KEY TAKEAWAYS: CanMNT uses formation tweak to find long-awaited open play goals in win vs. Uzbekistan

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You couldn’t say that the CanMNT’s penultimate pre-World Cup friendly lacked for entertainment, that’s for sure. 

On a rainy Monday evening at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Canada managed to grind out a 2-0 victory thanks to second-half goals from Jonathan Osorio and Jayden Nelson, in a game that featured slips, heavy tackles, and more. 

After a slow start from Canada, who were lucky not to be trailing at half-time, they were able to come alive in the second half, allowing them to grab a pretty comfortable victory in the end. 

Now, they’ll look to build on this as they get set for their final pre-World Cup friendly, which will come against the Republic of Ireland in Montréal on Friday, before they get their World Cup started against Bosnia & Herzegovina at Toronto Stadium on June 12th. 

Here are three KEY takeaways from this Uzbekistan victory. 

Half-time formation tweak opens up questions for Canada:

Despite starting the match with a strong lineup, one that could be argued to be the best team currently available to them, it was a sluggish first half from Canada. 

Eldor Shomurodov misses the 1v1 and we're still goalless 🫣

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— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 2, 2026

Not only did they look slow and predictable in the attack, but they were far too open defensively, which made for tough viewing at both ends of the pitch. As a result, they were lucky not to be down at half-time, as they had given up a couple of grade-A chances defensively and had next to nothing generated offensively despite holding 52% of possession. 

Maxime Crépeau comes up big 🧤

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— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 2, 2026

To Canada’s credit, though, they adjusted in a big way at halftime. 

Not only did they make seven halftime substitutions, as they looked to manage the minutes of their players, but they also made a targeted formation switch, and that ended up making a big difference for them in the second half. 

After starting the game in their usual 4-2-2-2 off the ball, one that turned into a 3-2-5 in possession, Canada decided to switch things up in the second half, as they tweaked their formation so that they attacked in a 3-5-2 while still defending in a 4-2-2-2.

Here's Canada's average formation of their starters (left) and substitutes (right). As seen above, they shifted from more of a 3-2-5 in possession to more of a 3-5-2 (some of the positions, such as Niko Sigur's (#23) are weird as he played in multiple roles (SofaScore)

To do that, they inserted midfielder Jonathan Osorio as a right winger, with Osorio given the full license to drift into central pockets as a #10. From there, that allowed Jonathan David, who usually drops into midfield as a #10 in Canada’s usual attacking set-up, to stay a bit higher up the pitch as more of a true striker, and that ended up making a world of difference for him.

Here's Osorio's heatmap from this game, showing how much he was able to get on the ball in central areas (SofaScore)

All of a sudden, Canada were able to get on the ball in central areas, and that completely unlocked the game for them. In the first half, their attacking movements were quite predictable, as they’d usually end with one of their wingers isolated in a 1v1, where the best-case scenario was that they’d whip in a cross.

Here's a clip of winger Liam Millar receiving the ball, but not having any options or support to fashion a play (OneSoccer/TSN)

And here's a play where winger Tajon Buchanan took too long on the ball, making it easy to defend a predictable off-ball run (OneSoccer/TSN)

Once they tweaked their formation, though, they started to not just unlock better chances for players like Osorio, David and second-half striker substitute Tani Oluwaseyi (who made a very strong claim to start Canada's World Cup opener with his performance), and that made a huge difference. 

GOAL ⚽️

JONATHAN OSORIOOOOOO 😎

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— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 2, 2026

The numbers show that, too, as after generating just three shots in the first half, Canada had seven shots in the second half, with two of them being big chances (they failed to generate a big chance in the first half).

Here's a play from the 1st minute in the second half, one where Jonathan Osorio did well to find space in the pocket, helping create a dangerous chance (OneSoccer/TSN)

Then, when you add in the contributions they got from those half-time substitutes, as Osorio scored what stood as the winner, Oluwaseyi chipped in with two assists, while Jayden Nelson added the winner, that further shows how well things worked for Canada in the end (they also ended up winning the xG battle 0.74 to 0.54 after trailing heavily at half-time).

And here's another play where the 3-5-2 paid off for Canada, as they did well to build out of the back, before springing into action with some nice clever passing and final third movement (OneSoccer/TSN)

Because of that, it’ll be fascinating to see if what Canada shows in this half shakes up Marsch’s planning going forward. He won’t have to tweak too much to make a change like this possible, as he’d only have to drop a winger for another midfielder, so look for him to ponder the data, as he certainly has options in midfield between Osorio, Nathan Saliba, and Mathieu Choinière (and you can imagine a world where Ismaël Koné looks pretty good in that role Osorio played in this second half). 

