CANMNT Eyeing Redemption In September Friendlies After Gold Cup Heartbreak

Written by Patrick Echatah

A step nearer. Forty weeks away. The Canadian men’s national team are hoping to make amends in their September friendlies against Romania and Wales following a shock quarterfinal loss at the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup.

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Since there are only exhibition games left before Toronto FC’s BMO Field hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup opening, every game offers a crucial chance to evaluate.

“We’ve taken a strategy that these next three windows, we’re almost treating like one window. So it’s six matches, six good matches,” head coach Jesse Marsch told reporters in Bucharest ahead of Friday’s contest at Arena Națională.

“There are certain things we want to develop on the inside of our team to fully prepare for what next summer looks like. One of them is about our leadership and communication on the pitch, and then one is that we continue to push the entire squad.”

Almost every position on the roster is contested throughout Canada’s preparations, with some players vying for starting positions and others for squad participation. The most important question, though, is the goalkeeping contest between Portland Timbers’ Maxime Crépeau and Minnesota United FC MLS All-Star Dayne St. Clair.

With four starts in Canada’s previous six games, including three of their Gold Cup matches, St. Clair has recently been considered the de facto No. 1. Marsch did, however, affirm that there is still competition for the starting position in the next World Cup.

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“Both goalkeepers will get a match in this window, and they know that the competition is still alive, and they’ve handled it incredibly well,” Marsch added. “Both have been very mature in the whole process.

“They understood the things that I think they both need to do to improve and be important for us, and they both supported each other at such a high level.

“It’s going to come down to the finest of margins, and when the decision gets made, which we don’t want to wait until right before the World Cup, it will probably be one of my most difficult and important decisions for the team.”

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