Injury update
Canadian soccer star Alphonso Davies was seen jogging around the pitch at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium on Monday night ahead of Canada’s friendly match against Uzbekistan. Davies was not in the lineup for Monday’s contest due to a hamstring injury suffered last month during the Champions League semi-final second leg for Bayern Munich.
The 25-year-old could not give a definitive answer on his availability for Canada’s opening World Cup game against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12 in Toronto.
"Obviously, all depending on whether I'm fit enough to make that. Time will tell, and I can't really say right now," Davies said Monday after the win.
He was jogging. He just did not know yet if it mattered.
Coach comments
Manager Jesse Marsch said last week he expects Davies to play for Canada in the World Cup, but was unsure if the dynamic defender would be ready for the first game.
"Yes, I think Alphonso will play in the World Cup," Marsch said. "No, I don't think he'll be ready quite on June 12. But we'll see."
That is the kind of injury timeline that turns roster planning into calendar management.
Roster context
Davies was named to Canada’s men’s national team on Friday during the official roster reveal. The Edmonton-born defender has 15 goals over 58 career games with the national team, including scoring Canada’s first-ever goal at the men’s World Cup against Croatia at the 2022 tournament in Qatar. He scored one goal over 23 games with Bayern Munich this season.
After facing Uzbekistan, Canada will play their final World Cup tune-up game against Ireland on Friday at Sapato Stadium in Montreal. The World Cup opener follows on June 12 against Bosnia and Herzegovina, then a clash against Qatar on June 18 and Switzerland on June 24 in their Group B finale. The games against Qatar and Switzerland will be played at BC Place in Vancouver.
It is not lost on anyone that a player who once scored his country's first World Cup goal is now running in the same city where he grew up, still waiting to learn if he will be there for the next one.