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Captain Alphonso Davies will return to the lineup when Canada’s men’s soccer team takes on Guatemala in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Nations League this month.
The 26-year-old Bayern Munich defender is one of 23 players on the list announced by coach Jesse Marsh on Tuesday.
Davies has played limited minutes for the national team as he recovers from a World Cup injury this summer, and he missed three friendlies against Canada in late September and early October for his honeymoon.
He played 13 games for Bayern this season, scoring 3 goals and making 3 assists.
Goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau also rejoins the squad after missing the autumn friendlies following the death of his father.
Canada will be without Marseille centre-back Derek Cornelius, who was hospitalized with a hip injury in training against Canada in late September, Celtic right-back Alistair Johnston, who suffered a thigh injury, and Southampton forward Cyle Larin, who is suffering from an undisclosed illness.
Canada, currently ranked 27th in the world, will travel to No. 95 Guatemala to open the two-legged series on Nov. 13 before hosting the second leg at BMO Field in Toronto on Nov. 16.
“This is an important window for us,” Marsch said in a release. “There’s a Nations League Finals and a Gold Cup spot and we know how tough it will be to go to Guatemala City and get a result. We want to do our job there and then come home to BMO Field and finish it in front of our fans.”
The winner of the series qualifies for the CONCACAF Nations League Finals in March 2027 in Los Angeles and qualifies for the 2027 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The loser will play in the preliminary round of the Gold Cup.
Canada, Mexico, USA and Panama qualified for the 1/4 finals of the League of Nations as the best 4 teams in the region.
Guatemala will advance to the first quarter-finals of the tournament after winning their group in the qualifiers.
The national team’s final qualifying game – a 1-0 win over Suriname on October 5 – was poor.
CONCACAF said in a statement that it had fined the Guatemalan Football Association for “numerous incidents” during the game, including “discriminatory chants directed at Surinamese players by Guatemalan supporters, objects thrown onto the field of play and players’ participation in post-match confrontations.”
Sanctions include three-game suspensions for players Jonathan Franco and Carlos Estrada for their roles in the confrontation.
Guatemala will also be forced to close 25 percent of the stadium for its next home CONCACAF Nations League match and will present a plan on how to prevent discrimination in future games.
Canadian list
Goalkeepers
- Maxime Crépeau (Orlando City SC)
- Owen Goodman (Dundee FC)
- Dayne St. Clair (Inter Miami CF)
Defenders
- Richard Chukwu (Toronto FC)
- Alphonso Davies (Bayern)
- Luc de Fugerolles (Real Salt Lake)
- Jovan Ivanisevic (FK Sarajevo)
- Richie Laryea (Toronto FC)
- Ralph Priso (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
- Niko Sigur (Toulouse FC)
- Joel Waterman (Chicago Fire FC)
Midfielders
- Tajon Buchanan (Villarreal)
- Mathieu Choinière (Los Angeles FC)
- Kevin Khan (Feyenoord)
- Liam Millar (Birmingham City FC)
- Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC)
- Nathan Saliba (Villarreal)
- Jacob Schaffelburg (Los Angeles FC)
Strikers
- Jonathan David (Atletico Madrid)
- Promise David (Brighton & Hove Albion FC)
- Daniel Jebbison (AFC Bournemouth)
- Who is Oluwaseyi (Villarreal CF)
- Jacen Russell-Rowe (Toulouse FC)