Canada gives good-news injury update on Alphonso Davies
It’s been nearly 10 years since Alphonso Davies made his MLS debut at BC Place for the Vancouver Whitecaps.
He was just 15 years old then.
On Thursday, he’ll step back into BC Place as Canada’s captain at the FIFA World Cup.
After missing Canada’s opening match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, head coach Jesse Marsch confirmed on Wednesday that Davies will be available to play against Qatar in Vancouver.
“He’s been in training this week and he’ll be available tomorrow. We’ll see how the match goes and then make a decision on how we would choose to use him,” Marsch told reporters at a press conference at BC Place.
It doesn’t sound like Davies will start Thursday’s match, but could he come on as a second-half substitute?
It’s a huge decision for Marsch to make. Davies is his best player and the team is desperate to pick up its first win. At the same time, Marsch doesn’t want to risk re-aggravating Davies’ hamstring injury.
“We’ve worked really closely with his physio… we’ve worked really well through this and Alphonso is looking really good,” Marsch said. “It’s just a matter of what kind of game is it, what kind of moment is it, and how do we feel Alphonso can contribute right now. But, he’s ready.”
Bombito making progress
More good news on the injury front, as Canada’s best defender, centre back Moïse Bombito is making progress.
Bombito was available for selection but didn’t play in Canada’s first game in Toronto. Sounds like there’s a better shot at him appearing in Vancouver.
“This week [he’s] looked amazing, and looked more like himself,” Marsch said, adding it’s “encouraging for all of us.”
“We know how good Moïse is and when he’s at his best, I think he’s a big factor in how good the potential of this team can be.”
The news isn’t as positive for defender Alfie Jones, who will miss Thursday’s match with what Marsch called a “muscle injury”
The match against 56th-ranked Qatar is effectively a must-win game for Canada. Win and you may have already punched your ticket into the Round of 32, with a chance to win the group. But if they lose or draw, they’ll very likely need to beat 19th-ranked Switzerland in their final match of the group stage to stay alive.
And that’s a tall task.