ANALYSIS: The CanMNT turns to a new generation of players in first squad of new cycle
Just over two months after their thrilling journey at the 2026 World Cup came to an end with a 3-0 defeat to Morocco in the Round of 16, the CanMNT are embarking on their next adventure, as they’re now set to kick off the 2030 World Cup cycle.
Before they get stuck into any competitive fixtures, however, they’ll ease into this new cycle with a trio of friendly matches, taking on Chile, Peru and the US in this new hybrid September/October window. First, they’ll take on Chile in Toronto, then head to Montréal to take on Peru and Minnesota to take on the US, combining two homecoming matches with an away trip against a fierce rival.
To mark this new cycle, head coach Jesse Marsch has chosen to shake up his squad a bit, as he turns his attention to what’s next for this team.
"Every match will mean something" 💪
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 15, 2026
CanMNT 🇨🇦 head coach Jesse Marsch sets a clear goal for his team in the next cycle: Climb the FIFA rankings, get into the Top 24, and secure a Pot 2 spot for the next World Cup draw 📈
Can they do it? 👀 pic.twitter.com/exPPY472iw
With 17 of the 26 players who were in Canada’s World Cup squad returning for this window, a number that would likely be higher if not for injuries and some other personal absences, Marsch will still be able to build some continuity from what worked this summer, but those nine new faces offer plenty of intrigue.
Among them, there are the return of some familiar veterans and the inclusion of some promising youngsters, with the latter group offering something to watch for fans, even if there will be plenty of curiosity about the return of Junior Hoilett and Samuel Piette for what appears to be one final send-off.
SQUAD NEWS 🚨
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 15, 2026
Kristian Jack reports Junior Hoilett is set to retire from international duty after the fall window, though Samuel Piette is not officially retiring from CanMNT 🇨🇦 selection ✨
Both were ‘extremely grateful to Jesse Marsch’ for the chance to be honoured at home in… pic.twitter.com/iBy7J4Ej3D
Such is the growth of this Canadian team that there are also some intriguing names not even included in this squad, just showing how hard it is becoming to crack this team, one that is littered with depth that should help them take another step forward this cycle.
With that in mind, here’s what stood out from this latest roster release.
ROSTER DROP 🚨
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 15, 2026
Here's the 26-player CanMNT 🇨🇦 squad for upcoming friendlies vs. Chile 🇨🇱, Peru 🇵🇪 & the USMNT 🇺🇸
IN ✅
- James Pantemis
- Richard Chukwu
- Jovan Ivanisevic
- Jeevan Badwal
- Junior Hoilett
- Samuel Piette pic.twitter.com/xhTj7kVrdA
The start of a new generation begins:
Naturally, the big thing that stood out from this squad reveal was the inclusion of several new faces, as Marsch begins his quest to freshen up this Canadian team going forward.
The beauty of a new cycle is that it offers a fresh chance to National Team managers to cast a wider net when it comes to players - and by the same token, it offers a chance for players to have themselves viewed differently than they might’ve just months ago.
Because of that, it was expected that Marsch would call in some new faces for this camp, and in that regard, he didn’t disappoint.
Of the nine players who weren’t on the World Cup squad, Richard Chukwu, Jovan Ivanisevic, and Jeevan Badwal are all uncapped youngsters who have represented Canada at the youth level, while James Pantemis is uncapped despite several past call-ups to the CanMNT, and the trio of Ralph Priso, Daniel Jebbison and Jacen Russell-Rowe all have single-digit caps for Canada.
The Canadian Boys 🍁👏
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) September 15, 2026
Jeevan Badwal and Ralph Priso have been called up to represent the Canadian Men's National team during the September-October 2026 FIFA International Window.
📰 | https://t.co/bceAXYDOZW#VWFC | @CANMNT_Official pic.twitter.com/2hzUTDNOHQ
That’s encouraging, as these are the sort of players that can only bolster the depth of this team going forward, especially the youngsters, provided they come anywhere close to hitting the high ceilings they’ve shown in glimpses.
For example, Chukwu is a fascinating name to watch as, at 18, he’s already made his first-team debut with Toronto FC, and has racked up over 30 appearances at the youth national team level with Canada’s U15s, U17s and U20s. A versatile defender, he can play as both a left centre-back and a left back, two positions Canada could use a bit more reinforcement at in the long-term.
