Jesse Marsch has not closed the door on Alphonso Davies starting against Morocco. The Canada head coach said his staff will keep thinking about how to use him, whether from the start or off the bench, after Davies made his first national team appearance since March 2025 against South Africa's last game and played the final 15 minutes.

Marsch's selection call

The key line is still the same one Marsch gave before the match: “We will be thinking about how to use Alphonso again in this game (vs Morocco), whether from the start or off the bench.” That leaves Canada with a genuine decision rather than a box-ticking return for their captain.

Davies also came on for his first competitive minutes since May 6 against South Africa, which is why the start question remains open. Marsch has refused to rule it out, but the late substitution in the win over South Africa points to a cautious approach.

Canada’s 1-0 victory over South Africa was narrow enough to justify continuity, especially with their last five World Cup results reading W-L-W-D-L. The result steadied them, but it did not force a simple answer on how quickly Davies should be pushed back into the XI.

Morocco's load and Canada's left side

Morocco are not arriving fresh. Achraf Hakimi has started all four of Morocco’s World Cup 2026 matches and has logged 401 minutes, after playing 120 minutes against the Netherlands in a penalty shootout win. That is a heavy workload for a full-back who will still be expected to cover ground against Canada’s wide threat.

If Davies is held back again, Canada still have options. J. Shaffelburg provided the decisive cross for Stephen Eustaquio’s winner against South Africa, while Liam Millar remains in the frame for the left side.

The harder call is whether Canada need Davies from the start or whether they can afford to keep leaning on the bench option. Marsch has left himself room to decide late, and that is probably the sensible read with a captain who has only just returned to match minutes.

Canada vs Morocco is next, and the Davies decision will be one of the first things Marsch has to settle before kick-off.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →