Canadian men take on Romania in first of six remaining friendlies in 2025
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Canada takes on Romania on Friday, the first of six remaining games in 2025 that come with a clear mandate from coach Jesse Marsch.
"There's certain things we want to develop on the inside of our team to fully prepare us for what (the World Cup) next summer looks like," Marsch told a news conference in Bucharest on Thursday. "One of them is about leadership and communication on the pitch. And then another one is we continue to push the entire squad and not just that we have good performances from the starting 11 but that we have good performances for the entire 90-plus minutes."
As such, Marsch says he is essentially treating the next three international windows as one.
After No. 48 Romania, the 28th-ranked Canadians visit No. 31 Wales on Tuesday, host No. 24 Australia in Montreal on Oct. 10, play No. 14 Colombia in Harrison, N.J., on Oct. 14 and welcome No. 25 Ecuador to Toronto on Nov. 13. Another opponent for the November FIFA international window has yet to be announced.
"Six good matches," said Marsch.
The coach was coy about some new wrinkles in training this week.
"We've had some interesting experiments with trying to pull more personality out of our group — and to encourage them to understand that they are the ones who control who this team is and where this team is going," he added.
For Romania, the Canada game is a warm-up for its World Cup qualifier Tuesday at No. 128 Cyprus. The Romanians then play No. 22 Austria on Oct. 12 and No. 72 Bosnia and Herzegovina on Nov. 15 before wrapping up group play against No. 210 San Marino on Nov. 18.
Romania (2-2-0) currently stands third in Group H behind Austria (2-0-0) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (3-0-0), who meet Tuesday.
"Clearly, in this window, that takes precedence for them. So we think we'll see a little bit of a mixed group from the start," said Marsch. "But they have really good quality players. They have players that play at high levels all over Europe. They're very good on transition, and they're technically gifted and a very savvy team.
"So when you add all those things up, that's the type of opponent that you see in the World Cup and, I think, the type of opponent that will challenge us to be good at what we need to be good at."
It's the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
Marsch will be matching wits with 80-year-old Mircea Lucescu, in his second stint in charge of Romania. Lucescu, a former Romania captain, coached the national team from 1981 to 1986 and was put back in charge in August 2024.
His managerial resume includes Italy's Inter Milan, Turkey's Galatasaray and Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk, among other clubs, as well as the Turkish national team.
Marsch pointed to Andrei Ratiu (Rayo Vallecano, Spain) and Dennis Man (PSV, the Netherlands) as "incredibly explosive" players on Romania's flank.
"A big challenge for us on the day will be to try to manage what those players can do," he said.
Marsch is missing captain Alphonso Davies and fellow defenders Moise Bombito and Alistair Johnston, winger Liam Millar and forward Daniel Jebbison, all of whom are injured. Winger Jacob Shaffelburg is suspended after being red-carded at the Gold Cup, while Cyle Larin is absent because his wife is due to give birth.
The Canada coach said goalkeepers Dayne St. Clair and Maxime Crepeau will each get a start in the September window, but declined to say who gets the nod Friday at the 5,5634-capacity National Arena in Bucharest.
"They know that the competition (for the starting job) is alive and well," he said. "They've handled it incredibly well … It's an important window for both of those goalkeepers but we know we will get the best out of both of them."
Marsch said settling on a starter in goal will be "probably one of my most difficult and important decisions for the team."
"I'm evaluating that every day we're together," he added.
Midfielder Stephen Eustaquio captains Canada in the absence of Davies.
Marsch said while his young team continues to grow, it already boasts "very high character."
"Maybe the highest character of any group of players that I've ever coached in terms of selflessness, commitment, desire and support of each other. It's a very unique group.
"And so I've always tried to say to them that because of that, there's an incredible opportunity to also be the kind of group that can push each other and now raise the level at which we expect our performances, our concentration and certainly our organization is."
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 4, 2025