12 prospective CanMNT breakout candidates you NEED to know about ahead of the 2026 MLS season
It was a big winter for a couple of Canadians in MLS, as a pair of players in their early to mid 20s, Ali Ahmed and Jacen Russell-Rowe, made big moves to European clubs.
Along with the surprise move Tani Oluwaseyi made to join Villarreal CF last summer, it’s been a good 12 months for one-way player movement between MLS and Europe.
That’s good news for other Canadians with similar ambitions in MLS, as the success of MLS exports such as Ahmed, Oluwaseyi, Ismaël Koné, Tajon Buchanan and Alphonso Davies appears to be creating a rapidly growing pipeline for other Canadian players to follow, which hasn’t always been there.
Because of that, it’ll be fascinating to see what that means for some of the younger Canadian players in MLS. All of a sudden, they’ll be watched under a bigger microscope than usual, as prospective clubs look to mine the next Canadian gem out of the league, and that could push them to new heights.
Especially heading into a World Cup year, it feels like there will be the opportunity for some young Canadian players to shine in MLS in 2026 and to further take advantage of this growing pipeline. That’s exciting to see, as there is a good young crop of players who are quietly emerging at clubs, and that list will only continue to get longer.
Here’s a look at some of those players, and why you should keep a close eye on them this year.
Rayan Elloumi (Vancouver Whitecaps):
2025 ended up being a breakout season for Rayan Elloumi, who started the year in MLS Next Pro and finished the year playing a key depth role on the Whitecaps first team as they made a deep run into the MLS Cup playoffs.
Because of that, you have to be excited about what the 18-year-old can do in his first full season with the Whitecaps, as he’s already been elevated to a key role as a backup striker heading into this season. After scoring 11 goals and adding six assists in just 18 MLS Next Pro appearances, and then scoring two goals and adding two assists in 12 first-team appearances, it’s clear that he’s got an eye for the net and has shown that his all-around game is surprisingly well-rounded for his age.
Set piece perfection 😯
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 14, 2025
17-year-old Rayan Elloumi scores his first career goal for Vancouver to make it 6-0! pic.twitter.com/H7EcE45f5X
His high potential has already been noticed by CanMNT head coach Jesse Marsch, too, as Elloumi earned a call to Canada’s ‘Camp Poutine’ earlier this year - he’ll hope that’s just a sign of what’s to come for him in 2026. If all goes well, and he shows more glimpses of his potential while offering timely contributions to a Whitecaps team expected to contend again, it’ll only be a matter of time before he’s scooped up by a European team (and perhaps even makes his full Canadian debut). 
Jeevan Badwal (Vancouver Whitecaps):
Despite their success, the Whitecaps did a good job of elevating some young Canadian players like Elloumi last year, and Jeevan Badwal was another big benefactor of the tutelage provided by head coach Jesper Sørensen.
After entering the year with just one first-team appearance under his belt, the 19-year-old played 33 times for the Whitecaps last year, scoring a goal and adding two assists, as he proved to be a reliable depth piece for them.
Slots it in like a vet. 🎯 Jeevan Badwal officially secures his first as a ‘Cap.
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) June 9, 2025
📺 https://t.co/702Uz1sfsF #VWFC | #VANvSEA pic.twitter.com/Qs0VqVyCwu
A talented box-to-box midfielder with a relentless motor, he could be set to play an even bigger role this year, too, based on early signs - especially if he can find a way to show more confidence on the ball, something that he was known for at younger levels.
Having also featured at Canada’s ‘Camp Poutine’, much like Elloumi, he’ll use that to spark his 2026 campaign, one that could be massive for him if it all goes to plan.
Owen Graham-Roache (CF Montréal):
While CF Montréal struggled mightily in 2025, that did open the door for some younger Canadians to emerge, and one of them was the 18-year-old Owen Graham-Roache, who made 11 appearances for their first team last year.
He played just 186 minutes across those games, but the young striker showed a glimpse of his talent and immense potential when he was on the pitch, something he’ll look to build on in 2026.
