Jesse Marsch lists off players who didn't make Canada's roster for the CONCACAF Nations League Finals, citing Nathan Saliba, Theo Bair, Kamal Miller and Jayden Nelson.
"The good thing is this is the hardest squad that I've had to put together. And that's a great development for us, that we're leaving quality players in good form off the list right now because we have so many options," said Marsch, who was named Canadian men's coach in mid-May.
"That was my goal when I first started this project and it's good to already be in a place where we feel like we have a bigger pool than just 11, 15, 20 guys"
Space on Canada's 23-man Nations League roster grew harder to get with news that forwards Daniel Jebbison and Promise (Tobi) David have both committed to Canada. Both immediately made the Canada squad with Marsch acknowledging that Jebbison's paperwork wasn't completed until the last 24 hours.
Jebbison, who plays his club football for Bournemouth in England's Premier League, previously represented England at the under-18 and U-20 level while David, who is with Belgium's Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, played for Nigeria's under-23 team.
"I think both of these two are big talents," said Marsch. "They fit the way we play.
"Now when you look at our overall depth of attacking options, it's a pretty strong group. And clearly the breadth of the overall squad has grown a lot, even in the time I've been here for 10 months. So we are really excited about this group. We are really excited about the options we have at different positions, the flexibility -- the positional flexibility -- we have within this team, the high-level talent we have within this team and the overall depth of the squad.
"I think this is the strongest that the Canadian national team has ever looked. And we're excited for the challenge of what next week will bring."
The 31st-ranked Canadian men face No. 19 Mexico in one Nations League semifinal while the 16th-ranked U.S. take on No. 36 Panama in the other. Both matches are March 20 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. The final and third-place game are scheduled for March 23 at the same venue.
The games are the first for Canada since mid-November when it beat No. 138 Suriname 4-0 on aggregate in the two-legged Nations League quarterfinal.
The tournament is worth $2 million (all figures in U.S. dollars) to the winner with the runner-up collecting $1 million. Third place is worth $600,000 with $200,000 going to the fourth-place side.
Canada placed fifth (2019-20), second (2022-23) and fifth (2023-24) in the three previous editions of the CONCACAF Nations League. The U.S. are three-time champions with Mexico twice runners-up.
Marsch's 23-man roster features eight players from Major League Soccer including Toronto FC's Jonathan Osorio and Richie Laryea, CF Montreal's Joel Waterman and the Vancouver Whitecaps' Ali Ahmed.
Choosing Laryea is a bit of a gamble given he is currently dealing with a hamstring injury. Marsch said he wants to give the hard-nosed fullback/wingback as much time as possible to recover, knowing he can bring in an injury replacement if needed,
Veterans include captain Alphonso Davies, defenders Alistair Johnston and Richie Laryea, midfielders Tajon Buchanan and Stephen Eustaquio and forwards Jonathan David and Cyle Larin.
But the focus will be on the new faces.
Jebbison, 21, joined Sheffield United in 2018 and scored three goals in 35 appearances for the club across all competitions, between loan spells at Burton Albion and Chorley.
He signed a four-year deal with Bournemouth last July after his contract with Sheffield United expired at the end of the season. Jebbison was sent out on loan to Watford in England's second-tier Championship before being recalled in late January.
David was born in Brampton, Ont., to Nigerian parents. He lived in Nigeria for four years as a child and had a stint with the Toronto FC academy when he returned, eventually playing for Vaughan Azzurri.
The 23-year-old has played club football in Croatia with NK Trnje, in Malta with Valletta FC and Sirens FC, and Estonia with Kalju FC.
Jebbison, who was born in Oakville, Ont., and attended the ANB Futbol academy in suburban Toronto from age six to 14, is the youngest of three brothers (along with Micah and Jonathan).
Jebbison's father Patrick was an accomplished athlete in his own right, named the top Canadian university basketball player in 1987-88 and 1988-89 while at Brandon University. He led the Bobcats to three straight national championships (1987, '88 and '89) and played for Canada at the 1989 World University Games and 1991 Pan American Games.
His mother Christine was a talented track athlete.
The family bloodlines allowed for a British passport, so the family of six — they also have a daughter Sarah — moved to England. Christine left first, getting a job in banking, with Patrick following.
Eventually Sheffield United spotted Jebbison at a talent ID camp and snapped him up.
Jebbison worked his way up through the ranks, making his Premier League debut off the bench May 8, 2021, in a 2-0 loss to visiting Crystal Palace.
He made his first start eight days later, becoming the youngest player in Premier League history — at 17 years 309 days — to score on his first start in England's top tier in a 1-0 win at Everton.
Jebbison also became the youngest to score the winning goal in a Premier League match since Federico Macheda (17 years 232 days) for Manchester United against Sunderland in April 2009.
He was part of the Blades side that won automatic promotion to the Premier League in 2023 but made just one appearance after struggling with injury and illness before Sheffield United were relegated back to the Championship.
Canada Roster
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Tom McGill, Brighton and Hove Albion (England); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United (MLS).
Defenders: Moïse Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Derek Cornelius, Olympique de Marseille (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Glasgow Celtic (Scotland); Jamie Knight-Lebel, Crewe Alexandra (on loan from Bristol City, England); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).
Midfielders: Ali Ahmed, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Villarreal CF (Spain, on loan from Italy's Inter Milan); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Ismaël Kone, Stade Rennais (on loan from Olympique de Marseille, France); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).
Forwards: Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Promise David, Royale Union Saint-Gilloise (Belgium); Daniel Jebbison, AFC Bournemouth (England); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 12, 2025
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
