Jesse Marsch leads a hopeful Canadian squad aiming to capture the nation’s attention after a false start at the last World Cup. The team trained lightly on Wednesday at Toronto FC’s campus, with players focused on their opening match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday.
Canada’s men returned to the World Cup in Qatar after a 36-year absence but were the first team eliminated, losing all three group games. Defender Alistair Johnston called that “one of our biggest regrets” and said the squad is now “so much more experienced, less naive, less deer in the headlights”.
As co-hosts, Canada have a favourable group stage, facing Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar and Switzerland. Marsch has spoken of his “people’s team lighting the country on fire”. The squad includes stars like Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David and Tajon Buchanan, many of whom have moved to top European clubs in recent years.
The team’s profile has surged, with rapper Drake designing their tournament tracksuits and Canadian sports stars attending training. Prime Minister Mark Carney has visited the dressing room, and actor Simu Liu, singer Alanis Morissette and hockey legend Sidney Crosby are ambassadors.
