3 things we learned as Mauro Biello leans younger in latest CanMNT squad
Less than two weeks out from their crucial one-game Copa América qualifier vs. Trinidad and Tobago on March 23rd, the CanMNT revealed their 23-player squad for that game on Tuesday.
And within it, are several surprises, as interim head coach Mauro Biello has shaken things up heading into one of their biggest matches in their history.
Following a big loss to Jamaica in the Concacaf Nations League quarter-finals in November, out are several key veterans, and in are some newer faces, including some who have been shining for their clubs as of late such as Iké Ugbo, Theo Bair, Jonathan Sirois and more.
After going more veteran-heavy in his first two squads in charge, it’s a bold move from Biello, who is looking to lean on some newer faces to see this team across the line in this game after struggling for portions of his last two camps.
Yet, it’s a welcome move for many, as it was felt that the inclusion of some newer faces was long overdue for this team, finally allowing them to start building for the 2026 World Cup.
Great to see some big calls from Mauro Biello in this #CanMNT squad
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) March 12, 2024
Tough to drop Vitória, Borjan and Hoilett, but when Bair, Ugbo, Sirois, Shaffelburg, Bombito etc. are knocking on the door, you’ve got to reward form and think of 2026
And there are new leaders ready to step up
Of course, there’s still room for veterans going forward, but it’s ideal if they’re still contributing at their clubs, which wasn’t the case for all of the names included in the November squad.
This time, however, this team leans more towards those contributing at their clubs, making for some exciting inclusions.
"I think the idea behind this team selection is to put the best possible squad in place to get the performance we want in March," Biello explained to reporters on Tuesday. "At the same time, I also have the responsibility of evaluating players to be ready for 2026, as giving the opportunity to players to gain experience now is also important, and that's the basis of this squad."
Now, it’ll be seen if that can get this team over the line in this game, but given that most of Canada’s most in-form players are included, this is expected to be the exact group to help them get that job done in the end.
With that in mind, here’s a look at that and more key takeaways from this squad reveal.
The transition from old guard begins:
Immediately, what stands out from this squad isn’t so much who is there, but who isn’t, especially in terms of the veterans that were left out.
For example, from the last squad, 36-year-old Milan Borjan, 37-year-old Steven Vitória, 33-year-old Junior Hoilett and 31-year-old Lucas Cavallini are all out after being in the squad for the November window (Cavallini was named in the November team before withdrawing with an injury).
Given that those group of four players have been a huge part of this Canadian squad over the last few years, with Biello noting that he wanted to lean on their veteran leadership in the last two camps, that’s a huge surprise, as it was felt he might call upon them again to help bring some leadership into the squad ahead of this game.
Yet, with the four all taking a step back at the club level, and some newer faces making some noise at their respective positions, it felt that would’ve been a big risk to include them heading into a game like this, especially after the likes of Borjan and Vitória struggled against Jamaica.
So while it might’ve been tough to make a decision like this, especially given that Borjan, Vitória and Hoilett have all spent time captaining Canada over the last few years, it’s the correct call from Biello.
Of course, there’s now a big leadership vacuum to fill on the team, especially in terms of figuring out who now wears the armband, but there are players on this team who are ready to step up and fill it.
For example, the likes of Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David, Stephen Eustáquio, Tajon Buchanan and Alistair Johnston have already grown into leaders on the pitch over the last few years, while veterans like Samuel Piette, Jonathan Osorio, Maxime Crépeau and Cyle Larin all remain in the squad. 
Because of that, this transition won’t be as sudden as it may look on paper, especially given that it’s felt that some of those aforementioned names such as Davies and Eustáquio have been ready to step up as potential captain options on this Canadian team for a while now.
So overall, these decisions to exclude some of those veterans make a lot of sense on multiple fronts, as not only do they open up space for some new faces to step up in their place, but they’re just clearing the way for the likes of Davies, Eustáquio, David and company to become the leaders they’ve already shown that they can be for club and country.
