Another month has passed since last I looked at which Canadian internationals are causing a stir and forcing their way into the starting XI narrative.
It's even more so now that we (almost) know which teams Canada will face next year at the World Cup: Switzerland, Qatar and the winner of the European Path A — which consists of Italy, Wales, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Northern Ireland.
International football as it is these days means that coach Jesse Marsch might decide he needs three different starting XIs to tackle each team's unique strengths and weaknesses, but that is a consideration for another day.
For today, again, imagine you are new to the sport, have no biases and no access to Canada’s form over the past three years and are determining, with a huge dose of recency bias, who deserves a place in the 4-4-2.
(Listed in parentheses is the name of the player picked as the starter at that position in the previous column.)
GK — Owen Goodman (Last month's pick: Dayne St. Clair)
This is a difficult position to offer any solid opinion. We know that the two front runners, St. Clair and Max Crepeau, are not only out of season, but also out of contract with their MLS teams — Minnesota and Portland, respectively. Both are very much part of the transfer scuttlebutt, with St. Clair recently linked with Glasgow Celtic now that former MLS head coach Wilfried Nancy has arrived.
Goodman was the bright new shiny thing at last month’s international window, and although he has fallen out of favour over the past two weeks at Huddersfield in England’s League One, he does take the gloves, simply because, well, he is in season. A return to parent club Crystal Palace has been touted of late, although that would likely be a short-term measure ahead of another loan spell elsewhere.
RB — Richie Laryea (Last month's pick: Niko Sigur)
Bear with me, I am well aware how Laryea’s form at left back has almost demanded he earns a starting spot for Canada at the World Cup. I am also aware that he too is out of season with Toronto FC, but given Laryea keeps popping up on my TV screen at various events, he is still very much front-of-mind. Remember, Laryea is naturally a right back, and only stepped into Alphonso Davies’ shoes due to the Achilles injury Sam Adekugbie suffered last season. So, just to cause a stir, I have Laryea back on his natural right side (it will make sense shortly).
CB — Ralph Priso (Last month's pick: Kamal Miller)
Very few people had Priso in their centre-back depth chart, even a few weeks ago, mainly because he was on their midfield depth chart. The Vancouver Whitecap has re-invented himself under Jesper Sorensen, stepping into defence as the Caps struggled with injury after injury, and did so with aplomb. He was excellent once again as a starter in last weekend’s MLS Cup loss to Inter Miami. Aggressive but comfortable with the ball at his feet, centre-back is suddenly a position of strength in depth for Canada.
CB — Alfie Jones (Last month's pick: Derek Cornelius)
It’s a good thing the depth is strong. Cornelius is out of action for the foreseeable future after the Glasgow Rangers man underwent surgery on a muscle injury two weeks ago. With Moise Bombito recovering from a broken leg, Canada’s top CB pairing suddenly caused a wave of anxiety through Canada soccer. Then Jones showed up. Born and bred English, Jones enjoyed his first cap for Canada last month on the strength of his grandmother being from Alberta. The Middlesbrough man has been in excellent form since moving from Hull last summer, and is a key cog in the Boro’s push for Premier League promotion. Since his Canada appearance, he's played every minute for the North West of England outfit, even scoring against Coventry.
LB — Alphonso Davis (Last month's pick: Laryea)
See what I did there? Slid Laryea to the other side to accommodate the return of Phonzie, who after nine months out with a torn ACL returned to action this week, subbing in for Serge Gnabry late in Bayern Munich’s Champions League win against Sporting Lisbon. Sure, I am bending the rules a little here, but if you've just discovered soccer, you will certainly have felt the warm glow that descended over Canadian fans on Tuesday, when Davies hit the pitch. With the quality of Canada’s performances over the past nine months, it has been easy to forget just how crucial Davies is for his national team. But he is back, and that is hugely important.
RW — Tajon Buchanan (Last month's pick: Buchanan)
No change on the right, as Buchanan continues to own the position as one of only a few dead certs to line up here in Canada’s first match. The 26-year-old remains integral to Villarreal’s attack in Spain, with the club sitting impressively in third place. Against Getafe this past week, he scored an absolute cracker as well in a 2-0 win and started on Wednesday in a loss to Copenhagen in the Champions League.
CM — Niko Sigur (Last month's pick: Justin Smith)
A top understudy for the injured Alistair Johnston at right back, Sigur is back this month to where he belongs in the midfield. It is the position where Marsch would prefer to see him, and the position where he is a weekly starter for Croatia’s Hadjuk Split, which happens to sit second in the HNL. Sigur keeps Stephen Eustaquio out of the XI for December as he continues to fight for minutes at FC Porto. The centre midfield will likely chop and change several times before a ball is kicked in anger in Toronto on June 12, but Sigur is absolutely in the mix.
CM — Ismael Kone (Last month's pick: Kone)
It will take some performance to remove Kone from the side. Comparing the Sassuolo man to this time last year, when he was struggling at Marseille, is like comparing two completely different players. Kone is bossing the midfield in the Serie A — he scored another goal last weekend — and is one of the first names on Fabio Grosso’s team sheet. Not just that, but he sounds like a footballer, a footballer who seems to finally get it.
"Week by week, we are building understanding between older and newer players," Kone said, post-game on Saturday. "We can remain compact defensively but also look strong when constructing and attacking. We have adopted the championship mentality and play like a real top team. I’m happy for my goal and, above all, the result."
There are whispers that bigger Serie A clubs are taking notice, but it does seem obvious that Kone is at the perfect club at the moment, a pre-season relegation favourite that sits in eighth.
LW — Ali Ahmed (Last month's pick: Ahmed)
Some of my earlier shenanigans with certain players was also down to the fact that Ahmed cannot be dropped at the moment. Despite a losing effort in MLS Cup on Saturday, Ahmed once again showed what a force he can be. Scoring a goal to tie things up at 1-1 vs Miami was what stood out, but the constant threat down the left wing was something Miami had difficulty dealing with, and they were likely very happy to see Ahmed subbed off. His season might now be over, but expect Ahmed’s name to be a common topic as European clubs test Vancouver’s resolve.
F — Theo Bair (Last month's pick: Promise David)
Bair was held off the scoresheet over the weekend, but had scored in his two matches prior. In 12 matches this season (10 starts), he has six goals for Lausanne — he is absolutely percolating! Another formidable physical presence, Bair keeps David on the bench this month. After going scoreless in his last two, David has very similar stats to Bair this season. It is an excellent development for Jesse Marsch.
F — Jonathan David (Last month's pick: Dan Jebbison)
Jebbison is unfortunate to lose his place, given that he scored for Preston North End on the weekend, but David seems to be warming up. And allowing myself to wildly speculate, I feel he is on the verge of breaking out of his slump. On Wednesday, he earned the start for Juventus in the Champions League, where he scored the winner. There was even an emotional embrace with manager Luciano Spaletti. A partnership with the exciting and young Kenan Yildiz looks promising, and with Dusan Vlahovic undergoing surgery, there will be an opportunity for the Iceman.
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