Canada Soccer Announces Roster for November Friendly matches

Jesse Marsch discusses with the media his roster selections

Toronto, ON- In a conference call, Canadian Men’s National Team Head Coach Jesse Marsch discussed his roster selections for the two International Friendly matches, as Canada will be facing Ecuador at BMO Field in Toronto on Thursday, November 13th, and then travel to South Florida at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale to face Venezuela on Tuesday, November 18th.

November Roster

Goalkeepers

MAXIME CREPEAU: Portland Timbers
OWEN GOODMAN: Huddersfield Town (ENG)
DAYNE ST. CLAIRE: Minnesota United FC

Defense

ZORHAN BASSONG: Sporting Kansas City
DEREK CORNELIUS: Rangers FC (SCO) (On Loan from Olympique de Marseille ) (FRA)
ALFIE JONES: Middlesbrough (ENG)
RICHIE LARYEA: Toronto FC
KAMAL MILLER: Portland Timbers
NIKO SIGUR: Hajduk Split (CRO)
JOEL WATERMAN: Chicago Fire

Midfielders

ALI AHMED: Vancouver Whitecaps FC
TAJON BUCHANAN: Villarreal cf (ESP)
MATHIEU CHOINIERE: LAFC (On loan from Grasshopper Zurich) (SUI)
STEPHEN EUSTAQUIO: FC Porto (POR)
JUNIOR HOILETT: Hibernian FC (SCO)
ISMAEL KONE: U.S. Sassuolo Calcio (ITA) (On loan from Olympique de Marseille)(FRA)
JAYDEN NELSON: Vancouver Whitecaps FC
JONATHAN OSORIO: Toronto FC
NATHAN SALIBA: R.S.C. Anderlecht (BEL)

Forwards

THEO BAIR: Lausanne-Sport (SUI) (On Loan from AJ Auxerre)(FRA)
JONATHAN DAVID: Juventus FC (ITA)
PROMISE DAVID: Royale Union Saint-Gilloise (BEL)
CYLE LARIN: Feyenoord (NED) (On Loan from RCD Mallorca)(ESP)
TANI OLUWASEYI: Villarreal CF (ESP)

TRAINING PLAYER: MARCELO FLORES: Tigres UANL (MEX)

Marcelo Flores is looking to be part of Canada internationally

Marcelo Flores is currently with the Canadian Men’s National Team as a training player, as his mother was born to a Canadian Mother and a former Mexican Football player from Mexico, Ruben Flores. He was born in Georgetown, Ontario. Automatically joined the Mexican National Team, playing for Tigres in Liga MX.

But with Jesse Marsch now running the Canadian Men’s National Team, tried to get him to make the one-time switch. It took some time, but it sounds like Marcelo is going to make Canada his new home on the International Stage.

“He and I have been in touch over the last few months. I’ve invited him into camp before, specifically in the summer. And then, you know, there were different things that were happening that he wasn’t ready to do that quite yet. And so the last time I met with him, he, you know, and as we’ve talked more and more, he’s become more and more eager to really consider what it would be like to be Canadian and be a Canadian National Team member.

He is Canadian, born here. And so, you know, I mean, I think that he sees this as something that is meaningful to him, and not just a career choice, but like a life choice. And that, to me, is very encouraging. You know, he’s still a young player, and he’s had his ups and downs, but I find him to be very humble and very football-focused and very intelligent.

So I’m excited for him to come into camp, and I know he’s going to enjoy it. Alfie has been on our radar for a while. I’ve been, you know, recruiting him and working with him, along with the CSA, to try to get to Toronto, and then he will be officially ready for his citizenship. So he’s right there, and I think that we will be able to execute the last parts of the process in the next week.”

Hoping to mirror Canada MNT like the Blue Jays

After the amazing run the Toronto Blue Jays had in the 2025 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Jesse Marsch wants the country to get united and ride the wave of next summer’s FIFA World Cup. He is hoping that the same energy and support the Blue Jays had can now go toward the Canadian Men’s National Team.

“I’ve only in my life, since I’ve been living in Europe, gotten up in the middle of the night to watch football, soccer matches until the World Series this year. So I was a Jays fan maybe nine years ago. Canada, but this is the first time for another sport that I was getting up in the middle of the night because I had the fever as well.

And so, along with that, I was also excited about sports culture, right, in Canada, and people coming alive for the Blue Jays; and I believe that we will be even bigger, right? I believe that the World Cup at home in Canada will be even bigger. And so, I hope that with the taste of success and excitement and inspiration that everybody felt from the run in the World Series.

And look, the Blue Jays represented themselves in all positive ways and gave everything they had. And I can tell you right now that is exactly what this national team will be about. And it will electrify this country. And I have no doubt that this team will be ready to really make history and to do something very special.

So it’s time, if you’re not on board yet, and if you’re not feeling the excitement yet, it’s time. It’s time to get on board. It’s time to understand that there’s a movement happening. And you’re right, Toronto, I think, has a thousand tickets from being sold out from what the arena will be, the BMO Stadium will be, given that they’re doing some construction for the World Cup.

So it will be the biggest crowd that I’ve coached since I’ve been the national team coach in Canada, and so I want everybody to start to feel that this team is good, that this team is exciting, that there’s major potential in what can be achieved from this team, and that next summer, this is going to be a fun team to watch, and it’s going to be a real event.”

Players not called in due to injury recovery and MLS Cup Playoffs

Several players are currently injured or recovering from injury, so Marsch decided not to call them up for this International Window. But he knows they will be ready to go when their names are called in for the friendly games in March of 2026 and when he puts out his 26-man roster for the World Cup.

