Moïse Bombito primed for big summer with CanMNT amid breakout MLS campaign: "I can push for a bigger role"

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Might we be about to witness Moïse Bombito’s big breakthrough with the CanMNT?

Amid an excellent start to the 2024 MLS season with the Colorado Rapids, the 24-year-old defender from Montréal seems likely to capitalize on his form with his club by carving out a key role for his country this summer. 

After a trying rookie season in MLS in 2023, in which he made 14 appearances across all competitions for the Rapids' first team after being selected third overall in the MLS Super Draft this year, he’s taken those lessons to heart in 2024. 

Having seen all sorts of ups and downs in 2023, from suffering a knee injury early in the season to seeing his team finish second-last in MLS and firing head coach Robin Fraser along the way, Bombito’s done well to put that behind him and grow from that this year. 

Thanks to that, he’s played a starring role on a much-improved Rapids side in 2024, becoming one of the key figures under new head coach, Chris Armas, appearing in 16 out of a possible 17 games already, surpassing his 2023 totals for both appearances and minutes. 

Moïse Bombito opens his professional account with a birthday goal 🥳

Continuing his strong start to the 2024 MLS season, Bombito headed home his 1st #Rapids96 goal vs LAFC off a corner on his 24th bday

Great to see as he pushes for Copa América#CanMNTpic.twitter.com/sjsPY3ay8M

— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) March 30, 2024

For someone who was making his first steps in the professional game as he was in 2023, those struggles could’ve gotten to him, but he instead took them in stride, and he’s now reaping the benefits of it. 

“I think I’ve learned a lot about the games I played in my first year, it was a rough year, but I took away a lot of stuff from my teammates and our past coach,” Bombito told OneSoccer after the Rapids played the Vancouver Whitecaps this past weekend. “And I feel like with the run of games that I've been having, I've been adding stuff from the previous games into each game that’s come, I’ve gotten a lot of confidence, so I just have to keep going and keep proving that I can be helpful to my teammates for Canada, as well.”

Now, that could be set to translate over to the CanMNT, who has a busy summer ahead. With friendlies against the Netherlands and France awaiting them this week, and then Copa América clashes against Argentina, Chile and Peru not far behind that, it’s a pivotal stretch of games for this Canadian team. 

And Bombito looks set to play a key role in that. He got his first taste of the National Team last year, earning a nod to Canada’s camp for the Nations League final in June, before playing a key role at the Gold Cup, where he got a chance to play in four games for a rotated Canadian side missing several regulars.

Off the back of that, he earned a call to Canada’s next squad in October, where he didn’t feature, and then missed out on their camp for the November window. He then bounced back to earn a call-up to Canada’s squad for the March window through his strong start to the season for the Rapids, leading him to get another call for this pair of friendlies against the Netherlands and France. 

Plus, with his form, he looks likely to play a key role in these games now, too, as he aims to carve out a spot in this team going forward. Having now gotten a taste of being in the squad, the next step is earning a regular role, something he’ll look to do in this window, before building on that heading into the Copa América. 

If he’s to do that, however, he knows that he’ll have to show up and impress in camp, as his form will mean nothing if he doesn’t seize the opportunity, making this a key moment for the 24-year-old defender. 

“I think it’s a privilege to play against this calibre of players,” Bombito said of being included in Canada’s latest squad. “So my being selected is just a fruit of my hard work, and it’s just the first step, now I have to prove that I deserve to be with these guys and help them achieve big things because with the opponents that we have in the coming weeks, it’s going to be tough, so I have to show up.”

The good news for Bombito? He’s got the perfect window to impress now, as the CanMNT is in their first camp with new head coach Jesse Marsch, who was hired early last month. 

Marsch’s recent arrival has given every player a fresh slate, one that Bombito could be set to capitalize on, as he looks to prove he can bring some value to this Canadian team. 

“He gave me a call a couple of weeks ago about how we're going to play, what he thinks about me, and I felt that when he was speaking to me, I just felt in my gut that he’s a really good guy,” Bombito said of Marsch. “I'm pleased that he's been appointed and I’m excited to meet him in person, I think with the pool of players that we have and his style of play, I think it's going to be interesting to see what we're going to do.”

Plus, Bombito does have an edge over several players staking their claim to be included under Marsch. Why is that, some might ask? 