A talented forward who has scored twice in six appearances for Canada’s U17 team, he’ll try to carve out a key role on a Montréal team that will be hoping for big contributions from any youngsters - they have done well to sell on these kinds of players in recent years, after all.
Aleksandr Guboglo (CF Montréal):
Similarly, another youngster who shone last year for Montréal was Aleksandr Guboglo, who ended up playing a much bigger role than Graham-Roache, racking up just under 1200 minutes across 27 appearances in all competitions.
Able to play both as a winger and as a full back, that flexibility paid off in a big way for Guboglo, who was able to fill a multitude of different roles on the pitch under two different coaches in Laurent Courtois and Marco Donadel.
Another goal for Prince Owusu! That's two goals within two minutes! pic.twitter.com/ek9Jy2nj8J
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 15, 2025
Now, the 18-year-old will look to find a permanent position under Donadel going forward, although as long as he gets on the field regularly, he won’t mind if that’s higher up the pitch or deeper (on paper, the former seems more likely right now).
Markus Cimermancic (Toronto FC):
For a Toronto FC team short on depth, they might need to rely upon the services of some of their young Canadian players as the season goes on, and that’ll hopefully be good news for someone like Markus Cimermancic, who made nine appearances last year for TFC.
Having now played 66 times for TFC’s second team, the 21-year-old midfielder will feel that he’s ready to make the step up to the MLS level sooner rather than later, so he’ll hope that the seven MLS Next Pro appearances he made in 2025 were some of his last at that level.
Able to play a multitude of positions, that flexibility could help him claw into the lineup, although he’ll feel that he has a role to play in midfield (where he mostly featured in Next Pro), despite some of TFC’s acquisitions there over the last six months. 
Adam Pearlman (Toronto FC):
After a successful loan stint with the Halifax Wanderers in the Canadian Premier League, where he played 28 times across all competitions, scoring two goals and adding two assists, Adam Pearlman hopes that experience can help him crack TFC’s lineup this season.
Able to play both as a centre back and as a full back (he also had some remarkable performances at wing back in Halifax), there’s no reason why the 20-year-old shouldn’t earn a look on this Toronto team, even if they’ve got a logjam of youngsters at the back.
GOAL ⚓️
— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) October 11, 2025
Adam Pearlman opens the scoring for the @HFXWanderersFC ⚽️
🔴 Watch #CanPL on OneSoccer & FuboTV pic.twitter.com/aJkKNqUygu
Yet, that’s something to watch out for this season - on paper, between the likes of Pearlman, Lazar Stefanovic and Stefan Kapor, TFC has a lot of intriguing young defenders in their squad, but it remains to be seen whether or not any of them can crack the first team and earn minutes. After all, integrating young Canadians into the team has mostly been a struggle for TFC at the club, hence the success of players like Jacob Shaffelburg, Jacen Russell-Rowe and more elsewhere - so you’ll hope that one of these current youngsters buck that trend.
Jayden Hibbert (Atlanta United):
It’s hard not to get excited about the future of the 21-year-old Jayden Hibbert, as he ended up being quite the story for Atlanta United last year.
Thrust into a starting role partway through the season, he ended up making nine first-team appearances in 2025, looking quite comfortable while doing so, too. Because of that, it’s expected that he now takes the reins from the retired Brad Guzan on a full-time basis in 2026.
21-year-old Jayden Hibbert denies Messi. 🧤 pic.twitter.com/wkmEi3Okox
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 12, 2025
Given his age and position, that’d be a remarkable feat, and one that would thrust him on the radar of the CanMNT (who have already called him up) and European clubs. Certainly, his ability to stop shots, sweep and play with the ball at his feet has already stood out in his limited appearances, and he still has a lot of growth to come in his overall game, too.
Nikola Markovic (DC United):
Quietly, the MLS Super Draft has continued to churn out CanMNT players, as Moïse Bombito, Tajon Buchanan, Dayne St. Clair, Tani Oluwaseyi and Alistair Johnston are just some of the players that have become Canadian regulars after finding a home in MLS via the draft in recent years.