Given that this team had only scored two goals from open play in their last seven games, that they matched that total in just 45 minutes with this new formation offers plenty of food for thought, that’s for sure.

Nelson, Priso offer selection headache to Marsch:

With the news this weekend that Marcelo Flores, who was originally named to Canada’s World Cup squad, was going to miss the tournament with an injury, there has been a lot of talk about who might replace him going forward. 

Could it be someone like Junior Hoilett, the veteran winger who is probably the closest stylistic replacement to Flores in the pool? Or Jayden Nelson, who can be an X-factor in attack when on his game? How about forwards Daniel Jebbison or Jacen Russell-Rowe, who narrowly missed the cut as Marsch chose to bring an extra defender to the tournament? 

And you can’t forget Ralph Priso, who might not be a like-for-like replacement for an attacker like Flores, but someone whose versatility and form made him a tough omission from the final squad in the first place?

On paper, Nelson, Priso and Zorhan Bassong, who were all included in this portion of camp despite not making the roster, had the edge, and based on this game, it looks like the battle could come down to Nelson or Priso, as both had impactful 45-minute cameos in the second half. 

So… After his goal vs. Uzbekistan, should Jayden Nelson be Marcelo Flores’ replacement at the World Cup? 👀🤔#CanMNT pic.twitter.com/pOuBMsBzQw

— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 2, 2026

Firstly, there was Nelson, who capped off a bright performance with a goal at the death, his first Canada marker in three years (he last scored against Cuba in the group stage of the 2023 Gold Cup). As he typically is when he’s on his game, he was direct and lively before that, too, creating one big chance, completing three out of seven dribbles and taking five touches in the box in his time on the pitch.

Here's Nelson's dribbles from this one, showing how lively he was (SofaScore)

And here's one of Nelson's best dribbles in action, as he almost created a goal out of nothing (OneSoccer/TSN)

For a Canadian team that already had some health concerns out wide before Flores’s injury, as Ali Ahmed is coming off a hamstring injury, while Jacob Shaffelburg is also coming back from a hamstring injury of his own, it wouldn’t hurt to bring someone like Nelson to give a bit of cover out wide. 

GOAL ⚽️⚽️

JAYDEN NELSON DOUBLES CANADA'S LEAD 😎

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— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 2, 2026

At the same time, with how Priso played, he’s done enough to give Marsch some second thoughts about immediately making Nelson the easy like-for-like positional replacement for Flores, as he slotted in well. And, to his credit, he did so at a new position - a midfielder by trade, before becoming a centre back in the past year (doing well enough at that position to almost make the World Cup squad), Priso was thrown in as a left back in this game, and didn’t look out of place in that new role. 

Player to Watch 👀
Presented by @TELUS

THIS IS A RALPH PRISO APPRECIATION POST 🙌

- 45 Minutes Played
- 6 Defensive Contributions
- 5 Interceptions
- 4 Recoveries

Can the #VWFC standout crack the CanMNT 🇨🇦 squad? 💪 pic.twitter.com/OvGCfhHCJd

— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 2, 2026

With his ability to tuck in while on the ball, he helped give Canada a new weapon in possession, and he was aggressive and front-footed defensively, which is exactly what Marsch wants from his defenders. Because of that, you can’t help but wonder if that pushes Marsch to consider bringing him in, especially if he wants to use this 3-5-2 formation more often, as Priso is a good option for that flexible full back/centre back hybrid role that system calls for (and it wouldn’t hurt to have him around given the concerns Canada has about some of their centre-backs).

Here's Priso's pass map from this game, showing his influence on the ball (SofaScore)

Because of that, it remains fascinating to see what Marsch will do after this game. 

No doubt, credit has to be given to Nelson and Priso, as this is exactly what you want to see from them in a moment like this. Given how heartbreaking it will have been to just miss out on the original World Cup squad, to respond to that adversity and step into a friendly and deliver strong performances like this shows good character, as it won’t have been easy to be the only two Canadian players to play in this game who aren’t currently in the World Cup squad. 

No matter what happens, they can be proud of what they did during this opportunity to audition, as they left it all out there. 

Plus, for what it’s worth, there could be a world where both make the cut, so it’s not as if this effort will be in vain for the one who doesn’t immediately get chosen to replace Flores. With Shaffelburg’s injury and the ongoing recovery of players such as Moïse Bombito, Alfie Jones, Richie Laryea and Alphonso Davies, there’s a possibility that Canada might need to bring in a second injury replacement for their World Cup opener, anyway, which would open up the door for both Nelson and Priso to slot in.

