MATCH PREVIEW: CanMNT take on Romania as World Cup prep kicks up a notch
The Canadian men's national team is back on the pitch this week, aiming to bounce back after a disappointing end to the summer's Gold Cup campaign.
They'll be in Bucharest on Friday to play world no. 48-ranked Romania in the first of two European friendlies this window, which will provide valuable experience as Jesse Marsch's group continues to ramp up preparations for next month's home World Cup.
Romania, who also take on Cyprus in a World Cup qualifying game next Tuesday, offer an interesting challenge for Canada, who may well encounter a similar kind of European opponent in the group stage next summer.
The Romanians have had some relative success recently, particularly at UEFA Euro 2024, where they finished first in a group above Belgium, Slovakia and Ukraine (winning on tiebreakers, since all four sides had four points). They were eliminated in the round of 16 by the Netherlands, but it was the country's first appearance in the knockout stages of a major tournament since Euro 2000.
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All that's to say, Marsch is readying his team for a tough test on European soil, aiming to do what they haven't in 15 years and beat a UEFA team in their own country (the last time being in 2009 against Cyprus). Following the Gold Cup in June, Canada can look singularly ahead to the upcoming World Cup. Every match they play between now and then will be a friendly, where the focus is on preparing to put their best foot forward in that tournament.
With six friendly matches scheduled between now and November (one of which has yet to be announced), Canada are treating these three international windows like one large one, where Marsch expects some consistency in the team as they zero in on who exactly should be in contention for the World Cup squad.
"There's certain things we want to develop on the inside of our team to fully prepare us for what next summer looks like," Marsch told the media on Thursday. "One of them is about our leadership and communication on the pitch, and another is that we continue to push the entire squad, not just that we have good performances from the starting XI, but that we have good performances for the entire 90-plus minutes."
Marsch explained that he expects Romania to challenge Canada in transition, and that their technical quality will make them difficult to defend against — especially on home soil.
(Photo by Martin Bazyl/Canada Soccer)
While the Romanians may reserve some of their first-choice starting XI for Tuesday's World Cup qualifier, they'll likely still use players like striker Denis Drăguș, as well as experienced midfielders Răzvan and Marius Marin.
It'll likely be a strongly partisan crowd at the Arena Națională in Bucharest, but that's another element of the environment that Marsch feels Canada are well prepared for after their experiences in Copa América and the Gold Cup.
"We've played a lot of matches away from home," he said. "We know what that feels like. We've developed a bit of a hardened mentality for how to handle away crowds, and how to handle moments where our backs are against the wall a little bit in the match. But we will be looking for a mature performance, a performance that takes us a step closer to the team we want to be."
The only member of Canada's current squad not available for Friday's clash is Jacob Shaffelburg, who will serve a one-game suspension for his red card in the Gold Cup quarter-final. Cyle Larin has left the national team camp following the birth of his child, which meant Theo Bair was added to the group earlier this week.
Elsewhere on the pitch, it remains to be seen whether Maxime Crépeau or Dayne St. Clair gets the start in goal for this game, although Marsch did reveal that both keepers will get one of the two friendlies this window. He has not yet landed on an official number one, but he did admit that he intends to make that decision in the next few months.
With a handful of key defensive injuries, namely Alphonso Davies, Moïse Bombito, Alistair Johnston and Sam Adekugbe, few surprises are expected in the backline. Derek Cornelius and Luc de Fougerolles seem the likely centre-back pairing, with Richie Laryea playing either right- or left-back. The latter option may be more likely, in order to put Niko Sigur on the right.
Meanwhile, Stephen Eustáquio's return in this camp means he'll get the start in midfield and wear the captain's armband; the bigger question will be which of Ismaël Koné, Nathan Saliba or Mathieu Choinière partners him in the middle.
Finally, with Tajon Buchanan in good form for Villarreal he'll play on one of the wings, but without Shaffelburg the opposite side might be a bigger question. Marsch has spoken repeatedly about Junior Hoilett, who is back in this camp to offer his experience and abilities; could he be the one they turn to?
With the 2025-26 season now properly underway, the road now leads directly into a home World Cup, Canada cannot waste a single game, as they aim to answer questions and fine-tune their identity with limited opportunities remaining.
PROJECTED LINEUPS
Canada: Crépeau; Sigur, De Fougerolles, Cornelius, Laryea; Eustáquio, Saliba; Buchanan, Hoilett; P. David, J. David
Romania: Moldovan; Ratiu, Popescu, Burcă, Bancu; Stanciu, Man, R. Marin, M. Marin; Drăgus, Tănase
ALL-TIME SERIES
First meeting between these sides.
KEY QUOTES
"[Romania] have really quality players. They have players that play at high levels all over Europe. They're good in transition, and they're technically gifted and a very savvy team. When you add all those things up, that's the type of opponent that you see in the World Cup, and I think the type of opponent that will challenge us to be good at what we need to be good at." — Canada head coach Jesse Marsch
"It's not about the first 45 minutes or the first 60 minutes of the game. In a World Cup — we've had that experience in the past — all the games are important. Especially the first one, we really have to get points out of that first game. To get points out of the first game, we need a really, really strong group to enter the game and to finish it. I'm very happy with the squad we have, I'm very happy with the behaviours of each player." — Canada midfielder Stephen Eustáquio
