KEY TAKEAWAYS: In-form stars and the return of Buchanan, Koné headlines CanMNT November squad
For the first time since July, the CanMNT are back in competitive action, as they get set to face Suriname in the Concacaf Nations League quarter-finals later this month.
Starting with leg one in Paramaribo on Friday, November 15th, and followed up by leg two in Toronto on Tuesday, November 19th, it promises to be a big week for this Canadian side.
One looking to win their first trophy since 2000, the road towards that starts here, as they look to become the first team not named the US to win the Nations League in its fourth edition. Having come so close before, falling to the Americans in the 2023 final, that’ll be on the minds of this Canadian group, especially after falling in the quarter-finals of last year’s tournament.
After a landmark Copa América run, where they reached the semi-finals in their first-ever participation in that tournament, they’ve proved they can go up against some of the top teams in the world and not back down. Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, that was encouraging to see, as it shows that they’ll be able to make some noise as co-hosts of that tournament.
Now, however, before they look too far ahead, they want to become a dominant force in Concacaf, and there’s no better place to start than with this tournament. Having shown a good account of themselves in recent friendlies against Concacaf opposition, beating the US and Panama while drawing Mexico, they enter this tournament filled with confidence.
Yet, credit for that can go to head coach, Jesse Marsch, who has instilled a new energy in this group.
Speaking of this group, he revealed his latest squad on Friday, naming which 23 players will participate in these quarter-finals. After running a preparation camp in Toronto in the week leading up to this announcement with out-of-season MLS players, he’s narrowed down his group, and will now look to lean on that side as they get set for this next challenge.
CANMNT roster announced for November Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals against Suriname 🍁
— CANMNT (@CANMNT_Official) November 8, 2024
Tickets for the return leg in Toronto on 19 November start at $25 (plus applicable fees) and are available for purchase now: https://t.co/0uYB2RAXPg#CANMNT
With that in mind, here are three takeaways from that squad reveal.
Injuries play a big role in squad selection - in multiple ways:
Naturally, with European seasons now in full swing, and North American seasons coming to an end, that can end up providing quite the squad selection headache for coaches in Concacaf.
Within one squad, some players can be in the form of their lives, while others might not have played for over a month, which can be tough to balance for a coach.
Plus, as Marsch will have seen from his squad selection in this camp, injuries can play a key role, too.
In particular, he’ll be without the services of two key players in this window after they recently sustained injuries - Liam Millar and Derek Cornelius.
For what it’s worth, Cornelius shouldn’t be out too long based on initial reports out of Marseille after exiting their second-last game before the break on a stretcher, but Millar of course remains out long-term after suffering a knee injury, which was a big blow given that he’d recently found some excellent form for club and country.
The good news, however? While the injury bug might take away some key Canadian pieces from Marsch to rely upon during this camp, it’s also going to provide him with some new faces, as some key names have also returned from recent ailments ahead of this window.
First, there’s Tajon Buchanan, who has recently returned from a leg injury sustained at the Copa América, allowing him to be included in this squad for the first time since that tournament. That’s key, as with Millar’s injury, there were some worries about Canada’s winger depth, something that Buchanan’s return will be key in helping alleviate.
LOOK WHO’S BACK 👀
— CANMNT (@CANMNT_Official) November 8, 2024
Tajon makes his return to the #CANMNT squad following his injury 💪
——
REGARDEZ QUI EST LÀ 👀
Tajon fait son retour avec le groupe #CANMNT suite à sa blessure 💪 https://t.co/2ffxOcOJeY pic.twitter.com/cfpaZJxTDU
Then, there’s also the return of Ismaël Koné, who hasn’t played for Canada since the Copa América, having sustained a pair of different ankle injuries before the September and October windows. Ahead of some competitive games, having him return into midfield will be a big boost for this Canadian side, especially if he can build off some of his performances for Canada this summer.
Lastly, there’s the return of Alistair Johnston, who missed out on the October camp as he dealt with a niggling issue. Given the time to rest in that window, that decision paid off massively for him - he’s been in fantastic form as of late for Celtic, on both sides of the ball, which is very encouraging for Marsch.
Otherwise, there aren’t too many changes to note with this camp, other than the inclusion of two veterans, who have slotted in to help deal with the injuries of Cornelius and Millar - winger Junior Hoilett, who is back in the squad for the first time since the Copa América (which he missed due to an injury picked up in camp), while Kamal Miller is back in after missing the October window.
Tough lineup decisions ahead:
Now that Marsch has selected his squad for this window, however, it’s worth noting that he now faces some tough lineup decisions ahead of both matches.
In particular, for the first time since his arrival, he’ll be forced to make some big changes at the back, which will be interesting to monitor.
To begin, there’s the battle in goal, which is as tight as ever, with Dayne St.Clair in fantastic form for Minnesota United as of late, while Maxime Crépeau struggled to end the year with the Portland Timbers. As explored last week, St.Clair deserves to get a look in this window based on his form, but he’ll be a tough decision to make, as Crépeau has been excellent under Marsch.
Marsch hasn’t been afraid in giving St.Clair opportunities over the past few months, playing him in a friendly against the Netherlands, the Copa América third-place match against Uruguay and a friendly against Mexico, but starting him in a key competitive match would represent a big step. Because of that, it’ll be intriguing to see how he handles this situation, given that he has two good options to look at there.
Goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair had another standout performance as Minnesota United defeat Real Salt Lake on penalties 🧱
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 3, 2024
They advance to the Western Conference semifinals and will face LA Galaxy next. pic.twitter.com/3bpeFKcMmc
Then, at centre back, Cornelius’s injury will lead Marsch to experiment, having settled upon the pairing of Cornelius and Moïse Bombito as his first choice pairing. With Cornelius’s absence, it remains to be seen if Kamal Miller will slot right in as the left-sided centre back, or if Joel Waterman earns a look even if it means one of him or Bombito slotting to their less familiar left side.
Having both sporadically played under Marsch due to the strong performances of Bombito and Cornelius, it remains to be seen who is preferred, but it’ll be a big opportunity for whoever wins this race, as they’ll be leaned upon heavily across these two legs.
Beyond the backline, however, Marsch has other tough decisions to make elsewhere, too.
First, there’s the question of what to do in midfield, as the return of Ismaël Koné opens up some intriguing questions. Having been buoyed by strong showings from Stephen Eustáquio and Mathieu Choinière in his absence, does Marsch stick with that duo, leaving Koné to come off that bench, or does he take one out, with Choinère the likely sacrificial piece to reunite Koné and Eustáquio?
Or, as a third option, do we see Choinière and Eustáquio stick together, and instead have Koné join them, slotting in as a #10 in front of them in a formation tweak to the 4-2-3-1 from Marsch’s preferred 4-2-2-2? It’ll mean sacrificing a forward (likely Cyle Larin), but given that Koné has mostly played in that #10 role since arriving at Marseille this summer, it’s a role he’s familiar with, and Marsch has shown he’s willing to play around with the 4-2-3-1.
Otherwise, it’ll be intriguing to see what Marsch does out wide. Millar’s injury makes things a little more straightforward for him - Ali Ahmed will probably continue to start on the right, while Jacob Shaffelburg will stay on the left, but it remains to be seen who will spell them if they fatigue.
For example, if Shaffelburg, whose Nashville season ended in early October, is unable to go more than 60 minutes, will Junior Hoilett be the first guy off the bench? Or will Buchanan be ready to go 30 despite not playing much since his injury? Or will someone else need to slot in, like Richie Laryea?
Either way, all solutions are reasonable - it’s not as if Marsch isn’t picking from players who aren’t used to stepping up in a big way for Canada, but it won’t be an easy decision to make.
Yet, Marsch won’t mind that - it’s also a sign of Canada’s growing depth. And when looking at some of these roster decisions, that’s the beauty of these battles - in most of those cases, it shows that Canada’s squad is becoming deeper than ever, with names able to step up if there are injuries, and others forcing their way in even when everyone’s healthy.
Stephen Eustáquio has found the net for Porto in #UEL action🫡
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) November 7, 2024
Great to see him start, and even better to see him score in Porto’s clash vs Lazio
He now has 2G/1A in 24/25 for Porto as his mins continue to increase and he finds some form#CanMNT
pic.twitter.com/LYt0TsIVJL
Leaders will lead:
As Canada marks their return to competitive action, it’s worth noting that some of their top players enter this camp in top form, which is exciting.
Ultimately, in tournaments like this, teams will only go as far as their best players take them, and Canada saw that first-hand at the Copa América.
Of course, there’s always room for new faces to step up - for as important as the timely goals from Jonathan David and key defensive performances from Alphonso Davies were, contributions from players like Jacob Shaffelburg and Moïse Bombito went a long way towards Canada’s success.
At the same time, it can be massive for a group when their top players are flying and in form, as that can rub off on those around them.
And the good news is that Canada has several who enter this camp in top form.
To begin, there’s their captain, Alphonso Davies, who has regained his starting spot at Bayern Munich after starting the season as a rotation option. Having fit into head coach Vincent Kompany’s system like a glove, becoming an important piece on both sides of the ball, Davies has been rewarded for that by starting 10 straight games for his side - and he’s put in some top performances across that span, too.
Then, there’s Jonathan David, who is one of the hottest players in the world right now - he’s already scored 13 goals and added two assists, including four goals in the Champions League, with two coming against Atlético Madrid, one against Real Madrid and another against Juventus. Sitting with three goals in his last four games for Canada, he keeps scoring for club and country and will look to continue that in this camp. 
Otherwise, as mentioned earlier, Alistair Johnston enters this camp in top form, having entered this camp with four goals and four assists already in 2024-2025. By comparison, he had eight goal contributions in all of 2023-2024, giving an idea of how well he’s played lately, and that’s without even considering his strong defensive performances.
Elsewhere, Stephen Eustáquio has recently heated up for Porto, scoring two goals over the past two weeks (including a Europa League goal vs. Lazio), while Moïse Bombito has continued to be a rock at the back for Nice, so expect those two to play a big role in the middle and at the back, too.
Overall, that’s encouraging to see, and should be good news heading into this camp for Canada. No doubt, when they’re at their best, Davies, David, Johnston, Eustáquio and Bombito are central to that, making it encouraging to see that all of them are entering this camp in good form.
From there, that’ll push those around them to shine - the likes of Shaffelburg, Ahmed, Choinière and Larin will also need to be key for Canada across both legs - but there’s no doubt that the top players will want to lead the way.
Yet, that’s the beauty of the competition mentioned earlier - just because some names might lead the way now doesn’t mean there isn’t room to step up - and that’s a credit to the competitive nature of this group, starting at the top with their key players.