Then, Jovan Ivanisevic is also one to watch at centre back, as the 21-year-old has earned over 30 professional appearances across his time in Europe with Croatian club NK Istra 1961 and in Bosnia & Herzegovina with FK Sarajevo. Along with a loan stint with Bologna’s youth team, that shows why the former Toronto FC academy graduate has been one to watch for a few seasons now.
Lastly, there’s Badwal, who at 20, has already made an astonishing 63 first-team appearances for the Vancouver Whitecaps, including 35 starts, racking up over 3000 minutes of action. Given the Whitecaps status as one of the top teams in MLS over the past two seasons, it’s been impressive to see Badwal grow into one of the Whitecaps' key contributors, filling in as a winger, #10 and box-to-box midfielder.
When looking at that trio, you can see why Marsch is eager to integrate them into the fold right away, as there is the potential that they can be key contributors to this team down the road.
And the same can also be said for Priso, Jebbison and Russell-Rowe.
Priso is the big one to watch right now, as he seemed likely to crack Canada’s World Cup squad this summer before a late injury scuppered those plans. The 24-year-old has become a revelation for the Whitecaps ever since a switch to centre back last season, and he has shown well in his appearances for Canada there this year. With his pace and his ability on the ball, he fits in quite nicely into a Canadian side that asks their defenders to play aggressively.
At the same time, don’t sleep on Russell-Rowe. The 24-year-old made a fascinating move to Ligue 1 side Toulouse earlier this year, and has since racked up 19 appearances for the French side, scoring two goals. After scoring 22 goals and adding 10 assists in 109 appearances for the Columbus Crew, this is a great step up for Russell-Rowe, who can play as both a lone striker and as a withdrawn #9.
Jebbison, meanwhile, is the biggest wildcard here. Now 23, he’s shown plenty of glimpses of potential, scoring his first English Premier League goal as a 17-year-old, but he’s been dogged by bouts of inconsistency and some bad luck with his health. Despite a mixed loan in the Championship last year with Preston North End, he was retained in AFC Bournemouth’s first-team squad this year. Minutes have been hard to come by for him this year, although he’s already made a couple of substitute appearances in the English Premier League. If he can find a way to increase those minutes, he’ll be one to watch for Canada - it shows how much Marsch believes in his potential that he’s called him up despite that lack of minutes lately.
That’s no small detail, as it’s worth noting that Marsch could’ve called in some intriguing young attackers who are in excellent form, such as the 24-year-old Simon Colyn, who has scored four goals and added two assists in 10 games across all competitions for Danish top-flight side Lyngby, or the 21-year-old Marcus Caldeira, who has scored four goals and three assists for Minnesota United since becoming a first-team fixture this summer. And you can’t forget the 21-year-old Adonija Ouanda, who has scored a goal and added an assist for Slavia Prague in the Czech top flight (although it’s worth noting that he’s been dealing with an injury lately, which could’ve affected his CanMNT prospects).
Of course, Marsch will want to have struck a balance between new and familiar for a window like this, as he wants to keep some continuity from what has worked well for this team since he arrived in 2024, but this shows that if he wants to shake things up, he still has more names to call in (and given that centre back Alfie Jones is now dealing with an injury, we could still see a 10th new face called in sometime over the next week).
On the flip side, it also can’t be forgotten that a squad like this doesn’t even include Alphonso Davies, who was left out to enjoy his honeymoon after getting married this summer, Maxime Crépeau, who misses out for personal reasons, and the injured Alistair Johnston, Moïse Bombito and Ismaël Koné, further serving as a reminder of how the depth of this side has grown.
Safe to say that there will be a lot of competition for places when they all return, especially for the newer faces. 
The impact of transfers on full display:
One big knock-on effect from Canada’s success at the World Cup this summer?
It led to a flood of movement in the transfer window, as several Canadian players made some huge club moves, including Promise David, who joined Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion on loan, Nathan Saliba, who joined Villarreal CF, and Niko Sigur, who joined Toulouse FC.
Just as the 2024 Copa América opened the door for Canadians to earn more opportunities at clubs in the top five leagues, this summer’s World Cup seemed to further open that door for more and more players to make these sorts of big moves.
That’s huge, as transfers like this can only help grow the profile of this Canadian team going forward.
