Injured Canadian players ‘ahead of schedule’ at pre-World Cup training camp: coach

CHARLOTTE — Liam Millar didn’t have a lot of time to celebrate the highest high he’s yet had in his soccer career.

Less than 72 hours after helping Hull City win the Champions League playoff final over Middlesbrough on Saturday, Millar was in Charlotte, N.C., with the Canadian national team.

“I got my moment. Yeah, I had my moment,” he said of the abbreviated revelry. “But a home World Cup is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I made sure I switched my focus very quick to this moment. And once everything’s all done, everything’s over, I’ll take my time, and I’ll celebrate that rightly.”

Millar is one of 32 players on Canada’s training camp roster ahead of next month’s FIFA World Cup.

Head coach Jesse Marsch is set to cut the list down to 26 on Friday.

“I think we’re all going to push each other as much as possible to try and make that roster,” said Millar, a 26-year-old midfielder. “But this group is really selfless. This group really just wants what’s best for this team, and whoever ends up making that roster, we’re all going to be there supporting each other for whoever didn’t.”

Early into camp, players aren’t thinking about the looming cuts, said defender Richie Laryea.

“I think everyone’s just excited to get together. We’ve been together for maybe just over 24 hours, so I think the excitement levels to be back in camp to be competing,” he said.

“And guys know that they still have an opportunity to showcase themselves, like you’ve seen with Jayden (Nelson) and Ralph (Priso), who previously weren’t supposed to be here, and now they’re here, and have a very good shot at making it onto the World Cup team now as well.”

The majority of the group took to the field in Charlotte, N.C., for the first time in sticky, 28 C heat on Tuesday.

As they began to warm up, rain began to pour. Midway through training, players were forced inside for a 30-minute pause after a nearby lightning strike.

“A little bit frustrating if this keeps happening,” said defender Alistair Johnston. “But at the same time we’ve got nowhere else to be, so we can stay out here as long as needed to get the work done. But, yeah, obviously not an ideal start to a week here.”

Canada Soccer chose Charlotte for the camp in hopes of acclimatizing players to the punishing weather they could face later on in the tournament, Marsch said on Monday.

“We came down to Carolina to put them in higher heat, higher temperatures, more humidity,” he said. “As well as — I think with the home World Cup — create a little bit more of an isolated environment where we can focus a little bit more on preparing the team for exactly what we want.”

Despite the delay on Tuesday, the group got a lot out of the session, Laryea said.

“I think we got to get flights out of guys’ legs, tiredness, some guys got to (regenerate),” he said. “I think we got to get on the ball, we got to compete, we got to run around, so I think it’s pretty good for a first day.”

Many of the Canadian contingent, including Laryea, are working their way back from injuries and hoping to get back to full fitness before Canada kicks off its World Cup campaign against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto on June 12.

Captain Alphonso Davies isn’t with the squad in Charlotte as he works his way back from a hamstring injury, though Marsch has said the Bayern Munich standout is expected to join the team in his hometown of Edmonton ahead of a tune-up match against Uzbekistan on June 1.

Seeing the other recovering players in action on Tuesday gave Marsch and his staff a better idea of what they’re working with.

“A lot of the injured guys, I think, are progressing ahead of schedule,” he said. “And better than we had hoped, which I think then gives us a little bit more of flexibility.”

Getting back on the field with teammates will be important for guys who’ve been sidelined for weeks or months, Johnston said.

“You want to be playing not just for fitness, but also for form,” he said. “You don’t want to be coming into the biggest tournament of your life feeling like you’re underprepared. It’s no different than coming into a final exam as a student or something like that. You want to feel like you’re ready for the test. And obviously June 12 is going to be a massive test.”

There were questions about whether the 27-year-old Celtic defender would be ready after having hamstring surgery.

“For me, I was looking at this year with how it went, if I could be here fully fit was about maybe as good as I could ask for,” Johnston said. “And the fact that I’m here now and I’m feeling really strong, is something that, if you told me three months ago was going to be the case, I would have snapped your hand off for it.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2026.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press