Canada finds itself in an unprecedented time for the men’s national soccer program.
Next summer, it will play in consecutive World Cups for the first time ever with Canada co-hosting the tournament alongside the United States and Mexico. Last week, the latest FIFA World Rankings had Canada at an all-time high of No. 26. No longer an unknown commodity, the CanMNT is emerging as a new force in world soccer.
Canada left-back Richie Laryea acknowledges it’s an unusual, but exciting moment for soccer in this country.
“It does take a little bit to adjust to, but I think we have just a resilient group and guys are thriving and want to be in this type of situation,” the 30-year-old Toronto FC defender told TSN.ca. “As a group, I think this is where we wanted to be and were fighting to get to, so it’s kind of what we dreamed for and more to be in a situation where you can play against teams who will require you to be at your absolute best and, if you aren’t, you get punished for it. This is high-level football, and the World Cup is the highest stakes, so I think this is the perfect opportunity and place for us.”
After an embarrassing crash out at the Gold Cup on penalties against Guatemala in the quarter-finals, Jesse Marsch’s team bounced back with two fine performances earlier this month in Europe with a 3-0 win over Romania and a 1-0 decision over Wales. It marked Canada’s first victory over a European opponent in Europe since 2011 and the first time the team won back-to-back games on the continent.
Over the next two international windows, in October and November, respectively, Canada will take on Australia, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela. By the time the end of the year rolls around, Canada will have played opposition from CONCACAF, UEFA, AFC and CAF in the last six months of 2025.
Laryea says playing as many different opponents as possible is paramount in preparation for next summer.
“You don’t know who you’re going to be grouped with in the World Cup, so getting different looks at different teams, I think, is a positive because it’s a way to get a taste of what games may be like when you’re playing an African team, a South American team, a European team,” Laryea said. “I think we’ve got all those experiences now, which is good, and can prepare you for the matches in which you’ll be playing against different styles of play once you get to the World Cup.”
And the level of opponent is an important one. By the end of 2025, 10 of Canada’s 14 matches for the year will have been against top-50 FIFA-ranked nations. With no qualification this cycle, these will be the most important matches Canada has before the World Cup.
“I think in the buildup to 2022 and the qualifying cycle, it kind of kept you on your toes and you had to do well there in order to reach the World Cup,” Laryea said. “We got a lot of very good prep games leading into the World Cup because of how many games we had to play to qualify, but for this one, I think – if anything – it makes it even a little bit harder because you didn’t have to qualify.
“With all due respect [to CONCACAF], you’re playing opponents we probably wouldn’t have been able to play last time around because we were having to play in our region in order to qualify. So now you’re getting to play the likes of a Wales or a Romania, like last camp, which are good teams for us to test ourselves against.”
Canada heads into the next window contending with some key injuries. Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies has been out of action since the early spring with an ACL injury. Starting right-back Alistair Johnston sustained a hamstring tear in August and has been out of Celtic’s lineup since. Sam Adekugbe of the Vancouver Whitecaps tore his Achilles in June.
With crucial players out of action, Canada has adopted a next-man-up mentality.
“It’s definitely something we’ve been doing for a while now, but as of late, especially well,” Laryea said of players stepping up in the absence of others. “Because the opponents we’re playing against are top opponents in world football, I think guys on the team have responded really well to when they’re called upon to do what they need to and be readily available to step up and not just do a job. I think guys have had some really good performances when they do fill in for key players who’ve been injured.”
But with injuries come opportunity. The absences of certain players have allowed others to prove themselves indispensable and force their names into Marsch’s thinking when it comes to building a 26-man roster for next summer’s tournament.
“I think that’s the nature of the game, the nature of the sport we play, in that injuries happen, and you don’t want anybody to be injured because the guys injured are your teammates and great guys,” Laryea said. “We’re all very close, as well, so you definitely don’t want that and then that’s something they have to go through and being injured isn’t fun. But I think, on the flip side, it’s also very nice to have guys step up and have a good performance.
“Jesse’s now in a good situation and he’s going to have a headache about what he has to do with future teams because of how well guys are playing when called upon. I think it just benefits our program. We need it to be competitive. I think it would be the opposite if we got injuries and then the level drops significantly because we have key players injured. I think that would be concerning, but what we have now is a very big positive even though it may lead to difficult discussions between player and coach.”
Laryea is effusive in praise for his coach. With a manager who advocates and fights for his players the way Marsch does, Laryea says it’s impossible not to be fired up to play for him.
“It means everything,” Laryea said. “You want to play for a team like that and a coach like that because you know even if things aren’t going great, he’s gonna stick by your side and give you opportunities to get out of whatever situation you feel like you’re in. It kinda resonates throughout the whole team, as well. We already had that kind of relationship as a group prior to Jesse joining, but he’s taken that to a new level, which is good, and I think guys have really benefitted from how much he really does care about and trust people.”
Even though Laryea only turns 31 next month, the Toronto native is a tenured name and voice in the program, having made his senior debut in 2019. Laryea earned his 66th and 67th caps in Europe earlier this month. Of the 24 players named to the squad, only Juventus forward Jonathan David had more caps and only Hibernian winger Junior Hoilett was older at 35. A leadership role for Laryea may have been partially thrust upon him, but it’s one he welcomes.
“I think it’s a little bit of both, but more so it’s something that I do want,” Laryea said. “I think it’s the next step for me with playing as long as I have, for both club and country. I definitely enjoy taking more of a leadership role. It’s something I think will help elevate my game even more and also help share my experience to help others, as well.”
Back at home, Laryea’s TFC are winding down yet another disappointing campaign that will see the club miss the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season. Still, there are reasons for optimism. The team did well to position themselves for the future over the summer, shedding the expensive contracts of Designated Players Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi, stockpiling allocation money and acquiring winger Djordje Mihailovic as a new DP and Ecuador midfielder Jose Cifuentes on a loan through next summer.
Laryea says that the message from first-year manager Robin Fraser is to use these final weeks of the season to set the tone for next year.
“It’s been a lot of talk of the pride in playing for a club like Toronto and ourselves,” Laryea said. I think everyone is playing for something, whether it’s trying to get into the national team or fighting for a new contract or whatever it might be. There’s a lot on the line for everyone in this group still, so it’s not a time to take your foot off the gas and think, ‘Oh, the season’s over, I’ll just throw in the towel.’ If anything, I think guys have shown and continue to show the opposite because [even though] we’re mathematically out, it’s all about the way you finish. If you finish strong, maybe not from the fans’ perspective or the league’s perspective, but from a personal perspective, at least you can take that with you and kinda build off of that into the new year.”
A new TFC season won’t be the only soccer at BMO Field in 2026 as Canada will play its first World Cup match at the venue on June 12. With that date quickly approaching, has it dawned on Canada that they’re about to play in a World Cup on home soil?
“No, I don’t think so,” Laryea said. “I think it may still be, even though it is very close, a little too far away for people to really realize it yet. But I think one of the good things Jesse does is he keeps the team in the moment. And the moment is what we’re doing at that camp or who we’re playing against, it’s not already looking ahead to the World Cup when we have quality opponents we still have to play in these windows.”
