DEBATE ROUNDTABLE: Who should make CanMNT's 23-player Concacaf Nations League squad?
Ahead of this week's Canadian men's national team roster reveal for the Concacaf Nations League Finals in Los Angeles, a few members of OneSoccer's editorial crew put their heads together to think about who Jesse Marsch might be calling into his 23-man squad.
Charlie O'Connor-Clarke, Benedict Rhodes, Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic and Mitchell Tierney sat down on Monday to pick their own list. Check back later this week to see how they did!
This discussion has been edited for flow and clarity.
Charlie O'Connor-Clarke - Let's start in goal. Does anybody have any objections to Dayne St. Clair, Max Crépeau and Jonathan Sirois?
Benedict Rhodes - I had Tom McGill instead of Sirois. ... He's a very high potential goalkeeper; I think Sirois is very good, but I think McGill has a higher ceiling ... By being in a big tournament environment it sets him up potentially to go to something like the Gold Cup this summer, and maybe actually play.
Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic - I had St. Clair, Crépeau, Sirois. The McGill argument, I need to see more. He's a 2000, I think he's 24; he had his loan in League Two, and I just think maybe -- again, it's always hard to compare -- but Owen Goodman impressed me a lot more in his stint in League Two, and he's younger, so I think for McGill at his age, I just want him to see a bigger step next year, if it's Championship, or something, before I can throw him ahead of any of the MLS guys who are facing better competition regularly.
Mitchell Tierney - If McGill was still on loan right now and still playing week-in, week-out, there'd be more of a case for him, but for me, Sirois is playing right now, even if he hasn't had the greatest start to the MLS season. And he's been more recently in a Canada camp, and I think that's the tiebreaker for me.
COC - I agree, I think the only question for me when it comes to squad selection right now is Max Crépeau just got injured. He didn't play the last two games and wasn't very good against the Whitecaps either; obviously if he's healthy he's definitely in the squad, but either way -- it certainly leans toward St. Clair being the starter, which I think is where Marsch had been leaning anyway, but that's the thing worth watching for me in this squad announcement.
BR - Who's the third if Crepeau doesn't go for you?
COC - If Crepeau doesn't go, for me it's the same as the Timbers: James Pantemis.
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crépeau, Dayne St. Clair, Jonathan Sirois
Image courtesy of Concacaf.
COC - Alright, let's move on to defenders, let's start with centre-backs. Shall we start with locks? Moise Bombito's a lock, Derek Cornelius is a lock, are there any other lock centre-backs for you guys?
AGR - Joel Waterman.
MT - Yep.
COC - I have Waterman too, I think those three are locks.
BR - I have another centre-back too, Kamal Miller. He has experience with the national team, and that's pretty valuable if you've played at a World Cup. He's been at kind of a low, but I think Jesse Marsch is going to give him chances either at the Nations League or the Gold Cup, maybe both.
MT - I also have Kamal -- experience is one thing, but I think also in a tournament like this, and especially with the kind of stakes and emotions that are going to go into it, you want a player like Kamal who, last time we saw him in a Canada shirt he had a bloody headband on because he'd, like, gone full in against Suriname and played a fantastic game. Those are the types of players you want in your squad for a game like this.
BR - Like Doneil, post-Doneil.
MT - Yeah, exactly. You need that experience, you need that passion.
COC - And in terms of full-backs, I have Alphonso Davies, Alistair Johnston, Richie Laryea, right? My concern is Sam Adekugbe and his health. We don't know yet if he's going to be available to play in this Nations League campaign. I don't know who the extra full-back you'd bring in that case would be.
AGR - If you need next guys up I was looking at Kyle Hiebert, he's had a good start to the year with St. Louis, he knows the group, he can fill full-back, CB, which is nice to get a bit of double coverage and maybe opens you up to add another winger elsewhere. Or Zachary Brault-Guillard.
MT - They do have a little bit of extra cover, this is at right-back obviously but we've seen Laryea play as a left-back, in Niko Sigur, who can play midfield and has played right-back for Canada.
Defenders: Moise Bombito, Derek Cornelius, Alphonso Davies, Alistair Johnston, Richie Laryea, Kamal Miller, Joel Waterman
COC - Speaking of Sigur, we'll move into midfield now and if we have more spots to fill maybe we take another look at defenders.
Again, starting with the locks: Stephen Eustáquio, Ismaël Koné, Jonathan Osorio, probably?
All - Yep.
COC - I also have Ali Ahmed.
BR - I don't. I have Mathieu Choinière.
COC - I don't think Choinière has been playing...
MT - He played a few minutes this weekend, he's back and healthy.
AGR - But he'd been out for like three months before then.
BR - When he's healthy I think he's kind of an x-factor, he brings something other people don't. He's a bit like Jonathan Osorio, maybe even better on paper in 2025. It's just how match-fit and ready is he? If not, then Ali Ahmed.
COC - Ahmed's in there for me. AGR, any other thoughts on midfield?
AGR - I had Nathan Saliba. Even Choinière, before his injury he had some slumps, he wasn't always starting games for Grasshopper. Saliba finished the year so well, and he's started the year pretty well. I think Jesse Marsch really likes him, sees high potential. He's super young. I think this is kind of Saliba's moment and Choinière will have to work his way back in, maybe the Gold Cup is the way he does that.
MT - I think there's a case that you could have both Saliba and Choinière coming. With Choinière, the thing is even if he hasn't been playing for that long, he's one of those guys who's been there under Marsch the entire time, and knows exactly what he's stepping into. The risk if you bring in someone else is they don't know exactly the system, that kind of thing. In games like this where there's immediate elimination, you want as many guys who know what they're getting into in Marsch's system as possible.
