Canada head coach Jesse Marsch has named 11 MLS players to his 23-man roster for the inaugural Canadian Shield Tournament, which includes two June friendlies at Toronto FC's BMO Field before the Concacaf Gold Cup this summer.
GOALKEEPERS (2)
- Maxime Crépeau - Portland Timbers
- Dayne St. Clair - Minnesota United FC
DEFENDERS (7)
- Sam Adekugbe - Vancouver Whitecaps FC
- Zorhan Bassong - Sporting Kansas City
- Derek Cornelius - Olympique de Marseille
- Luc de Fougerolles - Fulham FC
- Jamie Knight-Lebel - Crewe Alexandra
- Richie Laryea - Toronto FC
- Joel Waterman - CF Montréal
MIDFIELDERS (9)
- Ali Ahmed - Vancouver Whitecaps FC
- Tajon Buchanan - Villarreal CF
- Mathieu Choinière - Grasshopper Zurich
- Stephen Eustáquio - FC Porto
- Ismaël Koné - Stade Rennais
- Jayden Nelson - Vancouver Whitecaps FC
- Nathan Saliba - CF Montréal
- Jacob Shaffelburg - Nashville SC
- Niko Sigur - Hadjuk Split
FORWARD (5)
- Jonathan David - LOSC Lille
- Promise David - Royale Union Saint-Gilloise
- Daniel Jebbison - AFC Bournemouth
- Cyle Larin - RCD Mallorca
- Tani Oluwaseyi - Minnesota United FC
June friendlies
- June 7 vs. Ukraine - 3 pm ET | BMO Field - Toronto, Ontario
- June 10 vs. Ivory Coast - 8:30 pm ET | BMO Field - Toronto, Ontario
As part of the first-ever Canadian Shield Tournament, the CanMNT host European side Ukraine before facing African powerhouse Ivory Coast. New Zealand are also part of the four-team tournament; all matches will have a winner and games will go directly to penalties if teams are tied after regulation time.
These international friendlies will help Marsch's group prepare for the Gold Cup. Their Group B slate begins June 17 against Honduras at BC Place (home of Vancouver Whitecaps FC) before games against Curaçao and El Salvador. Each group's top two sides advance to the knockout phase.
Big picture, Canada are preparing to co-host the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside the United States and Mexico. Their squad is also one year into Marsch's tenure; the former CF Montréal and New York Red Bulls boss was hired in May 2024.
MLS call-ups
The 11 MLS call-ups are highlighted by three players who have helped lead the Whitecaps to the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup final: defender Sam Adekugbe and midfielders Ali Ahmed and Jayden Nelson.
Montréal have two representatives in defender Joel Waterman and midfielder Nathan Saliba, as do Minnesota United FC with goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair and forward Tani Oluwaseyi.
Portland Timbers goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau, Nashville SC winger Jacob Shaffelburg and Toronto FC defender Richie Laryea are all key players under Marsch. Sporting Kansas City defender Zorhan Bassong is vying for a bigger role.
Montréal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois is one of two invited training players.
MLS alums
Of the remaining 12 players, five previously competed in MLS before making moves abroad. They include former New England Revolution attacker Tajon Buchanan and forward Cyle Larin (Orlando City SC).
Ex-Montréal midfielders Mathieu Choinière and Ismaël Koné, as well as former Vancouver defender Derek Cornelius, are also included.
Whitecaps homegrown export Alphonso Davies is recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in the 2025 Concacaf Nations League third-place match against the USMNT. The Bayern Munich star got injured in March.
