Alphonso Davies ruled out of Canada’s FIFA World Cup opener, Jesse Marsch provides latest injury update on Bayern star

Canada (30) is the lowest-ranked among the World Cup co-hosts this year. Mexico (13) and the USA (17) are ranked higher than Canada in the FIFA rankings.

Davies suffered the injury during Bayern’s Champions League semifinal clash against PSG, and he has appeared in only two of Canada’s last 21 games due to fitness problems, including an anterior cruciate ligament tear.

‘We did an MRI with him’: Jesse Marsch

Speaking to reporters, Marsch was optimistic about his star player’s return. “We did an MRI with him [on Wednesday]. It showed very positive signs that he’s healing incredibly well, almost completely. We’re getting ready to ramp things up. I think that he’s showing, like he always has, a real good ability to recover from muscle injuries,” he said.

“I think that having his private physio here has been very helpful, and the concentration on his body’s needs every day. And so we are really hopeful that over the next days and week that we can accelerate things and give him a chance to contribute here soon,” he added.

Canada (30) is the lowest-ranked among the World Cup co-hosts this year. Mexico (13) and the USA (17) are ranked higher than Canada in the FIFA rankings.

“Canada has become more and more multicultural, and I think the excitement for so many different nations to be here in North America and in Canada, and to be playing with all of the greatest players in the world and some of the greatest coaches, I think that there’s real excitement behind what this will be,” Marsch said.

Canada will play their opener in Toronto and then take on Qatar and Switzerland in Vancouver.

Bosnia and Herzegovina qualified for the tournament in dramatic fashion, eliminating Italy in the playoffs. Edin Dzeko will be their biggest attacking threat.