Montreal, May 30: Alphonso Davies was named to Canada’s World Cup squad on Friday night although it’s too soon to tell whether he’ll be ready for the team’s opener because of a hamstring injury.
The defender, who plays for Bayern Munich, was injured earlier this month in the loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semifinals.
Davies is Canada’s captain and among the most prominent players named to the team, along with Juventus forward Jonathan David, Southampton forward Cyle Larin and Villarreal midfielder Tajon Buchanan.
Coach Jesse Marsch named nine defenders, 10 midfielders, four forwards and three goalkeepers to the 26-player roster for the World Cup, which opens on June 11.
Marsch included Davies on the team’s latest 32-player training camp roster earlier this week, but he did not immediately join the team, instead remaining in Germany to continue his recovery.
The team trained this past week in Charlotte, North Carolina, ahead of a pair of preparation matches against Uzbekistan on Monday in Edmonton and against Ireland on June 5 in Montreal.
“He (Davies) is already on the pitch running, and so we’ve got to just kind of see where he’s at in his overall progression, and then we’ve got to try to find ways to accelerate him, but he’s super excited to get here,” Marsch said. “I’m really hopeful that he has a few days to get away, and that he can come here and be fresh.” Canada is co-hosting the World Cup with the United States and Mexico. The Canadians are in Group B along with Switzerland, Qatar and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which eliminated Italy in the European playoffs. (AP)
Canadian Squad
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau (Orlando City), Owen Goodman (Barnsley), Dayne St. Clair (Inter Miami).
Defenders: Moise Bombito (Nice), Derek Cornelius (Rangers), Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich), Luc de Fougerolles (Dender EH), Alistair Johnston (Celtic), Alfie Jones (Middlesbrough), Richie Laryea (Toronto), Niko Sigur (Hajduk Split), Joel Waterman (Chicago Fire).
Midfielders: Ali Ahmed (Norwich City), Tajon Buchanan (Villarreal), Mathieu Choiniere (LAFC), Stephen Eustaquio (LAFC), Marcelo Flores (Tigres UANL), Ismael Kone (Sassuolo), Liam Millar (Hull City), Jonathan Osorio (Toronto), Nathan-Dylan Saliba (Anderlecht), Jacob Shaffelburg (LAFC).
Forwards: Jonathan David (Juventus), Promise David (Royale Union Saint-Gilloise), Cyle Larin (Southampton), Tani Oluwaseyi (Villarreal).