That could end up pushing them to a whole other level, which is exciting to imagine, given how important they’ve already been to this team over the last five years.
"It's going to be a reset a cultural reset with this group, and what I'm looking to achieve in this camp is to find a base for that," Biello said. "I think there are a lot of good leaders in this team, and some of these young leaders need space to live and experience situations now with these responsibilities, so for me, it's about building this base with this group and allowing leaders now to grow into these positions, and from there I'll be evaluating and then I'll decide who the captain is on game day."
In-form play gets rewarded:
But while some key veterans will have to watch this game from home, that’s opened the door for some intriguing names to step up in their place.
There, several new names stand out on this list.
To begin, there’s Iké Ugbo, who earns his first call-up since the 2022 World Cup, marking his long-awaited return to the squad.
Having been left out of recent squads despite mixed form, he’s certainly earned his spot in this team, amid a strong start to life at new club Sheffield Wednesday, where he’s scored six goals and added one assist since joining them in January. Along with the four goals and one assist that he put up in a quieter stint at Cardiff to start the year, that’s given him 10 goals and two assists on the season, allowing him to more than earn a spot in this squad.
"Iké's been scoring goals and getting assists, and there's a lot about his play that I've enjoyed watching," Biello explained of Ugbo. "I think that could be helpful for us with this group in terms of what he can bring." 
Then, joining him up front is Theo Bair, who is earning his first call-up since 2020, where he was a part of Canada’s Camp Poutine, which usually consists of out-of-season players and youngsters who haven’t played much at their clubs.
This time, however, he’ll get a chance to strut his stuff with Canada’s ‘A-team’, and rightfully so, as he’s been one of the most in-form Canadian players in Europe right now. In the middle of a breakout season with Motherwell, where he’s scored 11 goals and added four assists, he was able to push his way from well outside the picture to someone who could potentially get minutes this camp, and deservedly so.
"Theo has been able to score goals, but he's also been very impactful in his overall play and in getting assists," Biello said of Bair. "And when you look at players that are in that type of form, you want to bring in these types of players into camp, those that are coming in with confidence and that are hungry."
Lastly, Jonathan Sirois is a new face in goal, as he earns his first call-up to Canada, at any level.
Yet, the 22-year-old was too hard to ignore, as he came flying out of the gates to start the 2024 MLS season, doing well to build off of what was a key breakout campaign in 2023.
There, he played 38 games across all competitions, keeping an impressive 13 clean sheets, quietly becoming one of the best goalkeepers in MLS despite his young age.
And so far, he looks capable of building on that in 2023, as he’s so far kept one clean sheet and looks like someone who can stand on his head and drag his team to victories. Because of that, as well as his age, it’s made him a strong candidate to potentially start for Canada at the 2026 World Cup, as he’s certainly shown the potential of someone who could take that role.
"Jonathan's continued his great form, as after he had an excellent season last year, he's off to an excellent start this year," Biello noted of Sirois. "He's been very impactful, he's a young goalkeeper, but he's making his mark in that league, so he merits this call."
Otherwise, a lot of the names included are quite familiar, although there are a few others who are worth keeping an eye on as they’re putting together strong seasons of their own.
To begin at the back, Moïse Bombito has gotten off to a strong start to the year with the Colorado Rapids, where he’s quickly become a key part of their backline as a key starter. His second full season in MLS, he looks set to have a big campaign, as he's started to show the potential of someone who could do big things for club and country in the future.
Great to see some big calls from Mauro Biello in this #CanMNT squad
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) March 12, 2024
Tough to drop Vitória, Borjan and Hoilett, but when Bair, Ugbo, Sirois, Shaffelburg, Bombito etc. are knocking on the door, you’ve got to reward form and think of 2026
And there are new leaders ready to step up
Along with Joel Waterman, who has had a quietly good start to the year with CF Montréal, they’ll look to battle for starting minutes with no Vitória in the squad.
Then, out wide, Liam Millar and Jacob Shaffelburg are worth keeping an eye on, as the pair of speedsters have shone for their respective clubs as of late.
