Steven Caldwell returns with Race for the Roster after Canada’s 2-0 win over Uzbekistan in Edmonton on Monday night with a couple of changes.
Caldwell has made an amendment to both his roster and his starting XI in light of a pair of recent developments.
The most pressing issue is the need for a replacement player to the 26-man squad announced last Friday. Winger Marcelo Flores ruptured his ACL during Tigres’ penalties loss to Toluca and the 24-year-old Georgetown, Ont. native is lost for the tournament. Manager Jesse Marsch will now draft another player into his squad with an announcement expected around Friday’s friendly in Montreal against Ireland.
For Caldwell, Monday night’s game was enough for him to make his pick. Austin FC’s Jayden Nelson, who would be a like-for-like replacement, is his call. The Brampton, Ont. native starred in the second half of the Canada win, scoring the match’s second goal. The goal was Nelson’s third in a Canada shirt and first in nearly three years.
But the goal is not the only reason why Nelson is Caldwell’s choice. He was impressed with the Toronto FC academy product’s play for the duration of his 45 minutes of work. Nelson seized the moment, playing positively and making the right decisions. It’s that type of mindset that makes him the ideal replacement for Flores.
Elsewhere, Caldwell has elevated Luc de Fougerolles into his starting XI in place of Moise Bombito. The Montreal native made his first competitive appearance on Monday night since fracturing his tibia in a Ligue 1 match against Monaco last October. The Nice centre-back exited the match after a 30-minute shift. He walked to the locker room with a noticeable slight limp and an icepack on his leg. But after the match both the limp and icepack were gone.
Still, Caldwell believes Monday night’s performance showed that Bombito might not be at the level he will need to be to start a World Cup match. As such, the 20-year-old de Fougerolles gets the nod. The Fulham centre-back, who just spent his first professional season on loan with Belgian side Dender, is coming off of a concussion himself, but has cleared protocol and was able to play nearly an hour on Monday night.
Finally, Caldwell has made a change at goalkeeper. Maxime Crepeau, who started Monday night’s match, gets the start ahead of Dayne St. Clair, who played the second half against Uzbekistan. While neither man was terribly busy, Caldwell’s change reflects Marsch’s thinking. He believes that the choice to start Crepeau tips the manager’s hand as to which way he is leaning when it comes to his No. 1.
Here’s a look at the updated team:
Race for the Roster (June 1 update):
Forwards
STARTERS: Jonathan David (Juventus) and Cyle Larin (Southampton, on loan from Mallorca)
BENCH: Tani Oluwaseyi (Villarreal), Promise David (Union SG), and Jayden Nelson (Austin FC)
Midfield and Defenders
STARTING MIDFIELDERS: Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich) INJ, Ismaël Koné (Sassuolo), Stephen Eustaquio (Los Angeles FC, on loan from Porto) Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC) and Tajon Buchanan (Villarreal)
BENCH: Jacob Shaffelburg (Los Angeles), Liam Millar (Hull City), Nathan Saliba (Anderlecht), Mathieu Choiniere (Los Angeles FC) and Ali Ahmed (Norwich City)
STARTING DEFENDERS: Richie Laryea (Toronto FC), Derek Cornelius (Rangers, on loan from Marseille), Luc de Fougerolles (Dender, on loan from Fulham) and Alistair Johnston (Celtic)
BENCH: Niko Sigur (Hajduk Split), Alfie Jones (Middlesbrough), Joel Waterman (Chicago Fire) and Moise Bombito (Nice)
Goalkeeper
STARTER: Maxime Crepeau (Orlando City)
BENCH: Dayne St. Clair (Inter Miami) and Owen Goodman (Huddersfield Town, on loan from Crystal Palace)
