It comes down to math.
A squad of 20 players were officially called up to the Canadian men's national team January camp, now down to 19, as Tigres midfielder Marcelo Flores withdrew due to club commitments. Only eight of those players have previously played a match at the senior level for the national team.
So when Canada step onto the pitch on Saturday against Guatemala in an international friendly at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on OneSoccer), at least three of the players in their starting eleven will be making their international debuts. Several more will do the same off the bench.
Three of those players pushing to make their international debuts on Saturday are Canadian Premier League trio Noah Abatneh (Atlético Ottawa), Tiago Coimbra (Halifax Wanderers) and Shola Jimoh (Inter Toronto).
No Canadian men's national team squad has had this level of CPL representation since January 2020, when Marco Carducci, Amer Didić, and Tristan Borges were called up for a camp that included friendlies against Bermuda and Iceland. In a 4-1 win over Bermuda, Didić became the first CPL player to score for the Canadian national team.
Abatneh, Coimbra and Jimoh would all love to follow Didić's lead on Saturday. But their primary goal, of course, will be to make their respective international debuts. Seeing as this is a tier two friendly, Canada will have unlimited subs against Guatemala on Saturday, which further increases the likelihood of one of these players seeing the pitch.
Abatneh undoubtedly has the most difficult position to crack on the team, with national team mainstays Joel Waterman and Kamal Miller both expected to start in the centre of defence. They, however, will also be pressed by Ralph Priso, who did an outstanding job for the Vancouver Whitecaps over the backhalf of the MLS season as a converted central defender, including starting the 2025 MLS Cup Final. Still, whether the Atlético Ottawa man sees the pitch or not, simply learning from those guys will be vital to his continued progression.
Inter Toronto's Jimoh, meanwhile, is the youngest player at the camp at just 17, but that won't stop him from fighting for minutes. In fact, his odds of seeing the pitch have increased significantly since Jacob Shaffelburg and Marcelo Flores withdrew from camp — leaving Canada with just three natural wingers. Jayden Nelson is likely to start on the left, but Jimoh is likely to see at least some minutes off the bench, given the limited options.
Finally, Tiago Coimbra has a great chance of seeing the pitch as well, with just two other strikers officially called into this camp. It is presumably between him and 18-year-old Vancouver Whitecaps striker Rayan Elloumi as to who will start next to Columbus Crew's Jacen Russell-Rowe in Marsch's two-striker system.
All of this will give Canadian Premier League fans a little bit extra to watch for when Marsch announces his starting eleven on Saturday, and each time he decides to go to his bench. It could be a day to remember for one, or even all three, of these players in their young careers.