First, there’s Millar, who has hit the ground running ever since he moved to Championship side Preston North End, where he’s already made 31 appearances, scoring four goals and adding five assists from wing back. Already a key regular on this Canadian team in the past, even if he hasn’t been able to leverage that into more minutes, he’ll hope that he can turn his strong season into a bigger role as more of a leader on this team.
Secondly, there’s Shaffelburg, who has been excellent to start the year with Nashville SC. In particular, he’s done his damage in the Champions Cup, where he already has three goals and one assist, including a spectacular brace last week against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, which has allowed him to battle his way into this squad.
Lastly, up front, Jonathan David is hard to ignore, as he’s one of the hottest players in the sport right now, period. Having scored 11 goals in his last 12 Ligue 1 games, he’s now up to an impressive 21 goals and seven assists in all competitions on the year, doing well to recover after a slow start.
Because of that, while it may feel strange to throw him in here with some of the names who are just battling to get minutes on this team given how important David already is to this Canadian side, it feels like David could be set to unlock another level of play for Canada, which is quite exciting given how dominant he’s proven he can be on this team.
"When I look at the roster, there are a lot of players who are in good form and doing well at their clubs, and aren't just playing minutes, but are performing well and being important players within those clubs," Biello said of his team. "So, I'm excited about this squad selection, players are hungry to come and make an impact now, but are also ready to start this next journey."
What might starting XI look like?
Now, however, the big question for Biello will be what he ends up doing for a starting XI in this game, especially with so many key regulars gone.
For example, of the 13 players who started across the two games in November, just nine are in this squad, with Borjan and Vitòria having been left out, while Sam Adekugbe and Richie Laryea are out injured.
Because of that, it’ll be interesting to see who steps up to replace them, especially at centre back and in goal.
Based on what we’ve seen, it would be a surprise to see anyone but Maxime Crépeau in goal, as he has the most experience of the three called, while Derek Cornelius has usually deputized for Vitória as of late, but there could be some tweaks across the board.
First, there’s the question of what formation Biello will play. Logic suggests 3-5-2, which is the early favourite, but based on the names called in, there is room to play a 4-3-3, as there are a good number of wingers in Millar, Shaffelburg and Buchanan.
Then, if you assume it stays a 3-5-2, there is still room for some tweaks. Of course, based on what we know, there are a few starters that will be written in pen - Kamal Miller will play at centre back, Alphonso Davies will be at left wing back, Stephen Eustáquio and Ismaël Koné will hold down the midfield, while Jonathan David and Cyle Larin will be up front, but what about the others?
For example, at centre back, Waterman and Cornelius play in a back three at the club level, so could we see the pair of them slot in alongside Kamal Miller, freeing up Alistair Johnston to play more out wide as a wing back, which is much closer to the role he occupies for Celtic? Or could Bombito slot in off the back of his strong start?
Then, up the pitch, is it Johnston or Buchanan at wing back, given the latter hasn’t played much lately as he finds his feet after a big move to Inter? Or do they both play, with Buchanan slotting up front?
Speaking of the attack, what happens there, too? Could we see David play as more of a #10, as he’s done a few times for Canada, allowing one of Ugbo, Bair or even Buchanan to start alongside Larin?
Yet, that shows some of the tough lineup decisions that now await Biello. He’s done the hard part, which is to call in the actual squad, but this final selection won’t be any easier, especially when heading into a game of this magnitude.
Here's a potential #CanMNT XI that @tv_jjd and I built for the Trinidad & Tobago🇹🇹 match on stream
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) March 12, 2024
Crépeau starts in goal, Davies/Johnston get familiar WB roles, Bombito slots in at CB with Miller/Cornelius, the midfield pivot stays, and Buchanan/David get free roles
🧑🍳or🥴? pic.twitter.com/WKKSMc988K
One thing’s for sure - there will be opportunities for some new faces to shine, both as starters and off the bench, now it’s just a matter of figuring out who those end up being.
