Richie Laryea is expected to start at left back for Canada against Qatar on June 18, stepping into the role while Alphonso Davies remains untrained and unavailable. Laryea already played all 90 minutes for the injured Davies and is set to carry the left side as Canada prepares to play at BC Place.
Richie Laryea Starting Role For Canada
Laryea nearly opened Canada’s scoring in the tournament opener; his shot struck the crossbar in the 1-1 tie with Bosnia on June 12 at Toronto Stadium before 43,002 fans. He finished that match having covered the full 90 minutes, a direct indication why Jesse Marsch is expected to hand him the left-back start against Qatar on June 18.
Alphonso Davies Training Status Update
Alphonso Davies was not training ahead of the Qatar match, a status that placed Laryea into a prominent, immediate role. Laryea framed the shift through the team’s altered expectations since 2022: "We still wanted to compete [in 2022]," he said, adding, "With the standards we have, it’s like a new belief within the group, we’re not talking about first goal, first win now; we’re here to compete." He closed his comments by stressing the home-soil imperative: "It’s a tournament on our home soil, we’re playing three games guaranteed on home soil. We need to make them count. These are games we’re looking to win."
Canada vs Qatar At BC Place
Canada’s remaining Group B matches are both at BC Place, which holds 54,500 seats; the country faces Qatar on June 18 and Switzerland on June 24 in Vancouver. That schedule turns Laryea’s role into more than a single-game fill-in: the position will be played under sustained scrutiny across two home fixtures at a large venue. Laryea is 31 years old, a Toronto native who plays for Toronto FC in MLS, and he brings veteran continuity—76 appearances for the national team and previous World Cup experience from 2022—to a backline adjusting without Davies.
Jared Embick, who coached Laryea at the University of Akron, framed the defender’s traits in system terms: "Richie likes to be really aggressive, pressing these guys that are quick and fit," Embick said. "He's super fast and good with the ball." Embick added a functional endorsement: "So, for me, it's a perfect fit for Richie and this system, and I think you saw that first game." Those qualities help explain why Laryea played every minute in the opener and why he is slated to start again.
Mechanically, the Qatar match will add to Laryea’s World Cup résumé: he represented Canada at the FIFA World Cup Qatar in 2022 and this tournament is his second World Cup appearance, with the upcoming fixture marking his fifth World Cup match overall. That cumulative experience matters in a lineup pushed to replace an injured starter and expected to deliver results at home.
Canada opened with a 1-1 tie against Bosnia on June 12, a result that contrasts with Laryea’s stated objective for the tournament; he said of 2022, "We still wanted to get our first win, our first goal, all these things in a World Cup," and then distinguished 2026: "But it felt like, overall, we were just happy to participate there versus now this go around with it being here, with the team we have, with the coach [Jesse Marsch] we have." The draw raises immediate pressure for a win in Vancouver and hands Laryea a clear performance bar: convert his attacking instincts into results while covering defensive duties at left back.
Will Alphonso Davies be available for Canada’s next World Cup matches after not training?
