World Cup
The 26-year-old broke his leg in October Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images
Moise Bombito is set to be taken out of Canada’s World Cup squad after it was determined the centre-back will not be able to compete on a leg he originally broke in October.
After breaking his leg in October for club side OGC Nice, Bombito played 30 minutes in Canada’s friendly win over Uzbekistan last week. Those were Bombito’s first minutes since October. He was seen limping off the pitch after playing, though Canada Soccer stressed Bombito did not suffer a new injury.
TSN’s Matthew Scianetti was the first to report the new of Bombito missing the World Cup, and multiple sources with knowledge of the situation have confirmed the news to The Athletic.
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On May 27 during Canada’s training camp in Charlotte, Bombito said there was a “100 percent” chance he would be ready to play in Canada’s June 12 World Cup opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
On June 4, however, head coach Jesse Marsch said Bombito had “a bit of a reaction” after the game against Uzbekistan. The 26-year-old did not train in Canada’s last full training session on June 4. Canada Soccer called it a “recovery day” for Bombito: the centre-back briefly took to the field, tried to move in his cleats before returning to running shoes.
“We’re being patient with Moise,” Marsch said after the session. “We’re going step by step.”
Canada has until 24 hours before its World Cup opener, a deadline of June 11 at 3:00pm ET, to determine a replacement for Bombito. They can select a player from their 55-player provisional roster, which was not made public.
Bombito missing the World Cup could have a devastating effect on Canada. He is unquestionably Canada’s best centre-back. His pace and power allow the team to play a high defensive line and press as aggressively as Marsch wants them to.
The most likely player to replace Bombito — though it is not believed to have been finalized — is Ralph Priso. The Vancouver Whitecaps centre-back did not make Canada’s final 26-man squad. However Priso has remained with the team, alongside Zorhan Bassong and Jayden Nelson, others who did not make the team but stayed and played in case of injury.
Priso, 23, is in the middle of a strong season with the Whitecaps. He played with confidence and showed strong decision-making in his second-half appearance against Uzbekistan.
If fully healthy, Bombito was in line to be one of Canada’s World Cup starting centre-backs. In Bombito’s absence, the responsibility likely falls to 20-year-old Luc de Fougerolles.
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The Fulham defender got the start against Ireland in Canada’s second pre-World Cup friendly against Ireland on June 5. De Fougerolles stepped into challenges well, played passes forward with precision and looked more than capable of handling the starting job.
“I’m ready,” de Fougerolles said confidently postgame when asked if he could handle starting in the World Cup.
Canada’s other centre-backs on their roster are Derek Cornelius, who will likely start the majority of Canada’s World Cup games, Joel Waterman and Alfie Jones.
Jones is also working his way back from an ankle injury though he begun training in full with Canada last week for the first time.
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