KEY takeaways as CanMNT reveals 23-player squad for September US, Mexico friendlies
With a successful Copa América run now firmly in their rearview mirror, the CanMNT can focus on what’s next on their journey towards co-hosting the 2026 World Cup, and that starts early next month with a pair of friendlies against Concacaf rivals US and Mexico.
Less than two weeks out from the first of those two games, which will be against the US in Kansas, Canada released their latest squad for this upcoming window, doing so on Tuesday morning.
On that list are some intriguing names, as expected, which makes sense as Jesse Marsch gets the first chance to truly work with his squad after hitting the ground running following his hiring in May.
Having embarked on a journey that saw him immediately play two top 10 sides in friendlies before jumping right into the Copa América, he finally has the chance to sit back and properly work with his team, having assessed several key members over that chaotic period.
That’s reflected in his latest 23-player squad, which features a mix of key players from this summer, combined with some new faces who were likely brought in with an eye on the future.
The 2️⃣3️⃣ as we test ourselves against our 2026 co-hosts!
— CANMNT (@CANMNT_Official) August 27, 2024
——
Les 2️⃣3️⃣ qui se mesureront à nos co-hôtes de 2026 !#CANMNT | @CIBC
Ahead of a window like this, that’s exciting, as it’ll give a chance for key players to build chemistry and partnerships while also allowing some new faces to shine. As Canada continues its journey toward the 2026 World Cup, that’s key, as they look to maintain an upward trajectory over the next two years.
With that in mind, here’s what stood out from the latest squad reveal.
Sigur, Afrifa headline new faces:
Naturally, the big storyline with any squad release is the new faces, especially if there are any first-time call-ups.
This squad doesn’t disappoint in that regard, as Marsch brought in two new names to the fold for the first time.
Both dual nationals who are eligible for other countries, that’s exciting to see, as Marsch mentioned earlier this summer that he was going to go after some players who might be able to represent multiple nations, swaying them to represent Canada. Ultimately, he wasn’t able to bring in all of the many dual nationals he said he was tracking, but two is a good start, and one can imagine that list will grow as he tries to convince others to represent Canada ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Plus, for what it’s worth, the two he’s brought in could be key for Marsch’s future plans, especially the first one.
That, of course, is Niko Sigur, who as expected earned his first Canadian call-up after the Croatian federation announced last week that he planned to switch to Canada.
A Croatian youth international, Sigur is a big coup for Canada, as he fills a key position of need as a defensive midfielder, and looked close to selecting Croatia before Marsch was able to swoop in and convince him to represent Canada.
Given Croatia’s reputation, that’s an impressive feat, as they’ve been one of the top international teams in the world over the past decade, something which likely would’ve swayed Sigur heavily. Especially seeing that he plays in their league with Hajduk Split, where he’s made almost 50 professional appearances as a 20-year-old, one would’ve thought he’d be a shoo-in to represent the country going forward.
Certainly, he was close to doing so, as he earned several call-ups to Croatia’s long list for their senior squad, making that list for the European Championships earlier this summer. As they now embarked on the 2026 World Cup cycle, it felt like only a matter of time before he turned that into a proper call-up, and then the rest would’ve been history.
Now, however, he’ll represent Canada going forward, having officially filed his switch as Canada Soccer confirmed in this release, which is an exciting prospect as he could immediately slot in the heart of their midfield and carve out a long-term position there.
“(Niko and I) over the past couple of months have gotten a chance to get to know each other and have some good conversations,” Marsch said of Sigur on Tuesday. “He had a good season at Hajduk Split, and this year he's had a few injuries he's been dealing with, but I know more than anything, he's excited to represent Canada, and this wasn’t necessarily an easy move for him to make, given the fact that he still plays in Croatia, and there are certain pressures there to be Croatian.”
“But I think more than anything, being Canadian resonated with him and he just feels that’s part of who he is, growing up here, that this meant a lot to him. We're excited to get him involved in our team, he's played some fullback and he's played midfield at the professional level and the youth level, but I think in this camp, we'll look at him mostly as a midfielder, and challenge him to fit into what we're doing from that perspective.”
Jesse Marsch opens his press conference by mentioning that he sees Niko Sigur as a midfielder for the #CanMNT right now, and that he wants to see how he slots in from that perspective in this camp
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) August 27, 2024
Elsewhere, the other big new name this window is one playing closer to home, and that’s Sporting Kansas City forward Stephen Afrifa, a 23-year-old in his second full season with the club after getting drafted last year.
Also eligible to represent Ghana, Afrifa is earning his first Canadian call-up of any kind this window and deservedly so, as he’s quietly been one of the best Canadians in MLS this season.
