When Joel Waterman reports to the Canadian national team for the March international window, he’ll be missing a key teammate in Alphonso Davies, who has been ruled out due to injury.
“Yeah, Phonzy’s obviously the captain of our team. He’s an integral part of what we’re trying to do, and it’s so unfortunate with all of his injury history and what he’s gone through in the past couple weeks, and especially with his knee,” Waterman lamented when asked by Bolavip about Davies’ absence.
“We just want him fully back and fully healthy and fully prepared for the summer. So we just hope he’s getting the best care he can, obviously, in Germany, and making sure he comes back healthy, and that’s the number one thing,” Waterman added during the pre-match press conference ahead of the Chicago Fire‘s MLS fixture against the Philadelphia Union, which will be his last club game prior to the international break.
“And then, you know, obviously what he can provide is massive for our team and the success we’re gonna have during the World Cup, so we’re wishing him all the best, and we’re excited to have him back soon.“
Why is Alphonso Davies not playing for Canada in March?
Davies, 25, is out with a hamstring injury sustained during Bayern Munich’s first leg win over Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League round of 16. The star left back had to be subbed off after an apparent non-contact injury 70 minutes into the clash, leaving the field in tears as his teammates consoled him.
Davies had returned to action for Bayern in December following an ACL tear suffered in March 2025 during his last appearance for Canada. Les Rouges were expecting a long-awaited return in the upcoming window, which is why his recent setback was a huge blow.
Canada’s support for Davies
However, Waterman and his teammates will be waiting for Davies to recover in time for the 2026 World Cup. Before Waterman addressed the media on Thursday, Canada head coach Jesse Marsch shared a similar sentiment.
“He’s obviously down and frustrated a little bit, but he said this little injury, compared to even the one he experienced a month ago is much less severity”, Marsch said , via TSN Sports. “He’ll probably be 2, 3 weeks before he’s back again. He’s not going to be with us for March, which is okay. We’ll leave him there in Munich and make sure he gets himself fully fit and fully back to 100%, but I’m confident he will do that.”
Canada’s March schedule
Without Davies, Canada will play two international friendlies in Toronto, first hosting Iceland on Saturday, March 28, before they welcome Tunisia to BMO Field on Tuesday, March 31.
Waterman, meanwhile, will be chasing his 16th and 17th caps for Canada, having already represented the country in multiple friendlies and Concacaf Nations League fixtures. He was also a member of the 2022 World Cup, 2024 Copa America, and 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup rosters.