We’re only days away from the crucial final international window ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Canada is set for a pair of friendlies in Toronto against Iceland and Tunisia. Before those go down, there is still one last weekend of club play as leagues in Europe head into the stretch drive and Major League Soccer gets in full swing.
Here’s a look at what a few key Canadian players have ahead of them this weekend before they fly out to Toronto.
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Jonathan David, Juventus vs. Ismaël Koné, Sassuolo (Saturday at 3:45 p.m. ET/12:45 p.m. PT)
Two teams in differing form meet in Torino on Saturday when Jonathan David’s Juventus welcomes Ismaël Koné and Sassuolo. The hosts have won two in a row, while the visitors have dropped two straight. Still, if one of these two teams is more happy than the other with where they are in table with nine matches to play, it’s the Nerovedri.
Champions of Serie B last season, Fabio Grosso’s Sassuolo look to make their return to the top flight a permanent one. The Neroverdi was relegated in 2024 after 11 straight seasons in Serie A, the club’s longest-ever stretch among Italy’s best. Relegation doesn’t look like a worry for Sassuolo at present.
Through 29 matches, the Neroverdi sit 10th in the table on 38 points. They are 14 points clear of Cremonese in the drop zone. Key to Sassuolo’s form this season has been the play of Koné and the Montreal native, himself, is partly what makes this visit to Juve so intriguing.
Koné, 23, initially arrived in Italy on a season-long loan from Marseille. He infamously had a high-profile bust-up with then-manager Roberto De Zerbi at training last season that was captured on camera and released aspart of a Marseille documentary. The situation between player and manager became untenable and Koné spent the second half of last season with Rennes.
It was unsurprising, then, that Koné was loaned out again this season, but his loan with Sassuolo came with a buy option. On Feb. 2, Sassuolo made the move permanent for €12 million and it’s easy to see why.
Koné has been a regular starter under Grosso. Through 26 matches, he’s played 2,077 minutes of league action this season. It’s the playing time he’s had since his second season at Watford in 2023-2024. Koné has also chipped in five goals.
His performances have apparently caught the eye of Saturday’s opposition. Italian outlet Tuttosport reported this week that the Bianconeri was interested in a summer move for Koné. It also predicted that Koné would be a popular name this summer with several clubs sniffing around.
A move to Juventus would theoretically reunite Koné with national teammate Jonathan David, but whether or not the Brooklyn-born, Ottawa-raised forward stays with the Old Lady past this season remains an open question.
David, 25, joined Juve in the summer on a Bosman from Lille and he inked a deal through 2030. But his adjustment to a new league has been a difficult one. The season began on a rocky note under Igor Tudor and things have not gotten much better under Luciano Spalletti, who took the helm of the club at the end of October.
Even with an injury to Dusan Vlahovic, David hasn’t been able to fill the net on a regular basis. He has five goals and four assists in 28 Serie A appearances. David has not played a full 90 minutes in his last seven matches and he hasn’t scored in his last eight matches across all competitions.
Tuttosport reported this week that Koné’s old club, Marseille, was interested in making a bid for David in the summer. Whether or not Juve moves on from David after only one season remains to be seen and it’s far from a sure bet. Spalletti’s deal only runs until the end of the season, so it’s conceivable that another new manager could be on his way with a clean slate for the player.
In any event, the remaining matches this season are incredibly important for both David and the Bianconeri. Juve currently sits fifth in the table and are on course for a sixth straight season without a Scudetto. It will be the longest stretch without a league crown since the Calciopoli scandal that relegated them to Serie B in 2006.
The goal between now and May will be to nab a top-four spot and a Champions League return. Juve is only point behind Como for the last place, but also only two clear of sixth-place Roma. The Bianconeri’s remaining schedule is a favourable one, but they still need to stack up points beginning with the visit from Sassuolo.
Of note - David scored in the reverse fixture back in January. He scored the third goal in Juve’s 3-0 victory over Sassuolo at Maipei Stadium. An own-goal from Tarik Muharemovic and a marker from Fabio Miretti accounted for the other scoring.
There’s one other crucial factor at play on Saturday: the health of the visitors. Sassuolo announced on Friday that the club has been hit by an outbreak of whooping cough.
“Sassuolo announce that, following several tests carried out in recent days, one case of whooping cough has been identified, along with five cases showing symptoms consistent with the disease within the team group,” the team said in a statement. “Individuals presenting symptoms are currently in isolation and have been under constant monitoring by the club’s medical staff for the past three days. The staff is applying all procedures required by current health protocols in coordination with the health authorities. It is also noted that all asymptomatic members of the group have promptly undergone specific prophylactic measures. The club has already informed the Lega Serie A of the current situation and will continue to closely monitor developments, adopting all necessary measures to safeguard the health of its players and staff.”
Expect another announcement of some kind ahead of the match.
