Canada Names Strongest-Ever 26-Man Squad for World Cup

Head coach Jesse Marsch has included Bayern Munich defender Alphonso Davies in what he described the best 26-man squad "ever assembled" by co-hosts Canada for this summer's World Cup. Davies, 25, was deemed sufficiently fit for inclusion despite recovering from a hamstring injury, while Juventus forward Jonathan David also makes the cut. Porto midfielder Stephen Eustaquio, Villarreal's Tajon Buchanan and Tani Oluwaseyi, and Southampton forward Cyle Larin are all included. "We have really our best group of 26 players that this country has ever assembled at any one time," said Marsch. "Are all of them right now at full 100%? No, but they're close," he added, signalling frustration at the repeated questions from media about players' injuries. Davies faces a race against time to be fit for Canada's opening game against Bosnia and Herzegovina on 12 June after being injured in Bayern Munich's Champions League semi-final defeat by Paris St-Germain. That followed a series of muscle injuries after his return from an eight-month absence with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear suffered in October.