Alphonso Davies named to Canada's World Cup squad despite hamstring injury

Alphonso Davies was named to Canada's World Cup squad on Friday night although it's too soon to tell whether he'll be ready for the team's opener because of a hamstring injury.

The defender, who plays for Bayern Munich, was injured earlier this month in the loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semifinals.

Davies is Canada's captain and among the most prominent players named to the team, along with Juventus forward Jonathan David, Southampton forward Cyle Larin and Villarreal midfielder Tajon Buchanan.

Coach Jesse Marsch named nine defenders, 10 midfielders, four forwards and three goalkeepers to the 26-player roster for the World Cup, which opens on June 11.

Marsch included Davies on the team’s latest 32-player training camp roster earlier this week, but he did not immediately join the team, instead remaining in Germany to continue his recovery.

The team trained this past week in Charlotte, North Carolina, ahead of a pair of preparation matches against Uzbekistan on Monday in Edmonton and against Ireland on June 5 in Montreal.

“He (Davies) is already on the pitch running, and so we’ve got to just kind of see where he’s at in his overall progression, and then we’ve got to try to find ways to accelerate him, but he’s super excited to get here,” Marsch said. “I’m really hopeful that he has a few days to get away, and that he can come here and be fresh.”

Canada is co-hosting the World Cup with the United States and Mexico. The Canadians are in Group B along with Switzerland, Qatar and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which eliminated Italy in the European playoffs.

The Canadians will have all three of their group-stage matches on home soil. Ranked No. 30 in the world, Canada opens against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12 in Toronto. Earlier this week Marsch suggested Davies may not quite be ready for the the opener.

Canada has been to the World Cup twice before, in Mexico 1986 and 2022, but the team has never advanced past the group stage. The team finished at the bottom of its group in Qatar four years ago, but Davies scored the nation’s first World Cup goal in a 4-1 loss to Croatia.

Other players coming off injuries with their club teams included forward Promise David, who just had hip surgery for a ruptured tendon in February, and defender Moise Bombito, who has not played for the national team since breaking his leg in a 2-2 draw with Monaco in October.

Midfielder Jacob Shaffelburg also made the roster although he also injured his hamstring earlier this month. Marsch said Shaffelburg has progressed faster than expected.

“I think we’ve had a pretty good idea of who our core group is for a while. The real X factor in all these decisions was just trying to determine a month ago, two weeks ago, a week ago, last night, which players are going to be healthy, and who can we project to be really ready to be close to 100% and in the form of their life going into this tournament. So, luckily, we’re on track with a lot of guys," Marsch said.

"Will everyone be 100% for the Bosnia match? No, that won’t be the case, but we will have a really strong core that will be ready for that match, and we believe we can get stronger as the tournament goes on.”

Marsch has not named a starter between goalkeepers Maxime Crépeau and Dayne St. Clair. Both will play in the upcoming friendlies before Marsch makes a decision.

“We know what's coming in terms of a decision and we're both mature enough to understand our role for the team, whatever the decision is,” Crépeau said on the Canadian television broadcast announcing the squad. “We understand that we'll be here for one another and for the team on and off the field.”

Canadian Squad:

Goalkeepers: Maxime Crépeau (Orlando City), Owen Goodman (Barnsley), Dayne St. Clair (Inter Miami).

Defenders: Moïse Bombito (Nice), Derek Cornelius (Rangers), Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich), Luc de Fougerolles (Dender EH), Alistair Johnston (Celtic), Alfie Jones (Middlesbrough), Richie Laryea (Toronto), Niko Sigur (Hajduk Split), Joel Waterman (Chicago Fire).

Midfielders: Ali Ahmed (Norwich City), Tajon Buchanan (Villarreal), Mathieu Choinière (LAFC), Stephen Eustáquio (LAFC), Marcelo Flores (Tigres UANL), Ismaël Koné (Sassuolo), Liam Millar (Hull City), Jonathan Osorio (Toronto), Nathan-Dylan Saliba (Anderlecht), Jacob Shaffelburg (LAFC).

Forwards: Jonathan David (Juventus), Promise David (Royale Union Saint-Gilloise), Cyle Larin (Southampton), Tani Oluwaseyi (Villarreal).

AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Canada goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau makes a save during the selection camp for Canada’s national soccer team, Thursday, May 28, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C., ahead of the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

FILE - Canada head coach Jesse Marsch reacts to a play during a Copa America quarterfinal soccer match between Venezuela and Canada in Arlington, Texas, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)

FILE - Canada's Tajon Buchanan controls the ball during an international friendly soccer match between Romania and Canada at the National Arena stadium in Bucharest, Romania, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru, File)

FILE - Canada defender Alphonso Davies during the first half of an international friendly soccer game against the United States, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes have put themselves in position to bury the storyline about hitting that same ol' Eastern Conference Final roadblock.

Taylor Hall, Logan Stankoven and Eric Robinson scored in a dominating first period that pushed the Hurricanes to a 3-0 lead over the Montreal Canadiens on Friday night in Game 5, with a win set to push the Eastern Conference's top seed to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in two decades.

The Hurricanes had won the last three games in the series, the last being Wednesday's 4-0 road win that had them in complete control and staying on a smothering game. And Game 5 picked right up where that left off, with the Hurricanes taking a 15-4 edge in shots on goal while steadily pinning the Canadiens in their own end and attacking Jakub Dobes in net.

Hall struck first by finishing a feed from Logan Stankoven, who had crashed into Dobes on the left side. The Canadiens challenged the call for goaltender interference, but officials determined after a replay review that it should stand.

Hall returned the favor by feeding Stankoven from behind the net for a score on the right side. And late in the period, William Carrier sent a high-flip from deep in his own end to feed Robinson, who charged across the blue line to beat Mike Matheson to the puck and slip it underneath Dobes for the 3-0 lead that sent a buzzing home crowd into yet another roar.

The Hurricanes entered this series having gone 1-12 in the Eastern Conference Final in their eight-year postseason run under coach Rod Brind'Amour, falling in sweeps to Boston in 2019 and Florida in 2023 before losing in five games to the Panthers in last year's rematch.

But after regrouping from the Game 1 debacle when they lost for the only time in three series this year, the Hurricanes had taken control of the series from the young and skilled Canadiens — who had arrived at this round ahead of schedcule — to put themselves on the brink of earning a date with the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final.

The last time the Hurricanes were in that round? Brind'Amour was the captain on a team that hoisted the Cup in a seven-game series against Edmonton in 2006.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Carolina Hurricanes players celebrate after a goal by Nikolaj Ehlers as Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes (75) returns to the net during the second period in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)