Why players like Jovan Ivanišević will be crucial to what’s next for CanMNT in 2030 World Cup cycle
Among the new faces called up to the latest CanMNT squad, one stands out in a big way, and that’s 21-year-old defender Jovan Ivanišević.
Not only is this Ivanišević’s first call-up to the CanMNT, but he comes into this camp as a relative newcomer to the Canadian program as a whole, too, with a solitary appearance for Canada’s U20 teams back in 2024 standing as his lone previous experience in the Canadian set-up.
Compare that to the other newcomers in this camp, Jeevan Badwal, who has already been in a senior camp and has significant experience at the U17 and U20 level, and Richard Chukwu, who has extensive experience at the U15, U17 and U20 level, Ivanišević’s resume certainly looks a lot different to his fellow newbies.
Yet, it shows how his development has come along over the last few years. A product of the Toronto FC academy, he made just one appearance for Toronto FC II before making a move to Croatia in 2023, joining top-flight side Istra 1961 on what was originally a trial, until he eventually signed a professional deal in 2024.
From there, he slowly progressed through the ranks at his new club. After time in the youth ranks with Istra, he made his first-team debut in August of 2024, starting and going 45 minutes in a match against Hajduk Split, in what was the first of eight appearances he made for Istra’s first team that season.
Then, he joined Serie A side Bologna’s Primavera (U20) team for the second part of the 2024-2025 season, making 18 appearances for the Italian side, but despite aspirations of potentially joining their ranks and playing for their first team in the long-term, his buy option was never exercised, and he returned to Croatia.
As a result, he returned back to Istra’s first team, where he made seven appearances to start 2025-2026, but after racking up just 147 minutes across those games (compared to 407 minutes in his eight Istra appearances the season prior), he went out on loan to FK Sarajevo in the Bosnian league.
The window is much about thank you’s and goodbyes. But I’m so happy for newcomer Jovan Ivanisevic. Nothing has come easy. He’s been overlooked but always remained determined. Recently suffered some personal loss, and now gets a chance to join the National team. A real talent. 💪🏼 https://t.co/W9IH9repua
— Gareth Wheeler (@GarethWheeler) September 15, 2026
It turns out that move was exactly what he needed, as he finished out the season by featuring in 12 games for Sarajevo, racking up 879 minutes in those games. Used as more of a centre-back with Istra and Bologna, he split his time between right back and centre back at his new club, scoring two goals (both coming at right back) as he helped his team finish third in the table.
Because of that stint, Sarajevo saw enough to sign him on a permanent deal ahead of the 2026-2027 season, and that’s proven to be a good decision for both parties. So far through seven league games, Ivanisevic has played every minute of every game for his new club, playing a key role as more of a centre-back once again.
Sarajevo has been off to a mixed start, as they sit fourth with 10 points (3W-1D-3L), but perhaps the upcoming international break will be what they need to hit the reset button, having lost their last two games as of writing.
As for Ivanišević, though, despite having more of a regular position than last season, he’s shuffled through a variety of roles as a centre-back, showing his positional fluidity. Already this season, he’s played as the right-sided centre-back in a back four, and as both the middle and right-sided centre-back in a back three, showing good versatility in those various roles.
Team of the Week #6 🏆
— PLBiHUpdates (@PLBiHUpdates) September 7, 2026
Nemanja Bilbija once again takes home the Player of the Week award! pic.twitter.com/RdHPHr42Jh
Yet, a big reason for that is his ability on the ball. Sarajevo are averaging over 57% possession in their games so far in 2026-2027, meaning that they’re asking their players to be comfortable with the ball, given that they have so much of it.
Certainly, Ivanišević fits that description as someone who is comfortable in those situations, as he’s averaging 88.1% pass completion on 44.67 passes per 90 minutes, showing that he’s been getting on the ball a lot for his club, helping them set the tempo at centre-back. 
Here's Ivanišević's heatmap from this season, showing that he's usually featured more on the right side as a centre back for Sarajevo, even if he's played all over (SofaScore)
Not only that, but he’s being quite progressive with those passes, too, as he’s averaging 5.72 long balls, completing those at a 60.5% clip, while also sending 7.31 passes into the final third (74.5% clip) and 1.2 passes into the box (44.4% clip). To that point, he’s also sending 15.42 passes forward per game compared to 3.72 passes backwards - while that means a lot of his passes are sideways, that’s not a bad thing for a centre back, especially considering the amount of progressive balls that he plays.
