CANADIANS ABROAD: What hot starts for Canadian centre backs in MLS could mean for CanMNT
Through the first two weeks of the MLS season, an early theme has emerged from a Canadian perspective - this campaign could be a big one for Canadian centre backs in the league.
From an already-established CanMNT regular like Kamal Miller, to names on the cusp of the National Team like Moïse Bombito, Zac McGraw, Lukas MacNaughton and Joel Waterman, there have been several Canadians who have hit the ground running so far this year with their clubs, which is nice to see.
And that’s huge for Canada, who continue to look at all long-term options at that position going forward, especially as some of their main options from the last five years age out, such as a 37-year-old Steven Vitória.
A position that has been seen as a weakness since 2019, when then CanMNT coach John Herdman noted that his team lacked “tier one” options at the position, it led them to exhaust every option possible to try and find names who can fit in there. And from bringing in young dual-nationals like Luc De Fougerolles, to trying full backs like Alistair Johnston at the position, they’ve certainly done their best not to leave any stone overturned in that search over the last few years.
Now, however, there appears to be a handful of names worth keeping an eye out for in MLS, giving them depth at the position.
Here’s a look at a few new faces who have stood out so far this season.
Moïse Bombito showing long-term potential for Colorado Rapids:
Quickly, Moïse Bombito became a name to watch last year as a prospect worth keeping an eye on at centre back for Canada.
As soon as he was drafted third overall in the MLS SuperDraft by the Colorado Rapids as a 21-year-old, his name immediately jumped onto the CanMNT radar, as he put up some dominant numbers in his last season of college with New Hampshire, in which he shone as a 6’4” ball-playing centre back.
Because of that, many were keeping an eye on him to see if he’d be able to get some minutes with the Rapids first team, where there appeared to be a path for him to jump straight in and earn minutes given his pedigree, foregoing the seasoning in MLS Next Pro that draft picks usually get these days.
Unfortunately, it took a bit longer than expected to get there, as an early-season knee injury set him back, but he was eventually able to do just that, playing 14 games for the Rapids' first team across all competitions compared to just four in Next Pro.
Most importantly, he started and went 90 minutes in six of Colorado’s last 10 games, too, only missing out on two of those matches as he joined the CanMNT for their October window, setting the tone for him to have an even bigger year in 2024.
And through two games, that appears to have been the case, as he’s started both of the Rapids games so far.
Not only that, but he’s playing a new position, too, as last year, he rotated between playing as the outside centre back in a back three and a full back in a back four, splitting his time at both positions.
Under new manager Chris Armas this year, however, he’s been playing as the right centre back in a back four and has looked excellent in the new role, shining despite a 4-1 opening-day loss to Portland, before putting up a dominant showing in a 1-1 draw with Nashville this past weekend.
To begin, he’s been excellent in possession, completing 67 out of 72 passes against Portland and 57 out of 62 passes against Nashville, completing 5/8 long passes across both games, as well as 18 out of 24 passes that he’s attempted into the final third. 
Bombito's pass map from Portland (on the left) and Nashville (on the right)
Yet, that shows his excellent ball-playing ability, which was touted as one of his best attributes in college, showing why he’s seen as a modern centre-back.
But for the success he’s had on the ball, he’s been quite good off it, too. Against Portland, he won a respectable 5/9 defensive duels and 3/6 aerial duels, while also putting up 8 interceptions, 13 recoveries and 3 clearances.
Then, he was even better against Nashville, winning 4/5 defensive duels, 5/12 aerial duels and 4/4 loose ball duels, adding 3 interceptions, 16 recoveries and 2 clearances, including 1 big goal-line clearance. 
Bombito's defensive recoveries against Portland (on the left) and Nashville (on the right)
And when watching the game against Nashville, he was very assertive on both sides of the ball, looking decisive every time he was in possession, while remaining commanding every time he entered a duel, successful or not (even if it was more often the former than the latter).
