Marsch reveals Davies may miss Canada's World Cup opener
Alphonso Davies sustained a hamstring issue on May 6, and though he will make the World Cup, he may not be ready for Canada's first game.
Canada head coach Jesse Marsch has revealed Alphonso Davies is a doubt to feature in the World Cup co-hosts' opening match at the tournament, against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Canada start their Group B campaign on June 12 at BMO Field in Toronto, before taking on Qatar and Switzerland, with both of those matches being held in Vancouver.
Canada have lost all six of their World Cup matches to date, scoring just twice (including one own goal) and conceding 12 goals. Only El Salvador have matched that number of appearances while losing every game at the tournament.
But hopes are high that Marsch's side – who reached the semi-finals of the Copa America two years ago – could secure the nation's first World Cup victory, and perhaps even advance to the knockout stages for the first time in their history.
To do so, they will likely need star man Davies fit and firing, though his preparations for the tournament suffered a setback when he sustained a hamstring injury during the second leg of Bayern Munich's Champions League semi-final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
Many of Canada's players have already arrived at a pre-tournament training camp in Charlotte, with Marsch cutting his larger group down to a final 26-man squad later this week.
Asked about Davies' status on Monday, Marsch told reporters: "I don't think he'll be ready quite on June 12, but we'll see."
Marsch then revealed Davies was due to arrive on May 31, adding: "We spoke with Bayern and thought the best thing for him was to continue with his treatment until then.
"Then, we're giving him a few days to get away, and we'll pick up his rehab from there. We're going to put a process in place for him that doesn't put him at further risk.
"Even on his return to play, when we're talking about minutes, and we're evaluating, do we put together some test matches, Bosnia, Qatar and Switzerland, so that Alphonso can get exactly what he needs, along with the other players?
"There's a lot of work going on behind the scenes to try to put all our players in position to succeed in this week coming up, before we name the full squad, then so we can achieve our goal of making a deep run."
Bayern previously expressed frustration at the Canada setup after Davies suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury while on international duty last year, which sidelined the left-back for nine months.
But when asked about Canada's relationship with Bayern, Marsch added: "We're all working together to try to help that situation improve, and most importantly, I think Alphonso has trust on both sides of the pond right now.
"Obviously, he has frustrations, but we all want to set him up to succeed, and the last thing I'll say about Alphonso is he's really excited to get back with the team, he's really excited to push at this World Cup.
"I even said to him, 'Take a few days after your treatment before you come to us, to clear your head and make sure you are recharged', because when we get him here, it's going to be full steam ahead."
Marsch has also signed a four-year contract extension that will see him take Canada through to the 2030 World Cup. So far, he has overseen 12 wins, 12 draws and five defeats in charge of the nation.
"From day one, I've felt a deep connection to this team, to this country, and to the direction of the program," Marsch said in a statement.
"I'm thrilled to make a longer-term commitment here, helping develop this program for years to come and continuing to push this group to the highest level."