BR - I guess it's probably two of Choinière, Ahmed and Saliba. And if it's on current form it's probably Ahmed and Saliba.
COC - To be fair, if you're Choinière and you haven't really played in months, I'm not sure you want to be travelling from Switzerland to LA right now. He's a player Canada probably want to get fully healthy and established at his club. So does anybody have objections to going for now with Ahmed and Saliba, and if we have a spot we give it to Choinière?
All - Sure.
Midfielders: Stephen Eustáquio, Ismaël Koné, Jonathan Osorio, Niko Sigur, Ali Ahmed, Nathan Saliba
Image courtesy of Concacaf.
COC - So that gives us seven spots for the attack. Who'd like to start by giving us a few names they've got written down?
MT - The six I have are Tajon Buchanan, Jonathan David, Cyle Larin, Promise David, Jacob Shaffelburg and Jacen Russell-Rowe.
AGR - Co-sign. Same list.
COC - Again, there's the question of Shaffelburg's health. I don't think he's played yet.
MT - But it sounds like he's close to returning.
COC - And I think unlike Choinière, if he's able to contribute at all you bring him, because he's a guy who can be explosive in five minutes off the bench and has been such an important player to this group.
So that was six names? I had Daniel Jebbison as well. Personally, I don't think the timing of the Promise David and Jebbison switches is coincidental. I think the fact this is happening now, and we're all hearing about it now, means these players are going to be integrated as quickly as possible. I think both players will be involved in this camp.
AGR - It's a must-win tournament. The only guy who's really knocked down the door is Promise David; in terms of Canadians abroad right now he's having a top three, four season. I think for Jebbison, he had a disastrous spell at Watford, he didn't score at all and the fans were turning on him. He only got saved because Bournemouth had like four strikers get injured and they were like, 'Alright, let's bring this guy back.' Even then, he still hasn't shown enough.
Knowing Jesse Marsch, he's probably like, 'Look, we'd love to have you on board. The reality is, there's a lot of in-form strikers.' I think it would be unfair to, like, Charles-Andreas Brym, who made a tough move, left Sparta Rotterdam and stayed in the Eredivisie, he's scored. If you're telling a guy like Brym, 'Sorry, Jebbison's just getting dropped in,' it kind of goes against the competition Marsch has built up.
MT - I think Jebbison gets involved soon, probably as soon as the Gold Cup this summer. For me, Promise David -- much better form in Europe, he's scoring a lot more goals, he's a penalty taker which never hurts at a tournament like this that's something to keep in mind. Jacen Russell-Rowe has been fantastic to start his MLS season. Scored in the first two games, he's in form. To some extent obviously you want to get the new names in, and maybe that was part of your recruitment, but at the same time you still want the most in-form players, who can come off the bench and make an impact.
COC - Promise David has eight goals since Christmas, and I think that's more than the rest of the Canadian attackers in Europe combined. Jonathan David has five since Christmas, Cyle Larin hasn't scored since Dec. 21. You're bringing Promise David.
MT - So we have Shaffelburg, Buchanan, Jonathan David, Promise David, Larin and Russell-Rowe.
BR - No Jayden Nelson?
MT - No, not yet. Obviously he's off to an incredible start, but I think this is a position where Canada is just more established with guys like Shaffelburg and Buchanan. They've been doing it for years with the national team.
COC - So, one name left.
BR - I don't have him in my group, for the record, but with you guys mentioning the history of performing with the national team, does it open the door for Junior Hoilett?
COC - Yeah, he scored against Suriname in the most recent window, right? And again, must-win games, familiar opposition, emotional... Hoilett is sounding like a strong contender for that 23rd spot here. So the names I don't have on our list right now: Hoilett, Nelson, Theo Bair. back to the defence we've got Kyle Hiebert not there, Zach Brault-Guillard, Mathieu Choinière not there right now. Tani Oluwaseyi I guess you could throw in there. Adekugbe, if he's healthy we put him in but not right now.
Personally I might bring Hiebert over Kamal Miller but I understand the point you guys are making about Kamal as a heart-and-soul member of this team.
AGR - My vote goes for Hoilett. One of the stats from my squad is that nine of the 11 starters from the last Nations League final are in, but only two of the guys from the bench. The bench has changed a lot, so just having a guy like Hoilett fills that gap. This team has changed so much under Jesse Marsch, and having a bit of experience who's been in these kinds of games would sway that boat for me.
MT - If you have a late set-piece in a game, there's few people you'd want on it more than Hoilett. We saw in the last window he can still make an impact. He doesn't have the best club form, but at the same time we know what he can do for Canada.
Forwards: Jonathan David, Cyle Larin, Tajon Buchanan, Jacob Shaffelburg, Promise David, Jacen Russell-Rowe, Junior Hoilett
COC - It's gone without saying here that this is a camp where results are more important than development. They need to win these games -- for the good of the future, of course. This is kind of a milestone moment for this group under Jesse Marsch, so you're going to see the strongest possible team. Keep in mind you've got a Gold Cup in the summer, you've got friendlies in the fall where you can integrate players into the fold a bit more. So, if nobody's got any objections, I'll read out our 23.
GK: St. Clair, Crépeau, Sirois
DF: Davies, Johnston, Laryea, Bombito, Cornelius, Waterman, Miller
MF: Eustáquio, Koné, Osorio, Sigur, Ahmed, Saliba
FW: J. David, Larin, Buchanan, Shaffelburg, P. David, Russell-Rowe, Hoilett
The 2025 Concacaf Nations League Finals kick off Thursday, March 20 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Canada will take on Mexico in their semi-final (10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT), and will take on either the United States or Panama in either the Final or third-place match on March 23.
The whole tournament will be available to watch live on OneSoccer.