Doing well to make life tough for Nashville’s attackers every time they got near him, it was a dominant showing, one that was unlucky not to be rewarded for a clean sheet, something his team only failed to get after giving away a sloppy penalty on a handball from Jonathan Lewis.
Yet, these performances are showing why he needs to be looked at as a potential starting centre back for the CanMNT.
Having earned three call-ups last year, in which he was able to win four caps (all coming at the Gold Cup), he’s already been thrust onto the Canadian radar, with then-manager John Herdman noting that he sees ‘Ismaël Koné and Jonathan David-like’ potential in Bombito.
Despite that, he hardly got to show his best stuff for Canada, as he spent most of the Gold Cup playing as an emergency #6 after a late injury to Stephen Eustáquio, playing just one game, a 0-0 draw against Guatemala, in his natural centre back position. He was okay at the #6, but he often looked uncomfortable, which is unsurprising given that it’s a role he’d never gotten to play professionally, making some wonder if it would’ve been better to give him more reps at centre back.
But now, he deserves every chance to play the position, as he’s the sort of player Canada needs to look at in the long-term.
From his unique physical profile as a 6’4” centre back who can run like a full back, to his technical profile of a ball-playing centre back, he brings all of the skills that many have felt Canada have lacked at this position.
And given that he’s still young, only about to turn 24 this month, he’s got a lot of growing still to do, such as in his aerial game and his positioning, which will only improve with time.
It might lead to some growing pains in the short-term, but it could pay off long-term, as he certainly has the potential to become dominant in MLS over the next year or two, before making a jump to a club in Europe, where there will be no shortage of suitors based on his profile.
So for Canada, it would be a no-brainer to start building around him at the back, especially if they want to switch to a back-four long-term from a back-five, as his profile is perfect for that sort of switch, as he would project nicely alongside someone like Kamal Miller or Derek Cornelius in the short-term, and players like Luc De Fougerolles in the long-term.
Of course, it’s early days in this MLS season, so he’ll need to build off this strong start, but it’s a good sign of what could be to come for him.
Lukas MacNaughton’s flying under the radar for Nashville:
With the intricacies of the position, sometimes centre backs can hit their prime much later than players at other positions. Lukas MacNaughton is proving to be a reminder of that, as despite being about to turn 29 this week, he continues to grow his game with Nashville.
There, he’s continued to be a crucial part of their defence, which remains one of the best in MLS, as he’s done since he arrived at the club via a trade with Toronto FC last year.
Of course, US international and perennial MLS Best XI nominee, Walker Zimmerman, remains the key piece at the back there, but MacNaughton has proven to be a perfect partner for Zimmerman.
Just look at last year’s numbers, as Zimmerman had better aerial numbers (59.4-44), tackles (31-19), and blocks (31-12) than MacNaughton. Of course, Zimmerman played 600 more minutes than MacNaughton, but even when considering that, he had the clear edge in those categories.
On the flip side, despite the discrepancy in minutes, MacNaughton was a better passer (86.3-84.4), especially on short passes (93-86.5), intercepted the ball at a higher rate (32-32) and was a better dribbler (MacNaughton’s averaged 20 yards more on progressive carries per game than Zimmerman).
What that shows is that Zimmerman usually does a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of winning aerials, tackles and duels, MacNaughton did a good job of helping him with the other sides of the game, such as defending the space around Zimmerman, as well as the passing side of the game.
And so far, MacNaughton looks set to build off that this year, as he’s had two good showings against the Red Bulls and Colorado in MLS play. There, he was on the field for just one goal against, won 9/11 of his defensive duels, and has 15 interceptions, 23 recoveries and 15 clearances across both games, with the lone blemish being his aerial duels, of which he’s only won 35.7%.
Because of that, he’s thrown himself right into the mix for the CanMNT. He has just one call-up in his career, coming in more of an MLS-heavy squad at the end of 2022, but he feels poised to change that this year, as he deserves to be in the mix of those competing for the four to six spots usually available at centre back.
