Defender Doneil Henry misses out on Canada’s World Cup roster after late injury

The 32 teams have until Monday to name their roster.

Herdman had said he would wait as long as possible in case of injury, given some leagues played this weekend.

The only restriction on the roster is that it must include three goalkeepers.

There were no other surprises for Herdman, who used 33 players in the final of CONCACAF qualifying with 28 seeing action. Some decisions had already been made for him.

Defender Scott Kennedy (SSV Jahn Regensburg, Germany) and goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau (Los Angeles FC. MLS) were ruled out through injury earlier this month, with Kennedy sidelined by a shoulder issue and Crepeau requiring surgery to repair a leg broken in the MLS Cup final.

But 39-year-old captain Atiba Hutchinson (bone bruise) and fellow midfielder David Wotherspoon (knee) both made it back in time. Hutchinson, Canada’s all time men’s caps leader with 97, returned to action Wednesday in a Turkish Cup game with Besiktas.

Toronto FC midfielder Jonathan Osorio also made it into the squad after seeing just 18 minutes of Major League Soccer action since Aug. 18 due to post-concussion syndrome. But he played the full match in Bahrain.

Henry’s injury likely opened up a place for midfielder Liam Fraser. While Herdman only named seven defenders, he has wingback options in Alphonso Davies, Tajon Buchanan and Junior Hoilett if needed alongside his preferred back three.

The 41st-ranked Canadians have plenty of firepower up front in Davies, Buchanan, Hoilett, Jonathan David, Cyle Larin, Lucas Cavallini, Liam Millar and Ike Ugbo.

The Canada roster includes 11 MLS players including six from CF Montreal, three from Toronto FC and one from the Vancouver Whitecaps. It also features defender Derek Cornelius, on loan from the Whitecaps to Greece’s Panetolikos FC.

Players on the World Cup roster who were part of the Bahrain camp are already in the Qatari capital of Doha. Those who were with their European clubs arrive Sunday or Monday.

There is still work to do.

The Canadians play a final tune-up Thursday against No. 24 Japan in Dubai. The team will head to Dubai on Wednesday and return to Doha after the game.

Canada opens Nov. 23 against No. 2 Belgium before facing No. 12 Croatia on Nov. 27 and No. 22 Morocco on Dec. 1 in Group F play. All three opponents have already announced their roster.

The top two teams in each of the eight opening-round pools advance to the knockout round of 16.

Herdman used 39 players — including Cristian Campagna who did not see action — across the three rounds of World Cup qualifying, which started in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 25, 2021 with a 5-1 win over Bermuda in Orlando. Canada was ranked 73rd at the time.

Earlier this month, in naming a largely MLS roster for the pre-tournament camp in Bahrain for out-of-season players, Herdman noted that past World Cups, where the roster limit was 23, have shown teams usually rely on a core of 16 or 17 players given the conditions and travel are a known quantity.

“Those 17 are pretty much in your mind already … I don’t think it takes a rocket scientist to work out who those players are,” he said at the time.

He said others would be chosen on their ability to step up as needed — while showing the ability to “stay connected, to be a good teammate, to bring the positivity to an environment. And to challenge and compete.”

The Canadians secured their ticket to Qatar with a 4-0 win over Jamaica in March at Toronto’s BMO Field with one game to spare. They finished with a 14-2-4 record across three rounds of qualifying in the region, outscoring the opposition 54-8.

Herdman’s team topped the final Octagonal round-robin with an 8-2-4 record.

FIFA announced in June it was changing the roster number to “at least 23 and a maximum of 26,” citing “the knock-on effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also to the unique timing — November and December — of Qatar 2022.

The World Cup is traditionally held in the summer. But it was switched this time because of the heat in Qatar, meaning many leagues are playing around the tournament.

If a player on the roster picks up an injury or contracts COVID, he can be replaced up to the day before the team’s first match.

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Canada World Cup Roster

Goalkeepers: Milan Borjan, Red Star Belgrade (Serbia); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS), James Pantemis, CF Montreal (MLS).

Defenders: Samuel Adekugbe, Hatayspor FC (Turkey); Derek Cornelius, Panetolikos FC (Greece) on loan from Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Alistair Johnston, CF Montreal (MLS); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS) on loan from Nottingham Forest (England); Kamal Miller, CF Montreal (MLS); Steven Vitoria, GD Chaves (Portugal); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).

Midfielders: Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Liam Fraser, KMSK Deinze (Belgium); Atiba Hutchinson, Besiktas (Turkey); Mark-Anthony Kaye, Toronto FC (MLS); Ismael Kone, CF Montreal (MLS); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Samuel Piette, CF Montreal (MLS); David Wotherspoon, St. Johnstone (Scotland).

Forwards: Tajon Buchanan, Club Brugge KV (Belgium); Lucas Cavallini, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Jonathan David, Lille (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); David (Junior) Hoilett, Reading FC (England); Cyle Larin, Club Brugge KV (Belgium); Liam Millar, FC Basel (Switzerland); Ike Ugbo, Troyes (France).

Defender Doneil Henry misses out on Canada’s World Cup roster after late injury

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