The Canadian men’s team faces one of the biggest and most important spells in its history when it competes at the Concacaf Nations League finals this week.
For Canada, it’s a chance to win its first major trophy since hoisting the 2000 Concacaf Gold Cup, while also building up some momentum ahead of next year’s FIFA World Cup.
Ranked No. 31 in the world by FIFA, Canada takes on Mexico (No. 19), while the United States (No. 16) faces Panama (No. 36) in Thursday’s semifinals. The two winners will square off in Sunday’s final, which will take place after the third-place match earlier that day. All games will be played in Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium, which is one of the World Cup venues in 2026.
Here are five storylines to watch for in Thursday’s semifinal showdown between Canada and Mexico.
The return of Alphonso Davies
When Canada takes to the pitch in Los Angeles on Thursday vs. Mexico, it will do so with captain Alphonso Davies back in its starting lineup.
Davies hasn’t played for his country since last October’s friendly vs. Panama, having sat out both legs of November’s two-legged Nations League qualifying series for Suriname as a precautionary measure due to physical fatigue. He was also sidelined earlier this year for his pro club, German outfit Bayern Munich, with a muscle strain in his left hamstring before eventually coming back.
Although Canada has won big games before without Davies, there’s no question that it’s better with him in the starting 11. The Edmonton native is arguably the best player in the Concacaf region and is rightly considered among the best fullbacks in the world.
Davies has earned 56 caps for Canada (50 starts), scoring 16 goals and tallying 17 assists along the way, since his international debut in 2017. But he’s gone 12 consecutive appearances for the national team without scoring — his last goal for the Canadian team was on Nov. 21, 2023 — and he’s never scored in four matches against Mexico. Can the Mexicans keep him off the scoresheet again?
Daniel Jebbison, Promise David could debut for Canada
Included in coach Jesse Marsch’s 23-man squad are a pair of newcomers in forwards Promise David (Royale Union Saint-Gilloise) and Daniel Jebbison (AFC Bournemouth) who’ll be looking to earn their first caps for Canada.
David is from Brampton, Ont., having previously played for Nigeria at the youth level before recently declaring he planned to represent Canada at the senior level. Similarly, Jebbison played for England at the youth level, but the native of Oakville, Ont., recently pledged his international allegiance to Canada.
Jebbison had been on Canada’s radar since John Herdman’s reign as coach, so this moment was a long time coming for both the player and the national team. But the youngster is joining the program at a time when it already has plenty of quality options at the forward position, including Cyle Larin and Jonathan David. That doesn’t pose a problem to the ultra-confident Jebbison.
“I have no doubt I will be (the forward) for this country soon. And I say that confidently, not in an arrogant way, just because I know what I could offer and I know where I stand. And all I’m gonna say is I’m gonna do everything I can to get that starting spot … Because I believe in myself. I know the talent that I have, and I know I can do very well,” Jebbison told Sportsnet.
Who will start in net: Maxime Crepeau or Dayne St. Clair?
One of the more interesting and complicated selection problems facing coach Jesse Marsch is who will be his starting goalkeeper against Mexico. He has to decide between two talented shot stoppers in Maxime Crépeau and Dayne St. Clair.
Crépeau, 30, has more appearances (24), starts (23) and clean sheets (seven) during his time with the national team. The Longueuil, Que., Quebec native also has more big tournament experience — he started five matches at last summer’s Copa América where Canada marked its tournament debut with a sensational fourth-place finish. St. Clair’s only appearance came in the third-place game.
But St. Clair, 27, has started in three of Canada’s previous four outings, including both legs of last November’s two-legged playoff vs. Suriname. The native of Pickering, Ont., has also been in better form early on in the 2025 MLS season, recording a pair of shutouts in four starts for Minnesota United. On the other hand, Crépeau conceded four goals in his only appearance for the Portland Timbers. St. Clair also posted a shutout the last time Canada faced Mexico in September, 2024.
“We have a great relationship off the field, and that definitely helps us on the field. We both have a lot of respect for each other, so we both push each other and then support each other (regardless of whose) number is called. It’s just an ongoing relationship and battle between us, but one that comes and stems from a lot of respect,” St Clair told reporters this week.
Moïse Bombito’s iron man streak for Canada
How important has centre back Moïse Bombito been for Canada? Consider this: He’s played every single minute of all 13 games that Canada has played since Jesse Marsch took over as coach last May.
Bombito, a 24-year-old from Montreal, only played four games under previous Canadian manager John Herdman. But the OGC Nice defender has absolutely flourished during Marsch’s tenure while routinely being paired in the heart of defence with Derek Cornelius (Olympique Marseille), who was also overlooked by Herdman.
“It’s been a solid partnership and it’s good to have someone like Derek, as he’s a bit older than me, and he has way more experience than I do. We’ll always have some banter here and there, which solidifies what goes on between us on the pitch,” Bombito told Sportsnet.
Bombito has been a tireless workhorse for Nice in his debut season in France’s first division, playing in 29 matches in all competitions. The expectation is that he’ll continue to log a lot of playing time for Canada this week as he tests himself against dangerous Mexican forwards Santiago Giménez (AC Milan) and Raúl Jiménez (Fulham).
Which Mexican team will show up this time?
These nations previously met in an international friendly on Sept. 10, 2024 when they played to a 0-0 draw at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas in a game that was marred by the Mexicans’ cynical playing style.
A drab affair owed a lot to the dour tactics of Mexico, who systematically fouled and blatantly hacked down Canadian players, preventing Les Rouges from getting into any kind of attacking rhythm. Rather than try to build out from the back, manager Javier Aguirre had his team just lump the ball forward in vain and focused on frustrating Canada. Forty-three fouls were called by the referee, 24 of which were committed by El Tri, who showed no genuine interest in trying to play football.
“We were used to going against Mexico and seeing them play with the ball, trying to play through us. But they really tried to go for second balls, be more physical with fouls and all that stuff. We were pretty surprised with their approach,” Bombito said.
Will we see more of the same from Mexico on Thursday? Or will they be buoyed by what is expected to be a largely pro-Mexican crowd in LA and fearlessly go on the attack vs. Canada?
“I think that last game set the tone for what’s next to come. I think we pretty much are going to be in that same environment on Thursday, where they will try to be really feisty and try to disrupt our play. We’ll be ready for that. We have the attacking weapons to compete against that,” Bombito offered.
Editor’s note
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 25 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.