Fitness concerns remain for Canada heading into World Cup:

Speaking of those players who were battling fitness concerns, however, some of them saw the field in this game, and let’s just say that the results were mixed. 

To begin, there was Moïse Bombito, who made his first appearance of any kind since last October, and his first CanMNT appearance since March of 2025 after returning from a broken tibia. All things considered, he had a pretty good cameo, as he had some good defensive recoveries (even if he had a slip that almost led to an Uzbekistan goal), doing well to have some good moments despite struggling with fitness and naturally looking quite rusty. 

Now, though, there will be a lot of attention on him over the next few days after seeing him only go 30 minutes when it had seemed last week he’d be on track to go for 45 minutes, especially when seeing how he limped off the field when substituted. Granted, given the nature of his injury, that’s not too concerning to see at first glance - it’s only natural that he deals with swelling in his first game back after major surgery on his tibia - but it’s hoped that he doesn’t suffer any setbacks, because this game shows that he already faces a big enough battle to return to match fitness. 

Secondly, there was Richie Laryea, who also only played 30 minutes, as was planned for him, as he made his return from a thigh injury. Overall, Laryea had a solid cameo and will now hope that he’s ready for more against Ireland, as Canada would like to have him available to start against Bosnia & Herzegovina. 

Otherwise, Derek Cornelius was an interesting one to watch, as he played just his third game since November (all with Canada) after dealing with a muscle injury and then getting frozen out of the squad at Rangers. He had some good moments on the ball, but he also looked a bit rusty at times defensively, which is to be expected - it is encouraging that he was able to go 70 minutes in this game, one where most only went 45 or 60 for precautionary reasons. 

Elsewhere, off the bench, Luc De Fougerolles, Alfie Jones and Promise David all featured, which was encouraging to see, as De Fougerolles recently had a concussion, while Jones and David are coming off lengthy layoffs after ankle and hip surgery, respectively. Of the three, De Fougerolles was a standout, as he looked excellent in the 60 minutes he played after coming in for Bombito (he had six tackles, five clearances, one interception, one recovery and won all eight of his duels), but David also had an encouraging cameo, as he was lively and scored a goal that was later chalked off due to offside (although his finish on that play was incredible, coming off the leg he had injured to boot).

GOA-NOOOOO 😢

Promise David puts the ball in the net but is deemed offside 🤬

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— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 2, 2026

Jones, meanwhile, was solid, although his rust was quite noticeable, which makes sense given that this was his first appearance of 2026, which would have otherwise been relatively unnoticeable if not for all of the other woes Canada has at centre back. 

Because of that, it’ll be interesting to see what happens with all of these players against Ireland on Friday. Will Bombito and Laryea start and be able to go 45 or more minutes? How will Cornelius handle the minutes from another start? Could De Fougerolles, Jones and David all be primed for bigger roles? Could we see Ali Ahmed and Jacob Shaffelburg enter the mix? 

Here are all of De Fougerolles's defensive actions, with tackles in orange, interceptions in pink, clearances in blue and recoveries in green (SofaScore)

Based on this game, Cornelius and De Fougerolles look ready for bigger roles, Laryea shouldn’t be far behind, and Bombito and Jones remain in the air, while David will continue to slowly ease his way in (the nice thing about him is you don’t have to rush him back to be able to start right away, even if that’d be a good luxury to have, as he can be impactful in 30 minute cameos). 

For what it’s worth, it does complicate things for Marsch that some of Canada’s depth contributors also had strong performances in this game, which could shake things up for him. 

Niko Sigur, for example, was a big calming presence on both sides of the ball when he came in at full back (he completed 18 out of 21 passes, had two passes into the final third, made three tackles, had one clearance, made three interceptions, had six recoveries and won four out of six duels), which could push Marsch to start him against Ireland - with his ability to play as both a left back and a right back, he’s a very enticing option to step in (one that could potentially buy Canada some time to get Laryea and Davies back to full health?).

Here are Sigur's passes (left) and dribbles (right) from this game, showing his influence on the ball (SofaScore)

Along with the play of Osorio and Oluwaseyi in attack, that certainly gives Marsch some options to consider. 

Ideally, he’ll continue to work guys back up to fitness while finding a way to push those who deserve minutes - it’ll just make his life more complicated if those two realities exist in opposition to each other, as could very well be the case based on this game.