ANALYSIS – The CANMNT 2025 CNL Finals Roster was revealed on Thursday morning. The 23-men roster had some notable omissions as well as some new players to get excited about.
CANMNT 2025 CNL Finals Roster: Jebbison and David
CANMNT 2025 CNL Finals Squad: The Established Players
The CANMNT 2025 CNL Finals Roster has players that one might expect such as Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David, Jonathan Osorio, Derek Cornelius, Moïse Bombito, Cyle Larin, and Stephen Eustáquio.
There are also players starting to make their influence on the team such as Ali Ahmed and Jacob Shaffelburg. All in all, it is a pretty strong roster.
This is what Jesse Marsch said from the writer’s question on Eustáquio, and what he brings to the national team on and off the field:
“When you just talk about what Steph means to us like he’s one of the most mature, clear guys in the group. He is so motivated for the team. His vision of what to expect from his teammates, from himself. What he gets out of himself in training every day and his teammates,” Marsch said. “And then what he brings on the pitch every day. Like he’s a great leader, a great player. And I think he’s continuing to develop and show in all ways that he still has a lot of potential and even a bigger upside.”
Eustáquio is also a calming presence for the midfield. He can also create fantastic scoring opportunities for his team, like the play he made above against Honduras in 2023. He will be a key player for the national team in the CNL Finals roster this year.
The one surprise might be Richie Laryea. He got injured in one of Toronto FC’s recent games. This is what Marsch had to say about that:
“Richie, you know, he’s still in the research phase of identifying exactly what the issue is and exactly what the protocol and diagnosis will be for how to get him recovered. We want to give him every chance available to be healthy and ready to go. Is it ––– it could be a little bit of a long shot?”
Laryea is still a maybe and is someone to watch if the CANMNT could be replacing Laryea with another player. It is something to watch out for within the next week.
This is a very strong team, with many players for the national team playing somewhere in Europe.
Daniel Jebbison and Promise David
Much of the call was about these two players. With both players recently deciding to play for the CANMNT, this is what CANMNT head coach, Marsch, said about both players.
“Look, both of those guys have been playing at such a high level. And they’re both incredibly excited for these matches.”
Both players play in Europe, with Promise David playing for Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in the top-flight in Europe. This is while Daniel Jebbison is signed with English Premier League side, AFC Bournemouth, and has been loaned to Championship side, Watford.
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What these two players provide is much needed depth in the striker position after David and Larin. Yes, David and Larin are the two leading goal-scorers in the national men’s team history, but depth is needed if one of those players cannot play and/or is injured. This was shown in the game against Uruguay, where strikers not named David and Larin had trouble scoring goals.
There is also centre-back, Jamie Knight-Lebel, and goalkeeper, Tom McGill. It is unlikely that McGill will get to play as both Maxime Crepeau and Dayne St. Clair are ahead of him. However, Knight-Lebel could play as a backup to both Bombito and Cornelius. He may also be a backup in the left-back role to Alphonso Davies in the absence of Samuel Adekugbe if Marsch feels he can play that position.
Players Injured/Did Not Make the Team
As mentioned before, Adekugbe will be a big miss as he plays a key role for the national team in the left-back role. The left-back role that would back up Davies is one that does not have any ideal answer. The question of Laryea not playing also puts doubt on who the backup to Alistair Johnston in the right-back role would be. That role could be given to Niko Sigur, who can play as a defender, midfielder, and right-back.
Some people might mention Junior Hoilett as a missing piece. However, it does seem that Marsch is going for a younger squad, and that means a lot of the older players seen in the FIFA World Cup roster are no longer with the national team. Still, Hoilett at 34 years old is still playing in Europe with Hibernian and still could play a major role with the national team in the future.
READ MORE: Doneil Henry: The Hard-Nosed CANMNT Centre-Back
Games Coming Up for the CANMNT
READ MORE: The 2024 CANMNT Year Review: A Fairytale Year
The CANMNT will now face Mexico on March 20, 2025, at 10:30pm ET (7:30pm PT). The game will take place at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The winner of that game faces either the U.S. or Panama on March 23 at 10:30pm ET (7:30pm ET) while the loser of both games will face each other in the bronze medal game at 6:00pm PT (3:00pm ET). Both games will also take place in SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
All the games are being shown live on OneSoccer, Telus, and Fubo TV Canada.
PRESS CONFERENCE: Jesse Marsch on calling up Daniel Jebbison, Promise David to CanMNT (Uploaded by OneSoccer)
Concacaf Nations League
9 June 2022 (Uploaded on 23 July 2022) – Vancouver, BC, CAN
Photo Credit: Canada Soccer by Bob Frid