After seeing the field for just 95 minutes across four MLS appearances for SKC in 2023 following his draft, he broke out in 2024, playing 729 minutes across 22 games. More impressively, he’s done well in those minutes, too, scoring five goals and adding three assists, including three goals and one assist in 476 minutes of MLS play, one goal and one assist in 178 minutes of Leagues Cup play, and a goal and assist in 75 minutes of US Open Cup play.
As a result, he’s slowly started to gain a bigger role for SKC, becoming a key rotational option both as a starter and off the bench.
A big reason for that? His positional versatility, as he can play anywhere across the front line. Known as more of a striker when he was drafted out of Florida International University, he’s played on both wings and up front for Kansas this year, serving as a Swiss Army Knife for Peter Vermes.
And that’s likely a big reason why Marsch is intrigued to look at him, along with his form. Given that he’s got a lot of strikers to choose from, that Afrifa’s also able to help boost Canada’s depth on the wing is a bonus, as they don’t have as much depth at that position right now, especially with Tajon Buchanan’s injury.
Because of that, don’t be surprised if Afrifa can earn a good look in this camp, as that versatility could prove to be valuable going forward, especially if he continues his breakout. Seeing how good Tani Oluwaseyi was this summer at the Copa América, who was another second-year Canadian having a breakout year for an MLS team, Marsch has done well in the past with this type of call-up, and will hope for similar success with Afrifa.
“With Stephen Afrifa, he's had a great season,” Marsch explained. “When we evaluated him and watched him play and looked at the things that he was doing on the pitch and the kind of player he is and the potential he has, I think he can fit into what we're doing with this current team, and we're excited to get him involved. I had a conversation with him a couple of days ago, and he's excited to come in to be part of the National Team, to represent the country.”
Called Up ☎️ 🇨🇦
— Sporting Kansas City (@SportingKC) August 27, 2024
NEWS: #SportingKC forward Stephen Afrifa selected to Canada Men’s National Team for September friendlies!
📰: https://t.co/95JXcRObmb pic.twitter.com/VziCwBNz0W
Otherwise, the only two other new names in the squad are Sam Adekugbe, as the veteran left back returns to the fold after missing the Copa América due to some nagging injuries, while Jonathan Sirois slots in as the third goalkeeper after not making Canada’s squad this summer.
As for those who made way for the new quartet of names, Tom McGill, Luc De Fougerolles, Kyle Hiebert, Samuel Piette, Jacen Russell-Rowe, Tajon Buchanan and Ismaël Koné are the seven who are out from Canada’s Copa América squad, with both Buchanan and Koné missing out due to injury. 
Familiarity a big theme after a successful summer:
Moving away from the new faces, Jesse Marsch has otherwise brought back 19 players from his Copa América squad, as familiarity is a big theme in this squad, and understandably so.
Given how well Canada did at that tournament this summer, surprising onlookers by battling to a fourth-place finish, and narrowly missing out on third in a penalty shootout, Marsch will feel confident about the spine of this team.
From Maxime Crépeau in goal to his new-look back four of Alphonso Davies, Derek Cornelius, Moïse Bombito and Alistair Johnston (especially after Cornelius and Bombito’s recent moves to Ligue 1 sides Marseille and Nice, respectively), his midfield of Eustáquio and Koné, wingers like Jacob Shaffelburg and Tajon Buchanan, and striker Jonathan David, he’s got pieces at each position who he’ll look to build around going forward.
Now, the big key is to find the best way to support those players while creating competition at those various positions. For example, in midfield, while it’s expected Eustáquio and Koné hold it down long-term, Marsch could create a battle for another spot alongside them if he chooses to use more of a 4-2-3-1 formation long-term, which could open up a spot for the likes of Sigur, Ali Ahmed, Mathieu Choinière and Jonathan Osorio to all battle and earn.
Conversely, having used the 4-2-2-2, and armed with several strikers, forwards like Cyle Larin, Theo Bair, Tani Oluwaseyi and Afrifa will look to show that Marsch would be better off deploying a second forward as they look to win a spot.
Things Jesse Marsch learned about the #CanMNT this Copa:
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) July 14, 2024
-They can compete, just need more experience to beat the best
-The back 4 can be built around
-🇨🇦 has depth to create XI competition
-Koné's ceiling📈
-Crépeau🧱
-The 4-2-3-1 needs a long-term look
-David/Larin pair📉
And there are battles like that to watch all across the squad.
Yet, that’s why this friendly window is expected to be so important for this team. No doubt, the core of this team is set, and Marsch knew that from the start, noting that he felt there were about 14 or 15 guys who fit that description. Now, having had the chance to look at some faces, that group has grown slightly, even if the key starters remain evident.
