On a gorgeous Monday morning in Toronto, Canada’s men’s soccer team began its World Cup preparations in earnest, training in front of stands filled with cheering children in red jerseys. Only days away from Friday’s home opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina, blue skies fought to contain the soaring mood.
That was before Moise Bombito eased onto the field with a deflating hitch, his leg wrapped in black tape, his normally quick smile nowhere to be seen.
The status of Canada’s best central defender, the heart of the team’s grandest aspirations at its first home World Cup, remains a strange kind of uncertain.
“Moise, we’re just going to go day-by-day,” head coach Jesse Marsch said after Monday’s session. “I thought he looked really good today, so that was a positive development for him” — a surprising assessment given Bombito’s obvious hobble.
Last October, Bombito broke his leg in club play with Nice. His recovery — with more than seven months to get back in time for the tournament of his life — was originally a low-level concern. Tajon Buchanan, his teammate with Canada, suffered a horrific break in July 2024 and resumed play that November.
Bombito’s return took longer, and anxiety about his progress grew. He trained with Nice but didn’t see action before the end of the Ligue 1 season.
Only after his arrival at last month’s Canada camp in Charlotte did he seem, almost miraculously, ready to play.
“It’s good to be back,” he said then in an exclusive interview with CBC. “To be fair with you, at some point, yes, I felt like I wasn’t going to be back in time. But by the grace of God, I was able to make it in time. As of right now, I’m really good. There’s no stress to have about that, really.”
His optimism feels distant today. Last Monday, he played 30 minutes of a surprisingly physical friendly against Uzbekistan on a cold, wet night in Edmonton. He didn’t look fully himself, and he limped off the sodden field in discomfort.
He skipped Friday’s friendly against Ireland before playing another 30 minutes in Saturday’s closed scrimmage against USL League 2 side Vermont Green FC. It didn’t go well for him, apparently. Later that day, TSN reported that Bombito would be replaced on Canada’s 26-man World Cup roster.
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On Sunday, the team arrived at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. Bombito was dressed in a double-breasted suit and red tie like the rest of his teammates, but he looked somber in photos, like an usher at a funeral.
At the airport, Marsch refuted the TSN report. “We’re giving him until the very last day, the very last minute, to give himself the best opportunity,” he said. “And he still feels adamantly that he can prepare himself and get ready to go for the tournament.”
But from the opening moments of Monday’s otherwise sunny session, Bombito did not look nearly strong enough to play anytime soon. He jogged with a limp while talking quietly with Luc de Fougerolles, his most likely replacement in Friday’s starting lineup.
“He always looks good, even if he’s not at 100 per cent,” fellow defender Richie Laryea countered after. “I think he still looked good. Obviously, there’s going to be a decision made on him in the next couple days. I hope he recovers well.”
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There are two complications, beyond Bombito’s still-aching leg. Ralph Priso, who is with the team as a training player and would take Bombito’s roster spot, has picked up a muscle strain. He trained on Monday under “return to play” protocols, alone on an adjacent field.
The second dilemma is subtler but perhaps more top of mind for Marsch: He has a deep admiration for Bombito. In January, Marsch was asked by CBC to name the player he loved without reservation.
He didn’t take long to answer: “Moise Bombito,” he said.
Marsch has said that he can’t let his affection for players factor into his decision-making. “We have to be really preparing ourselves in all ways to win matches,” he said during last September’s window, when the team beat Romania and Wales in Europe. “We have to tilt the bar more and more to performance and results.”
It’s also possible that Marsch just can’t bring himself to cut Bombito loose until he knows that he must.
Canada has until 24 hours before Friday’s kickoff — so until 3 p.m. ET on Thursday — to make any injury replacements. The last training session before that fateful game is scheduled to begin on Thursday at exactly 3 p.m.
When Marsch said he’d wait until “the very last minute” for Bombito, he meant it.