He’s not a huge dribbler, as he’s averaging 0.13 dribbles and 0.93 progressive runs per 90, but that just shows that his best skill right now is getting on the ball and dictating play, spraying it all over the pitch. 
Here's Ivanišević's pass map from a recent Sarajevo match, showing his passing range (WyScout)
That’s worth noting, because sometimes it can be a bit harder for younger defenders to find their comfort on the ball earlier in their careers. They can rush things in possession and force passes that aren’t on, but Ivanišević doesn’t appear to have that problem, based on those statistics.
Of course, for defenders, while the work they do on the ball is quite important, especially in the modern game, they do have to do some defensive work. Defending isn’t being phased out of the modern game anytime soon, even if it continues to change in a big way.
And to Ivanišević’s credit, his defensive numbers have also been quite good this year. Not only is he averaging 4.92 interceptions and 11.43 recoveries per 90, but he’s also won 66.7% of his 11.17 duels, which includes 73.3% of his 3.99 aerial duels and 82.4% of his 2.26 defensive duels, showing great aggression off the ball. 
Here's a map from a recent Sarajevo match in which Ivanišević had 22 recoveries, showing what he can do defensively (WyScout)
In particular, that aerial duels number stands out in a big way, as Ivanišević is listed at 6’3”, showing that he’s become a bit of a force in the air already at his young age.
Yet, all of those skills show why he’s become a player of interest for the Canadian Men’s National Team right now, showing why they were willing to call him up despite his relative inexperience. 
Firstly, there’s the fact that he’s been playing regularly and playing well at a decent level to start this 2026-2026 season - while the Bosnian league is only ranked 69th in OPTA’s rankings, it helps that he’s on one of the better teams in the league. For a youngster, these minutes are hugely invaluable, as they could propel him to earn a move to a higher league, given that he’s only going to turn 22 at the start of next year.
At the end of the day, it helps this Canadian team when they’re able to call up players who are playing regularly, no matter the level - those sorts of players can help build competition within this squad by pushing those in front of them in the depth chart.
Secondly, there’s Ivanišević’s skill on the ball. For a Canadian team that’s constantly trying to improve their play in possession, they like it when their centre backs are good on the ball, as they’ve seen the value that players like Luc De Fougerolles have brought to the Canadian fold with his skill in possession. That skill will only help Ivanišević if he’s pushed to earn a start for this Canadian team in the near future.
Thirdly, there’s Ivanišević’s defensive ability. As seen by his numbers, he’s defending extremely aggressively, which is exactly what Canadian head coach Jesse Marsch wants out of his players.
With his high pressing system, it asks a lot of defenders, who have to be willing to close down space and time for their opponents, which Ivanišević seems capable of doing. And to that point, it only helps that Ivanišević was previously a midfielder, as Marsch has seemed to like players who have converted from midfielders to centre-back, including De Fougerolles, Moïse Bombito, Joel Waterman, Alfie Jones and Ralph Priso, among others.
Lastly, there’s Ivanišević’s size. Marsch isn’t one to care about height too much, which is why he’s been willing to work with someone like Priso, who is more undersized relative to most centre backs, but it doesn’t hurt to have someone with Ivanišević’s frame in the mix at centre back. Again, for a team that likes to be aggressive, that size could help Canada in aerial duels, which is an area where they’ve had a mixed record at times.
Now, of course, it’s important to remember that Ivanišević is far from the finished product. No defender is at 21, especially with so few professional appearances under their belt.
But clearly, based on what he’s shown, there’s a lot of potential there - big and aggressive ball-playing centre-backs don’t grow on trees. He might not become a difference-maker for this Canadian team right away - in fact, it could even take years for that to happen (if it happens at all).
At the same time, he feels like a bet worth taking for Canada, as they do have to bolster their centre-back ranks after a run of injuries at the position. Even if investing in Ivanišević doesn’t pay off until further down the line, they won’t mind that.
Ultimately, these are the sort of decisions that this Canadian team will want to be making at this stage, as they begin a brand-new cycle. While they’ve got a lot of work to do in the here and now to achieve some of their big short-term goals, such as win a trophy and qualify for the 2030 World Cup, their overarching goal is to set themselves up to make a deep run at that 2030 tournament.
To do that, investing in players like Ivanišević could go a long way, and based on the profile, it seems like a good bet to make for them at this stage.