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Bim Pepple, Plymouth Argyle (vs. Huddersfield Town, Saturday at 11 a.m. ET/ 8 a.m. PT)
Perhaps the most surprising name in Jesse Marsch’s squad, Calgary-raised Bim Pepple and Plymouth Argyle host Huddersfield Town in their final match before the international break. Saturday’s game at Home Park is a massive one when it comes to the playoff picture. Heading into the match, the Pilgrims sit in 10th place on 56 points, one point behind the Terriers who are in seventh. Reading currently occupies the final playoff spot on 58 points.
The match is amid a run of five in row for the Pilgrims against teams ahead of them in the table. After a draw with the Royals last weekend, Argyle defeated Stevenage on Tuesday. Manager Tom Cleverley, the former Manchester United and England midfielder, knows that this stretch can make or break their season.
“We’re really looking forward to playing every game we approach at the minute, no more than when we’re playing here at home,” Cleverley said. “We knew going into the Reading game, we were to face four or five opponents, all above us in the league. That little run started positively with two good results, including a really good performance against Reading. It continues this weekend against Huddersfield, and we’re going to do all the basics to the best we can, to give ourselves the best chance of winning.”
The 23-year-old Pepple has been a massive bright spot for the club this season, having come over from Luton Town in the summer. League One marks the highest level of competition in which Pepple has competed in his young career and he’s hit the ground running. Pepple has 12 goals and two assists in 29 league matches this season.
With only eight matches to play in the season, every single remaining point is massive as the Pilgrims plot a return to the Championship only one year after relegation.
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Ralph Priso, Vancouver Whitecaps (vs. San Jose Earthquakes, Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT)
With the injury crisis in Canada’s defensive corps at present, there might not be a greater beneficiary of it than Vancouver Whitecaps defender Ralph Priso. After playing in Canada’s B-level friendly with Guatemala in January, Priso is in line for his first senior appearance as Canada hosts Iceland and Tunisia. Marsch likes what he sees from the 23-year-old Toronto native.
“He may have found a really good home for himself [at center back],” Marsch said of Priso. “What I like about Ralph is that he has an ease to him, a natural fearlessness, and still a lot of football that no matter how you use him, he winds up inserting himself in the game and being a positive.”
A product of the Toronto FC academy, Priso made his MLS debut in 2020 with the Reds. After two-plus seasons in Toronto, he was dealt to the Colorado Rapids. In 2023, Priso got his first taste of regular playing time, making 30 appearances across all competitions for the Rapids, but it wasn’t until last season with Vancouver that he became undeniable.
Converted from the midfield, Priso became a key piece of Jesper Sorensen’s side that reached the MLS Cup Final, as well as the CONCACAF Champions Cup Final. He played 1,388 league minutes last season and has played every minute of the team’s four matches thus far in 2026. The Whitecaps are a perfect 4-0-0.
The Whitecaps take on an improved San Jose Earthquakes side on Saturday and will come out with a point to prove. Priso and the Whitecaps were eliminated from this season’s Champions Cup midweek by the Seattle Sounders, 5-1 on aggregate. It was an uncharacteristically poor performance over the two legs.
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Cyle Larin, Southampton (vs. Oxford United, Saturday at 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT)
As Marsch builds his squads, form versus quality is something he and every other manager contend with on a regular basis. The old football adage goes “Form is temporary, but class is permanent” and it’s safe to say that Marsch subscribes to that idea to a certain degree. He’s never been shy to back players who have been struggling at their clubs. But there’s a difference between playing poorly and not playing at all - and that takes us to Cyle Larin.
The veteran Brampton, Ont. striker began the summer at Mallorca, but it quickly became clear that he didn’t fit into the club’s plans. In September, Larin went out on loan to Eredivisie side Feyenoord where he would be managed by Arsenal and Manchester United legend Robin van Persie. Things did not pan out in Rotterdam, either, where Larin appeared in a paltry 148 minutes over eight league matches.
As much as Marsch trusts Larin and for all of the great moments he’s had in a Canada shirt, the idea of bringing a Larin who has barely played at all to the World Cup just doesn’t make any sense. His final roll of the dice to ensure his participation this summer came with a move to the Championship with Southampton. In England, Larin seems to found a new lease on life when it comes to his Canada hopes.
Since joining Saints, Larin has three goals in 10 appearances across all competitions, including two in the league. He also provided a key assist in the Saints’ midweek win over Norwich City that pulled the club into sixth place and the final playoff spot.
What Larin has done in England has not gone unnoticed by Marsch.
“He’s playing outstanding,” Marsch told reporters on Thursday after the Canada squad unveiling. “He’s made a huge impact on that team. He’s going to come into camp in top form, which is exactly what we need. I couldn’t be more excited about Cyle right now.”
Prior to joining up with his mates in Toronto, Larin and Saints have one final match at St. Mary’s on Saturday with a visit from a desperate Oxford United side currently playing for its Championship lives. Third from bottom and still in the drop zone, the U’s are now undefeated in four straight matches and see a path to safety on the horizon with only eight matches to go on the year. With both sides playing good football right now, this might be too close to call.
As for Larin himself, another strong performance could be just the tonic he needs heading into international duty. Larin has not scored in his last 11 appearances in a Canada shirt. The most recent of his 23 international goals came all the way back in October of 2024 in a friendly against Panama in Toronto.