Nashville SC loves Canada! 🇨🇦
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) March 2, 2024
Lukas MacNaughton and Jacob Shaffelburg will hope to finally cement #CanMNT spots with strong showings in #MLS this season... can Woobens Pacius also get a look? 👀
WATCH ▶️https://t.co/nvQH0sxUp8 pic.twitter.com/M31dop1P91
Given his skillset, he could make a lot of sense to try out as a complementary piece beside a centre back with a profile like Bombito or Cornelius, which would be similar to what he does with Zimmerman.
Plus, given that MacNaughton mostly plays in a back four for Nashville, he’s another option who would have familiarity with that system, which is important to keep in mind if Canada does use that formation.
Because of that, keep an eye on him, as his stock continues to quietly rise with strong performances in MLS with Nashville.
Joel Waterman’s quiet breakout continues:
In the blink of an eye, Joel Waterman has gone from a fresh face at CF Montréal trying to prove himself after a year in the CPL, to a veteran heading into his fifth season at the club.
As a result, he’s stepped up as a leader this year, named as one of the club’s co-captains, just showing his status as one of the team’s veterans.
Yet, while he’s grown a lot as a leader in the traditional sense, he’s also grown a lot as a leader on the field, embracing a new role last year.
There, he stepped into the middle of Montréal’s back three after the surprise trade of Rudy Camacho, after playing as more of a right centre back since coming to Montréal.
And he’s maintained that role under new head coach Laurent Courtois, who has trusted Waterman to play a big part in what he wants this Montréal side to become tactically.
So far, Waterman has responded to the challenge, too, as Montréal has claimed four out of six points in two road games, drawing Orlando City 0-0 in week one before responding with a 2-1 win over FC Dallas in week two.
There, Waterman played a big role in those wins, on both sides of the ball.
To begin, he was very active in possession, completing 40 out of 44 passes against Orlando, and then 60 out of 67 passes against Dallas, for a total of 90.1% pass accuracy. Most of those passes were short, as he attempted just four passes into the final third, but he was responsible for making a lot of key short passes to help his team build up.
Then, defensively, he’s done well, winning 2/4 defensive duels, 3/4 aerial duels and 4/5 loose ball duels, as well as 1 slide tackle, 11 interceptions, 21 recoveries and 8 clearances, doing what he’s needed to do in the middle of that back three.
Because of that, he’s worth monitoring from a CanMNT perspective, as that sort of profile would make him an ideal Steven Vitória replacement. Especially given that he’s got familiarity with Miller, and has earned multiple Canada call-ups, that would help him in that transition, which can only be handy.
At the very least, however, he should be in the mix, with his strong play at Montréal being a big reason why. 
Other names to watch:
While Bombito, Waterman and MacNaughton will all have strong chances at earning calls later this month, they’re not the only ones to watch, either.
To begin, Zac McGraw has formed a good partnership with Miller at Portland, where his aerial prowess has been a good match for Miller’s ball-playing ability, which is a pairing the CanMNT could look to want to try and emulate for familiarity purposes.
Meanwhile, Kyle Hiebert will look to thrust his name back into the mix once he returns from injury for St.Louis, as his ability to win aerial and ground duels could be worth looking at, especially if he can improve on the ball.
Then, long-term, someone like Belal Halbouni could be worth watching at the Whitecaps, where he was recently signed, as it looks like Vanni Sartini sees him in long-term plans as a ball-playing centre back. And the same goes for Sal Mezzaferro, who could look to earn a promotion to Austin’s first team after shining for their second team last year.
So all-in-all, there’s a lot to keep an eye out for with Canadian centre backs in MLS this year, and strong starts from Bombito, MacNaughton, Waterman and Miller are but a taste of what could be to come from the position this season, which will be important to monitor for the CanMNT.
