Which CanMNT players boosted their World Cup stock most in Wales, Romania friendlies?
The Canadian men’s national team wrapped up a highly successful international window on Tuesday with a 1-0 victory over Wales in Swansea.
Just four days earlier, they defeated Romania 3-0 in Bucharest, an impressive pair of results and performances against two solid European opponents.
While the biggest takeaway from this window was the collective performances and commitment of this team as they showed significant progress under Jesse Marsch, there were also several individuals who stood out over the two matches.
Here are five players who boosted their stock during this window, as the competition for starting, and roster, spots at the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaches the critical final stretch.
Ali Ahmed, Left midfielder
After playing just 104 minutes at the Concacaf Gold Cup due to suffering an injury against Curaçao in the second match of the group stage, Ahmed was back to fitness and in his best form yet for Canada during this window.
Against Romania, he was the best player on the pitch, delivering a perfectly curled free-kick onto the head of Jonathan David. He followed that up with his first goal for Canada, which came off a tremendous effort where he pressed Romanian goalkeeper, Horațiu Moldovan, before dispossessing him and scoring. He had four key passes in that match, and won 10 of 12 duels.
He followed that up with an excellent 65 minutes against Wales. He consistently beat his man down the line, finishing with a further 3 key passes, completed two of three dribbles and 8 of 10 duels.
Ahmed continues to prove exemplary at connecting the Canadian attack down the left flank, completing 41 of the 49 passes he attempted during the window, many of which were either chance-creating passes or part of attacking interplay down the wing.
Canada, and Marsch, have a lot to think about down that left flank, and this window Ahmed made himself central to that conversation. With the way he has played for Canada of late, it feels impossible to drop him.
Richie Laryea, Left-back
With Alphonso Davies missing this summer’s Gold Cup through injury, Richie Laryea has been trusted as the player to shift across and play as a left full-back. He has done so brilliantly.
This window, however, he reached another level, playing some of the best football of his career for Canada. Against Romania, he won 10 of 14 duels and made five tackles while playing a key role in joining the attack in transitional moments.
Laryea followed that up with arguably an even better performance against Wales, where he made several key defensive interventions, including a tackle in transition in the box on Harry Wilson midway through the second half. He finished with 11 of 16 duels won, made four tackles and two interceptions.
He remains perfectly adept at playing with an intensity and determination that consistently gets under the opposition's skin, while not crossing the line in a way that gets Canada into trouble. Laryea was unlucky not to have won a penalty in the opening exchanges with Wales after being brought down in the box, and won a stunning 10 fouls across the two matches.
Marsch now has a bit of a headache when Davies returns, likely in November, because it seems pretty impossible not to have Laryea on the field in some capacity.
Niko Sigur, Right back / Midfielder
This fall window is going to be an incredibly important time for Niko Sigur’s opportunity to establish himself in this Canadian team. With Alistair Johnston expected to be out at least until November, Sigur appears as though he will be the first choice right back until the Celtic man returns.
Playing every minute of the window at that position, Sigur was outstanding. He particularly shone in Canada’s opening match against Romania, where he played a beautiful one-two with Tani Oluwaseyi before scoring his second goal for Canada with a perfectly placed finish. He finished the match with four interceptions and completed 25 of his 26 attempted passes.
Sigur’s composure and quality on both sides of the ball are clear. He can help Canada build the ball out of the back, both through his dribbles and passing ability. While he had a few defensive missteps against Wales, he made up for them with some crucial interventions down the flank – stepping forward to win the ball back on several occasions.
GOAL 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 5, 2025
Niko Sigur STARTS and FINISHES the counter-attack with a BANGER 🚀
Those CanMNT starting XI locks are starting to look a little flimsy, no? 🔓
🔴 Watch LIVE on TSN & OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/iYecrI50Sx
Ismaël Koné, Central Midfielder
This might be a bit of a controversial one, because the main headlines around Koné at this camp surrounded his heated exchange with Jesse Marsch after being subbed out against Romania.
When he was on the pitch, however, Koné made an important case for why he is Canada’s most talented midfielder, even if he hasn’t always been the most consistent. He consistently progressed the ball into dangerous areas against Romania, finishing with two key passes in a solid 64 minutes of action.
His quality in gliding through lines with his dribbling ability, in particular is a skillset that no other Canadian midfielder possesses to his level. Against Wales, he completed all three of his attempted dribbles and 17 of 20 passes. He hit the most early in the match on a lovely movement and shot across goal.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from this window, however, is the belief that Marsch has put in the player. After starting just one of four games at the Gold Cup, he started both this window. At the moment, he still looks to be the favourite to start next to Eustáquio in Canada’s best eleven.
Derek Cornelius, Central Defender
The biggest winners of this window? Perhaps it was any Rangers supporters who tuned in to Tuesday’s match against Wales to see their newest signing curl a free kick in the top corner from well outside the box in the 41st minute.
The goal, Cornelius’s first for his country, will be his standout moment from that match. But it was his elite defensive performance that made just as big of a difference. Against a threatening Wales forward group, Cornelius was consistently perfectly positioned to break up dangerous attacking moments.
As Canada earned back-to-back clean sheets, he also put in a strong performance against Romania, making three interceptions, six clearances and four tackles. His on-ball ability was on display as well, as he launched several Canadian attacks with well-placed long balls.
Coming into this window, and after falling out of favour at Marseille and moving to Rangers, there had been some faint whispers questioning whether his starting spot with Canada was in jeopardy. Instead, Cornelius further cemented his spot next to the still-injured Moïse Bombito in Canada’s best eleven with his performances this month.
GOLAZO 🇨🇦
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 9, 2025
DEREK CORNELIUS NAH BRO
WHAT. A. FREE. KICK. 🤯#CanMNT up 1-0 on Wales 🏴 pic.twitter.com/QUIl5CXymb
What’s next for CanMNT?
Canada are next in action on October 10 for a friendly at Stade Saputo in Montréal against Australia. They then travel to New Jersey for a clash with Colombia on October 14. Both of those matches will be live on OneSoccer.
For more of how this window's performance might have had an impact on players' standings within Marsch's national team, look for an updated edition of Depth Chart, from Alex Gangué-Ruzic later this week.
