Alphonso Davies made 23 appearances this season.
Bayern Munich defender Alphonso Davies has been named to Canada’s 26-man squad for the upcoming World Cup, with head coach Jesse Marsch describing it as the “best ever assembled” by the co-hosts.
Davies, despite recently recovering from a hamstring injury, has been deemed fit enough for selection. Juventus forward Jonathan David has also been included in the roster.
Other notable inclusions are Porto midfielder Stephen Eustaquio, Villarreal’s Tajon Buchanan and Tani Oluwaseyi, and Southampton forward Cyle Larin.
“We truly believe we have the best group of 26 players that this country has ever put together at one time,” Marsch stated.
Addressing concerns about player fitness, he added, “Are all of them at 100% right now? No, but they are close,” expressing some frustration with repeated media inquiries regarding injuries.
Davies is currently in a race to regain full fitness before Canada’s opening match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12, having sustained an injury during Bayern Munich’s Champions League semi-final defeat to Paris St-Germain.
This injury followed a series of muscle issues that arose after his return from an eight-month absence due to an ACL tear suffered in October.
Marsch further commented, “We’ve had a pretty good idea of who our core group is for a while. The real X factor in all these decisions was to determine… which players are going to be healthy, and who could we project to be really close to 100% and in the best form of their life.”
“Luckily, we are on track with a lot of guys. Will everyone be 100% for the Bosnia match? No, that won’t be the case. But we will have a really strong core that will be ready for that match, and we believe we can get stronger as the tournament goes on.”
Canada, as one of the three co-hosting nations, will play all of their group stage matches on home soil. The team is still seeking its first-ever World Cup victory.
Following the opener in Toronto, Canada will face Qatar and Switzerland in Vancouver.
The expanded 48-team tournament, hosted by Canada, the US, and Mexico, will take place from June 11 to July 19.
Goalkeepers: Dayne St Clair (Inter Miami), Maxime Crepeau (Orlando City), Owen Goodman (Crystal Palace).
Defenders: Alistair Johnston (Celtic), Derek Cornelius (Marseille), Richie Laryea (Toronto), Niko Sigur (Hajduk Split), Joel Waterman (Chicago Fire), Luc de Fougerolles (Fulham), Moise Bombito (Nice), Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich), Alfie Jones (Middlesbrough).
Midfielders: Stephen Eustaquio (Porto), Ismael Kone (Sassuolo), Tajon Buchanan (Villarreal), Mathieu Choiniere (Los Angeles FC), Ali Ahmed (Norwich City), Nathan Saliba (Anderlecht), Liam Millar (Hull City), Marcelo Flores (Tigres UANL), Jacob Shaffelburg (Toronto), Jonathan Osorio (Toronto).
Forwards: Jonathan David (Juventus), Cyle Larin (Southampton), Tani Oluwaseyi (Villarreal), Promise David (Union SG).
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