No secret Marsch is targeting 2027 as a trophy year

Ahead of the roster announcement for Canada’s upcoming friendlies, it might have been tempting to want a glimpse of the younger and fringier players who might just be the future of the national men’s program. An experimental squad, in other words.

Well, that is not what head coach Jesse Marsch has assembled in the run-up to matches against Chile, Peru and the United States. Yes, a number of prospects will see action, but their minutes have been necessitated more by injuries and absences than a generational shift.

After all, the purpose of this international window isn’t to anticipate coming accomplishments, but rather to honour past ones.

It’s right there in the branding for Saturday’s tussle with Chile in Toronto (6 p.m., TSN 4) and next weekend’s appointment with Peru in Montreal (Oct. 3, 1 p.m., TSN 4 & 5).

“The Homecoming” is how Canada Soccer is styling it — a pair of games to celebrate the Round-of-16 showing at the summer’s World Cup and provide send-offs for two notable veterans.

It’s why 36-year-old Junior Hoilett will be involved against Chile despite being unattached to any club. The Brampton-born attacker will presumably play his 70th and final international match, likely from the bench, and he’ll do it in front of a hometown Toronto crowd.

And it’s why Quebecer Samuel Piette, also one match shy of 70, will get his flowers in Montreal, where he’s played professionally since 2017.

The U.S. match will take place on Oct. 6 in St. Paul, Minn (7 p.m., TSN 1), where Canada will encounter a very experimental American team.

Marsch has made no secret of the fact that he’s targeting a trophy in 2027, and with a CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal barely six weeks away his call-ups mostly align with that priority as well.

Neither Jonathan David nor Cyle Larin have been given — or have taken — an international reprieve, for example. And both, as it happens, are enjoying productive starts to the season.

David, on loan at Atletico Madrid, has scored in his first three La Liga matches and notched the winner against Real Madrid in last weekend’s derby. Larin, for his part, has tallied eight times in 10 matches for Southampton.

Stephen Eustáquio, another core player, has enjoyed a superb start at Swansea City and has marshalled the Welsh outfit to the top of the EFL Championship.

Those three, as well as wingers Jacob Shaffelburg, Liam Millar and Tajon Buchanan, midfielder Mathieu Choinière, and full-back Richie Laryea, round out the veteran core.

It’s in defence that Marsch will have the chance to improvise, what with injuries to Moise Bombito and Derek Cornelius, and the absences of captain Alphonso Davies and first-choice goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau.

Suddenly, 20-year-old Real Salt Lake defender Luc de Fougerolles and his 18 caps represents Canada’s most experienced centre-back. But he had already cracked the lineup at the World Cup, where he played from start to finish against both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Morocco.

It’s who partners him in front of goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair that will be the team’s big talking point these next couple of weeks.

Jovan Ivanisevic will certainly get a look. The 6-3 ball-playing centre-back has helped FK Sarajevo rise to third in the Bosnian-Herzegovinian Premijer Liga while posting the division’s best defensive record. Left-footer Ralph Priso of the Vancouver Whitecaps will try to impress his manager as well. And then there’s Toronto FC’s Richard Chukwu, still just 18 and quite unpolished.

Jeevan Badwal, who also plays for Vancouver, can operate just about anywhere but, unfortunately, has had to withdraw through injury. He’d almost certainly have had a chance to make his international debut in a quite depleted midfield.

Marsch will evaluate his up-and-comers because he has no choice. Ideally, he’d want to throw in just one or two at a time. The upshot, however, is that he’ll have to cobble together a backline — with Laryea on the left and Niko Sigur on the right — that could well be the one he relies upon going forward.

At the end of the day, he wants to win these matches — all three of them. Canada is currently ranked 30th in the world, but he wants that number to fall even lower while contending for silverware on multiple fronts.

His team might be marking a “Homecoming,” but that’s for the fans and his outgoing vets.

Marsch wants to win, and win now. For the Canadian men, it’s not the worst place to be.

winnipegfreepress.com/jerradpeters