The opportunity Bombito has had to work under Armas, who was an assistant to Marsch at the New York Red Bulls from 2015 to 2018, as well as at Leeds United in 2023. 

Both disciples of the Red Bull system, which Marsch plans to employ for Canada, Bombito has already gotten a taste of what that system looks like under Armas, giving him an idea of what to expect from Marsch. 

Having already discussed some of those intricacies in his initial conversations with Marsch, that could give him an edge ahead of some more experienced names who might have more growing pains in terms of learning this new way of playing. 

“Yeah, kind of,” Bombito said with a smile when asked if Marsch talked about Armas. “When he (Marsch) called me, he told me that they (Armas and Marsch) had both worked together, so the style of play is similar to what I'm used to in Colorado, so I feel like I’ll adjust quickly, so I’m excited to go out there and do my thing.”

That’s good news for the Canadian back line, as Bombito certainly brings a unique profile to the mix.

Listed at 6’3”, he’s got the size one wants from a defender, and he can use that to his advantage, sitting in the top 25% of centre backs in MLS in terms of the number of aerials he wins. That makes him a reliable defender in his box and a set-piece threat in the other, as he’s shown by scoring two goals already this year. 

Make it 2 goals on the MLS season for Moïse Bombito, who thumped home this header vs Cincinnati today for the #Rapids96

Amid a solid start to the year defensively, nice to see Bombito start to use his size on set pieces lately#CanMNTpic.twitter.com/HowAq4yM6l

— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) April 28, 2024

Then, for good measure, he’s also a strong passer, sitting in the top 5% of progressive passers and top 15% in passes into the final third among MLS centre backs. His passing percentage is a bit lower than average at 84.4%, but that’s because he attempts more long passes than average due to Armas’s direct attacking system, and Bombito hits those long passes at a rate of 65.5%, which is in the top 30% of MLS centre backs. 

And arguably those are the least impressive of his skills - he can also jet. That’s not an exaggeration, either - he was clocked in by MLS as the fastest player in MLS this year at 37.27 km/hour - you read that right, not the fastest defender, but the fastest player, period. 

For a Canadian team that has lacked speed and athleticism at the back, it’s felt his skillset could be a big addition to the back line, with his passing, aerial ability and familiarity with the system a bonus on top of that. 

“I think it's just going to bring more athleticism,” Bombito said when asked about his speed, having dropped a proud grin when told he owns MLS’s top speed this year. “And with the opponents that we’re going to play against, I think it’s going to help us, so I’m really excited, I’m proud (of the top speed), and now I just have to confirm my attendance (for Canada).”

And this is a big reason why I’d love to see Moïse Bombito start in that #CanMNT backline long-term - he can JET

His speed, size, 1v1 defending and ball-playing ability is a combination that we really haven’t seen from any 🇨🇦 CB options in a while https://t.co/SO3cZPjNeW

— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) April 11, 2024

Because of that, it feels like a big summer awaits Bombito, whose speed will certainly be an asset when facing players like Kylian Mbappe and Donyell Malen in Canada’s upcoming friendlies, and the several others that await them at the Copa América. 

Before then, however, Bombito doesn’t want to look too far ahead, as he wants to earn every opportunity he’s given. Even if it looks like he has a big role to play on paper, he knows that he has a lot of work to do if he’s to see the pitch this summer, especially when going up against centre backs like Kamal Miller and Derek Cornelius, who have both been around the CanMNT for 5+ years. 

Yet, there’s a reason why Bombito has burst onto the scene with Colorado in the past year, as he’s put in the work to get there, embarking on a long journey that saw him play in League 1 Québec, USL League 2, junior college and then in the NCAA to get to where he is now, as he’s no stranger to putting his head down and chasing his goals. 

Therefore, he’s eager to make the most of his opportunity, continuing his breakout 2024 season, one that could still vault him to bigger things for club and country if he remains consistent in his approach. 

To do that, he’ll need to keep taking things one game at a time, earn his way into Canada’s Copa América squad and then go from there. 

“I feel like I’ve gotten a lot of confidence lately,” Bombito finished. “So I think I can push for a bigger role with the National Team.”

“But obviously, I'll have to prove it again and again, because when you go out there (with your National Team), it's not just about seeing your mates and seeing people that you're close with, you have to go out there and show out and play for your country because it's it’s an honour and a responsibility.”