as he looks to bring more depth to a position of need across a back three that needs centre-back depth. But, having lost out on Aidan Morris for the Nations League, getting a dual national on board will feel doubly good for Canada, too.

Ahmed's fine form for Vancouver has earned him a much-deserved look, as he'll look to bounce back from a rough injury during the Canadian Championship with a strong showing in the Gold Cup. Ditto for Jacen Russell-Rowe, who will want to use the Gold Cup as an opportunity to raise his own game and his own standing in the Canadian striker pecking order.

In fact, beyond the newcomers, there are a few other players who will hope to impress during the Gold Cup. Whether it's Dayne St. Clair, Moise Bombito, Dominick Zator, Victor Loturi and Jacob Shaffelburg, the Gold Cup presents a key opportunity to earn the trust of the Canadian coaching staff, and take a big step forward. As Canada looks ahead to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, this tournament is a first step toward introducing a new generation of options into the depth chart.

Wait a second... where's the starpower?

While there are a number of new faces in the squad, this is still very much a group of usual call-ups; whether it's through Milan Borjan, Sam Adekugbe, Richie Laryea, Kamal Miller, Steven Vitoria, Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio, David Wotherspoon, Lucas Cavallini or Junior Hoilett, this is still a Canada team bursting with natural starters.

But... there are a few key names not on the squad, and they are quite obvious: Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David, Cyle Larin, Ismael Kone, Alistair Johnston and Tajon Buchanan are all out, having endured a long European soccer season and each facing the prospect of recovering and potentially moving to new outfits.

Eustaquio's inclusion is a huge plus for Canada, as he could have taken time off himself after helping FC Porto to three trophies this season, but with just five midfield options, Herdman will likely try out a number of different combinations as he tinkers with this experimental roster. So, while Davies and David and co. will be missed, there are bigger moves in motion here, too.

Who else is not on the squad

As with every squad, the list of names called up naturally incurs discussion around the names not called up.

And this time around, the biggest missing name is CF Montréal midfielder Mathieu Choiniere, who has impressed in 2023 but failed to earn a call-up for both the Nations League and the Gold Cup. A Nations League exclusion made sense in the context of giving the 2022 World Cup brotherhood one last bow together, but his absence in the Gold Cup squad – particularly with the inclusion of Wotherspoon, who is unlikely to figure into the 2026 World Cup team anyway – is curious.

He's not the only CFMTL player off the list, though; Joel Waterman and Jonathan Sirois are notable absences. Toronto FC's Mark-Anthony Kaye remains out of the picture, too, while Ike Ugbo, Kyle Hiebert and Lukas MacNaughton miss out as well. And, despite a recent surge in scoring form, Jayden Nelson misses out on a call-up, too.

Then there are a couple of names we may have hoped to see who were either not called up or chose not to accept: Namely, dual nationals Luca Koleosho and Daniel Jebbison. The Gold Cup was an opportunity to officially cap-tie both of these potential Canadian internationals, so their absence may be a sign of intention. While speculation around the two have swirled for years now, this Gold Cup window seems like the most natural call-in point, so perhaps this is the writing on the wall as far as these two are concerned.