“I mean, it’s awkward, right? But when MLS extended the positive movement for the playoff program in MLS, this November window does complicate the rhythm of the playoffs. But our guys are really good at understanding how to shift gears. They’re always excited to come in with the national team. There’s always good banter.

I mean, you should see, like, Saturdays in the meal room when all the players on their phones have, on Apple TV, the different matches that are going on and the celebrating of goals or disappointment when their team gives up goals. So they’re clearly all watching their teams when they’re with us. But their ability to shift and be focused on what’s necessary for us to be good has always been at the highest level.

So the main one that we made a decision on was Schaffelberg. Jacob hasn’t been feeling great and has been nursing a little bit of the groin pubalgia issue, along with Luke Dufous-Giraud. And so we decided that as much as we’d love to have those guys in camp and that they’re important players in what we’re doing with the national team, that for their overall careers and seasons right now, that it was more important to give them the rest and help them use the time to recover and regenerate so that they can continue to push the right way with their teams.

So it’s not always easy to just voluntarily, and with the players, agree not to bring them in. But in this case, I think it was necessary and prudent, and important to make sure that those guys have the chance to perform.”

The Challenge with Ecuador

The first match in this international Window is against Ecuador, and they will be a difficult opponent to play against. Anytime you play an opponent from South America, either in a friendly or an official competition, these players are strong and very savvy on the pitch to battle you for the ball.

“Ecuador has proven to be a very difficult team to break down, conceding only five goals in the South American qualifiers. Is that something that influences your approach for the next game? Look, whenever we go into these windows, we look carefully at the opponents and try to analyze what kinds of things we think will be successful.

So when you speak of Ecuador, it’s a team that we think is very good, very explosive, very athletic, very sound defensively. You could clearly draw some comparisons between Colombia and what that game was like. But Ecuador, I think, is even in some ways even more athletic. So I’ve been down to Ecuador recruiting, and I know there’s a lot of talent down there and a lot of high-level players.

One of the toughest things about recruiting players from that area is that most of them play at incredible elevations. So typically, their fitness levels and ability to play with speed and power are very high. So yeah, I mean, I think we should all expect a spirited match, a difficult match, a high-level match on Thursday night.

And the additional challenge, I think, for both us and Ecuador is that with a Thursday match, we won’t have that much time for preparation. We’ll have to get our team in, get them regenerated, get the travel out of them, and get them ready for a really good game.

So we’re excited for it. I knew when we scheduled it on a Thursday that it would be challenging, especially given how good Ecuador is. But I think our team understands who we are, and we should be ready for this kind of challenge. And I’m excited to see how we respond.”

Facing Venezuela in South Florida

Then the team will travel down to Fort Lauderdale to play Venezuela at Chase Stadium, home of Inter Miami in MLS, as they finish up the back end of the international window. The last time they faced this South American side was the 2024 Copa America, as they defeated Ilvino Tinto in the Quarterfinals before falling to Argentina in the Semi-Finals. Could there be a hint of revenge on Venezuela’s mind?

“Yeah, so first, yeah, we expect, first of all, Venezuela’s had a few struggles as of late. They’re not going to the World Cup. They had a match canceled last window. So, you know, obviously, I think that the match in the Copa America stuck with them. I know it would be the same for us. So, you know, they haven’t had the most opportunities to, I think, show what they believe in themselves and who they are. So I expect to get a very good team that will give us their absolute best, which is what we want.”

Is Marsch watching the CONCACAF Qualifiers?

With Canada already in the World Cup as a Tri-Host along with Mexico and the United States, is Marsch watching or taking a peek to see which of the 12 nations might be fighting for the automatic spots as group winners to reach the biggest footballing party the world is waiting for?

“One of the reasons we’ve been following some of the CONCACAF teams is obviously we’re interested in the region and, you know, we have respect for a lot of the teams. You know, one for me is Panama. I really like their team. I really like their coach. I like what they’re doing down there. But in general, to see what’s happening.

And then, you know, we’re also trying to put together a January camp, which I think will happen. And in the process, one of the opponents that we could make sense of is the team that is looking to play the qualifier to still get into the World Cup. And that they may still need another match to make sure that they’re prepared and ready for that qualifier. So, you know, I mean, there are a few different reasons.

And I was at a CONCACAF meeting with most of the coaches from the region that were in the Gold Cup, and a review of the Gold Cup and looking at, you know, the format, what was the playing style of different matches, and everything that’s been going on inside of CONCACAF. And, you know, I mean, it was good to get to know all the coaches and see how thoughtful they are and how much, you know, coaching their national team means to them and means to their country.

So, you know, I have a lot of respect for a lot of those coaches in a lot of those countries that are developing, you know, in a similar way to what Canada is. Like, I think CONCACAF is getting better and better as a region. So, yeah, we’ll see. We’ll see. This is a big window for a lot of teams, and a lot of things will be decided in the next two weeks.”

This is a big window, and it’s time to see what Canada can do to prepare itself once we finally get to the end of this calendar year, turn the page for next year, and get ready to prepare for Canada’s World Cup Journey.

Canada Soccer News:

• Canada announces their roster for the Under-17 World Cup in Qatar
• Canada Earns Hard-Fought Draw Against Colombia in World Cup Dress Rehearsal
• Canada vs Colombia Preview: Marsch’s Men Face Ultimate World Cup Test at Sports Illustrated Stadium

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