It's been a busy end to the transfer window for several #CanMNT players, with several making big deadline-day moves@AlexGangueRuzic looks at those moves as he rounds up a World Cup-sized transfer window for the CanMNT
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 2, 2026
READ👉 https://t.co/eqaOd4ncZG pic.twitter.com/N0yszQfM3e
Typically, the transfer market operates on familiarity, with teams typically more likely to spend on known commodities. That’s a reason why players from countries such as France, England, Spain, Argentina and Brazil will always cost more and be more highly coveted.
Of course, there is room for other countries to emerge as growing markets - in recent years, players from Ecuador, Japan and the US have become more common commodities on the transfer market, just to name a few countries.
So for Canada to now be considered an up-and-coming market is huge, as that’ll put more eyeballs on Canadian players going forward, and create more opportunities like this for players to make moves like this.
From a CanMNT perspective, though, Marsch won’t care too much about where his players are playing right now - his big worry will always be about how much they’re playing, and how they’re playing. So in this camp, for example, these new moves shouldn’t change too much about the hierarchy of this Canadian squad - P. David and Sigur have hardly played enough for their new clubs to change much about their status, although Saliba’s strong start to life in Spain could improve his rapidly growing stock (one that is quite high after the World Cup) with Koné’s current injury.
Similarly, it’s hoped that Jonathan David’s move to Atlético Madrid can help him rediscover the form he had for Canada before last year’s ill-fated move to Juventus, especially after he scored recently for his new club.
Long-term, though, the big goal for all of those players who made a move will be to establish themselves as regulars at their clubs, which will open the door for more upward movement down the road, while helping improve this Canadian team in the process. 
The battle up front continues:
After the World Cup, a big talking point for this Canadian team was their striker group, as some felt this team could’ve gone even further if they were a bit more ruthless offensively.
It didn’t help, to be fair, that their best striker, Jonathan David, entered the tournament on a poor run of form, but even beyond that, there were some questions about how Marsch used his forwards, especially in terms of his usage of J. David as a #10.
With Marsch unlikely to tweak his tactical set-up too much, as he’s remained very committed to his 4-2-2-2 with what it offers Canada out of possession, some of those same questions remain about the strikers heading into this camp.
At the same time, it’s worth noting that some things have changed about the group. Namely, the big one is Cyle Larin’s hot start to the season for Southampton, which has him as Canada’s best striker right now.
Based on his form, he absolutely deserves to be starting for Canada, but will Marsch persist with the Larin-J. David partnership, which has continued to deliver mixed results?
Decisions, decisions 🥲
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 11, 2026
Jesse Marsch has got a bit of a striker dilemma for the next CanMNT 🇨🇦 window, choosing between Cyle Larin, Promise David & Tani Oluwaseyi 🎯
...but has one earned a nod more than the others for the starting XI? 🔒 pic.twitter.com/h8LGGig4Zm
Or, with J. David adjusting to life in Spain, could Marsch shake things up? Might we see Promise David rewarded with a start alongside Larin now that he’s fully healthy (it can’t be forgotten that he was returning from injury at the World Cup), even if he hasn’t played as much yet at Brighton as hoped?
Or how about Tani Oluwaseyi, who has continued to deliver inconsistent results at Villarreal but remains arguably the striker who can best fulfill the demands Marsch places on his forwards? Where does he fit in on the pecking order?
And with the inclusion of Russell-Rowe and Jebbison, will there be room for both to earn opportunities, given that a friendly window like this is an optimal situation for them to test themselves? Could Jebbison pair nicely with a Larin or J. David, and Russell-Rowe with a P. David or Oluwaseyi?
Certainly, it feels like Marsch will shake up his striker group in one form or another, but how much he does so remains to be seen.
Heading into this cycle, though, it feels like the position where Canada has the most room for growth - especially given that more Canadian strikers are moving to bigger clubs, which should hopefully open the door for more top performances.
Imagine if some of these strikers started firing like Larin, which isn’t that far out of the realm of possibility - J. David can be one of the top strikers in the world on his day, while the rest of this group has shown enough potential to suggest that they could do some damage if given the right opportunity on the right team. And that’s without going into the strikers who are in good form and aren’t even in this team right now, such as Colyn and Caldeira, of course.
