Canada's World Cup defence weakened by injury to key centre-back
Moïse Bombito will miss the FIFA World Cup after his surgically repaired leg isn't healthy enough to compete.
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Canada's national men's soccer team is losing a crucial defender ahead of the FIFA World Cup. Moïse Bombito, the Montreal native who plays for France's OGC Nice, will not compete in the tournament after the team determined his surgically repaired leg is not healthy enough.
Bombito, 26, suffered a broken leg in October and made a brief return in a friendly against Uzbekistan in Edmonton earlier this month. However, he didn't see playing time in Canada's most recent tune-up match against Ireland in Montreal, and the team has now decided to shut him down for the tournament.
The decision prioritizes Bombito's long-term health but leaves Canada scrambling. The team has already lost midfielder Marcelo Flores to injury and is still monitoring winger Alphonso Davies ahead of Friday's World Cup opener in Toronto. Names like Ralph Priso and Kamal Miller are the most likely replacements for Bombito as coach Jesse Marsch rebuilds the defensive group.
With two key players sidelined and uncertainty around Davies, Canada's path to home-soil success just got steeper.