Having identified that, however, his next step is to find a way to get the best out of that core group of players, especially his key pieces, and the best way to do that is to increase the depth and create competition.
Canada has done that over the years, as guys like Johnston, Bombito, Shaffelburg and more have essentially come out of nowhere with strong showings in past camps, and one will now hope the likes of Sigur and Afrifa can try to similarly push their way into the fold.
Ultimately, Canada will benefit from that, because while there is no doubting their top-end talent as a team, their depth is what will determine how good of a team they can become.
From there, they’ll want to continue to develop their identity under Marsch while building chemistry and partnerships on the pitch, and no better way to do that than in friendlies, where Marsch can experiment with his core group and provide opportunities for new faces while also giving minutes to some names he’s already heavily relied upon.
For a Canadian team that hasn’t had the chance to play many friendlies over the past few years, that’s exciting, as it can be hard to do that in competitive matches, where it’s easiest to stick with regular faces and not rock the boat too much. No doubt, there’s value in that, as Marsch himself learned this summer, but this will be a good opportunity for him to take stock of new things now that he has a baseline of knowledge and a key group of players to rely on as he continues to build up this team's identity.
“It was valuable for us to be together,” Marsch said when reflecting on the summer. “We knew from the beginning that the challenges of the opponents were going to be big, and when I looked back at those first five matches, I knew that there was a probability that we could lose all five."
"But more important than the results was the way we went about our development process together over that period, and how we got better and better, and stronger and stronger, and one of the most positive developments was when we played against Uruguay and then made some changes to the group and some guys got an opportunity that didn't get a lot of opportunities before that, it still looked like an organized, disciplined team that understood what we wanted to achieve and how we wanted to play, and that gives me a lot of optimism.” 
The big questions to answer this window:
Now, the big focus will be on the pitch, where two intriguing tests await in the US and Mexico.
Both going through transition periods, having fired their managers this summer, they’re both in a similar position to Canada, who are still finding their feet under Marsch. Unlike Canada, however, who is coming off a strong Copa América showing, both teams underperformed massively at that tournament, failing to make it out of their respective groups.
Because of that, it’s also expected that the US and Mexico will look to use this window to their advantage, allowing them to reset and start fresh ahead of the fall, helping them get back on track.
And that’s perfect for Canada, who will also want to use this window as a chance to work on some key things they learned at Copa América.
For example, the big one will be to continue to learn and adjust their tactical philosophy, having spent most of Copa América learning on the fly.
Then, from there, they’ll look to further improve areas of their game where they did well to shine, such as their defensive game which was a pleasant surprise during the tournament, and areas where they’ll want to improve, such as their attack, which struggled to get going until the last game.
Lastly, the big thing for them to figure out will be what formation they want to use going forward. No doubt, one thing is clear - Canada is going to continue to defend in Marsch’s preferred 4-2-2-2, as they remained consistent in using that throughout the tournament.
What will offer him food for thought, however, is the idea that they try attacking in a flexible 4-2-3-1, as they tried that formation in the last game and had their best offensive showing while doing so. Especially with the arrival of someone like Sigur, and the continued emergence of midfielders like Choinière and Ahmed, it could make sense to employ a midfield trio going forward, as it made a huge difference for Canada to have an extra player in midfield. Of course, that’d mean sacrificing a forward, which is tough for a group loaded at that position, but if it gets the most out of them on the pitch, it might be a call that has to be made.
Now, however, Marsch will get the chance to experiment between the two formations, seeing if there are any striker pairings or midfield trios that end up clicking, which could help him decide if he wants to lean one way or the other, and, hey, it’s not as if he has to make a permanent choice - he could also use both formations long-term, changing things up depending on the opponent.
Lastly, the big thing to watch will be to see how much Marsch rotates his squad, as he hardly did so at the Copa América until the third-place game. Given that his subs were consistently impactful off the bench in games, and that the rotated team showed several positives in the third-place game, he’ll know that he has strong depth options, and he’ll now get the chance to properly assess them.
That’s huge for the likes of Ahmed, Choinière, Oluwaseyi and Bair, for example, so look for them to try and make the most of this window.
Ultimately, they and the other names like Sigur and Afrifa could stand to benefit most from these friendlies, which could open the door for them to slot in. Similarly to how Moïse Bombito was able to carve out a starting role under Marsch off the back of his performances in Marsch’s two first friendlies in charge, there could be room for some names to step up and show that they deserve to be in Marsch’s starting eleven more regularly going forward.
“There’s a core group of 11, 12, 13 players that can continue to establish themselves,” Marsch said. “But then there's a broader player pool that we're developing, and that we need to continue to push to be the team that we want to be in a couple of years.”