Because of that, you can’t help but be excited by seeing Canadian Nikola Markovic get drafted first overall by D.C. United this year, as the 21-year-old certainly appears to have a bright future ahead of him after a good NCAA career with the NC State Wolfpack.
A modern, ball-playing centre back, you have to think that he’ll play plenty on a struggling D.C. United side, and that could open the door for him to develop rapidly. Often, young defenders are typically afforded the most opportunities when coming out of the draft, as they’re usually a lot more ready to contribute immediately compared to their attacking peers, so look for Markovic to hit the ground running and prove why he was picked as high as he was. 
Charles-Emile Brunet (Nashville SC):
Quietly, Nashville SC may have picked up the steal of the 2026 SuperDraft, as they’ve signed their third-round pick, Charles Emile Brunet, directly to a first-team contract. For context, typically, those players end up on MLS Next Pro deals, with most having pretty long odds of cracking the first team.
C'est beau, Brunet 😮💨⚜️ pic.twitter.com/eBPT7tf2x0
— Nashville SC (@NashvilleSC) January 20, 2026
Because of that, you have to feel excited about the 22-year-old midfielder’s future, as he could have a role to play on a strong Nashville side. There’s still a chance that he ends up earning some Next Pro seasoning as he develops, no doubt, but any first-team minutes that he earns will be seen as a bonus, so it’ll be hoped that he can use a strong preseason to carve out a role in Nashville’s squad.
Marcus Caldeira (Minnesota United):
After being drafted by Minnesota United in 2024, Marcus Caldeira is set to finally make the jump to their first team this season, having decided to stick with NCAA side West Virginia Mountaineers the last two seasons instead of making the jump immediately to the pro ranks.
Now, the 21-year-old striker will hope that his patience will have paid off, as he looks to translate the 42 goals he scored in 84 games to the professional level.
In a sense, though, Minnesota could be a great place for him to do that. They have shown great patience with other Canadian NCAA draft picks, such as St. Clair and Oluwaseyi, with Oluwaseyi, in particular, a great example for Caldeira to emulate as a fellow striker.
Based on how things went for St. Clair and Oluwaseyi, though, Caldeira might have to cut his teeth in Next Pro and maybe even on loan first before breaking through with Minnesota, although with some of the changes in their squad, he could surprise and earn first-team minutes this year.
Van Parker (Real Salt Lake):
There’s an opportunity brewing for Van Parker at Real Salt Lake, as the 17-year-old attacker, who recently inked a first-team contract, could grab minutes on a rebuilding side.
Certainly, Canadians will be hoping that is the case, as he recently impressed for Canada’s U17s, looking quite dynamic and creative while scoring four goals in three games at the Concacaf U17 Championship, after having also made four appearances at the U17 World Cup last fall.
Canuck tekkers inside the box 😤🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/x6yiG0Yve2
— Concacaf (@Concacaf) February 8, 2026
Now, the challenge will be to take the momentum that he gained from those experiences and translate them into the professional game, but there should be chances for him to do so at RSL - it’ll be up to him to seize them.
Sydney Wathuta (Colorado Rapids):
After a big first year in the Colorado Rapids system, Sydney Wathuta is looking to take another big step forward in 2026, having recently inked a first-team deal.
Yet, it was well deserved for the 21-year-old, who scored six goals and added six assists in 22 appearances for the Colorado Rapids second team in MLS Next Pro in 2025 (regular season and playoffs), doing well to hit the ground running after getting drafted out of the University of Vermont (as a 2024 NCAA Division 1 title winner, it must be noted).
Wathuta ➡️ Navarro for the early lead 💥#CAZvCOL | @Rapids_2 pic.twitter.com/S5HFueYPzb
— Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) August 8, 2025
Having impressed in limited first-team minutes last year, nabbing an assist in one of two appearances for the Rapids, they clearly feel he’s close to contributing, and he should get the chances to do so on a rebuilding side now that he’s signed.
A forward that can play anywhere across the frontline, and even deeper on the pitch if needed, that flexibility should certainly help him find a role on this Rapids team, which can only help him find his feet as a youngster.
