Alphonso Davies finally returns to Canada’s lineup. The nation’s biggest star has some catching up to do - Toronto Star

Davies scored 15 international goals before Jesse Marsch became Canada's coach over two years ago. He's yet to add more.

Canada Soccer is eager to end its World Cup year with bums on seats. This week, as Jesse Marsch gathered his players for the final time in 2026, the hard sell went up a notch.

Deploying what should be a trump card, the federation posted a promo across its social channels of Alphonso Davies leaning in and staring intently down a camera lens. Above him a ball of text read: “I said I’d see you at BMO Field on November 16. Don’t make me look around for you.”

For the better part of two years now it is the country’s footballing public which has had to do just that. They were the ones searching out there — wherever Davies was convalescing from a litany of injuries — with apprehension, brief bursts of optimism, familiar resignation, in the end some exasperation.

This summer’s FIFA carnival gave us snatched, shuffling images of Davies. Bar a 15-minute cameo in the knockout stage victory over South Africa, the captain’s tournament gallery featured shots of him working solo on the fringes of training sessions, sitting on a drinks cooler on the matchday sidelines or seeking shadows of a substitutes bench. When the team had its post-tournament homecoming in September, Davies wasn’t here at all, skipping the entire window to go on honeymoon.

Toronto, you wouldn’t disappoint Phonzy, would you? See you at BMO Field on Monday! 🏟️ #CANMNT https://t.co/BfviZk38c4

For now, he’s still out of sight. On deck for Marsch’s team over the next five days is a two-legged playoff with Guatemala to secure a spot in the 2027 CONCACAF Nations League Finals. With the away leg Friday night in Guatemala City, Canada’s players opted to gather and prepare in Cancun this week.

“The big news at camp is that Alphonso Davies is back,” Marsch said from there Tuesday.

Assuming he isn’t going down the decoy route again, one of a few slightly bizarre episodes surrounding coach and captain during the World Cup, it is indeed big news. And it’s altogether welcome news.

In putting the pin on its 2026 calendar over the next week, the national team is now definitively moving past its home World Cup cycle and into the next one. There are new goals, lofty aims of raising a first trophy in nearly three decades, March’s Nations League the first opportunity to do so. Crashing into the world’s top 24 before the next global gathering is a target too. For everything that is to come between now and 2030, what’s indisputable is this — Marsch’s Canada 2.0 needs a whole lot more Alphonso Davies than the 1.0 version ever got.

Raw numbers don’t do it justice but they do at least paint a picture. Davies featured in just 14 of Marsch’s 39 games in charge. Before the American took over Canada, the most gifted player it has ever produced had scored 15 international goals to go with 18 assists. Neither of those totals have been added to in two and a half years under Marsch. It’s three years this month since Davies last scored for Canada.

Yes, on those rare occasions when he could, Marsch deployed Davies exclusively on the left side of defence. But Davies has always been able to impact games from deep for Bayern Munich. In his return to full fitness in Germany this term, Davies has combined for three goals and three assists, all but one of that combined tally coming as left back.

So even with an all-too-familiar raft of injuries in the squad, Friday night in Guatemala and Monday back at BMO Field mark the start of something overdue and new for Davies — showing us the Phonzie of old again.

“In reality we would like to play him further up the pitch,” said Marsch, missing a chunk of his defence and vice captain Stephen Eustáquio for this window. “Even if we play him as a full back, we would like to employ him up the pitch more in our buildup phase.”

Davies turned 26 last month. He’s a married man now. The arm band has yet to wrap comfortably around his bicep but leadership can at least come in flashes of the searing, swashbuckling brilliance which transfixed the nation on the road to Qatar 2022. Think that jaw-dropping sprint and finish against Panama in 2021. The burst into the history books scoring the country’s first World Cup goal the following year.

The goal 😱 The reaction 🔥 Did you see Alphonso Davies’ goal last night to put #TeamCanada ahead 2-1 against Panama? 🤯 Reply with your reaction 👀⤵️ https://t.co/z3WcnAHyQy

Canada Soccer leaders, Marsch and his players all spoke about how their exploits at this summer’s tournament brought a new generation of Canadians on board. True. But none of those newcomers have seen any of the above from the captain.

Marsch ended October’s window with uncharacteristically sharp words after another insipid night for Canada’s attack in defeat to rival U.S. “We can’t just look like a group of hard workers who don’t put it together enough,” he warned.

The manager’s tactical rigidity got Canada to some impressive places but now there’s an onus on him to properly address underlying and persistent issues as he evolves the playing panel too. Building a consistent, reliable attacking threat is a priority. The scoring burden on Jonathan David needs to be eased. So often in the red of Bayern, Davies has proven he can carve openings and provide. Guatemala stunned Canada at the 2025 Gold Cup but is ranked 94th in the world and its entire defensive unit plays for Central American clubs. Vulnerable.

Even as so many teammates have bloomed, Davies is the one who can put things together like no other Canadian, an absolutely elite talent. Wretched injury luck and some questionable calls of his own made that a vexingly rare sight under Marsch. It’s up to coach and captain to change the view now.

“Alphonso looks amazing, he looks fresh, sharp, fit, ready to go,” Marsch said this week. “Everybody is seeing that.”

Not quite everybody. But starting Friday night they’ll be looking around for it.

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Joe Callaghan is a Toronto-based sports and feature writer and a contributor for the Star. Reach him via email: joecallaghan84@hotmail.com or follow him on X: @JoeCallaghan84.