Brampton’s Jayden Nelson replaces injured Marcelo Flores on Canada’s World Cup roster

Brampton’s Jayden Nelson enjoyed a full circle moment Tuesday as his latest soccer achievement took him back to a venue he knows well.

The 23-year-old winger from Brampton, Ont., was named to Canada’s roster for the FIFA World Cup, an accomplishment that seemed almost unimaginable when he joined Toronto FC’s academy nearly a decade earlier.

“I’m a guy with big dreams,” Nelson said. “And I tell kids that look up to me or whatnot to dream big … I’m here now and I’m grateful.”

The Canadian team practised for over an hour Tuesday at the TFC training grounds in preparation for Friday’s tournament opener against Bosnia-Herzegovina at Toronto Stadium.

Nelson will replace injured midfielder Marcelo Flores on the national men’s team roster.

Flores was ruled out for the tournament after suffering a serious knee injury on May 30. Nelson was one of three cuts who remained with the Canadian men’s national team after the initial 26-man roster was announced.

“I’m just excited to start and to show the world what I can do,” Nelson said.

Nelson has two goals over 10 Major League Soccer games with Austin FC this season.

He has scored three times in 14 appearances for Canada’s senior team, including a stoppage-time goal in a 2-0 friendly win over Uzbekistan last week in Edmonton.

“He’s been really sharp, he deserves it,” said Canadian winger Liam Millar. ” He’s been really good in training, really good in the games. He’s really aggressive one (on one). We need that.

“We need players who are willing to take risks and willing to do whatever it takes for us to get a goal.”

Nelson changed teams ahead of the MLS season in a bid to make Canada’s World Cup squad. He spent last season with the Vancouver Whitecaps, registering two goals and six assists over 23 regular-season appearances.

He struggled to get starts as players returned from injury later in the campaign. The Whitecaps dealt him to Austin FC in December, hoping to find him a home where he could play more minutes and make his World Cup case.

“I think I’m a creative player,” Nelson said. “I’m able to create chances and I think in a World Cup you need that.”

After coming up through the TFC academy, he represented Canada at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2019 before making his Major League Soccer debut with Toronto in 2020. He spent parts of three seasons with TFC.

“Even when we’re doing meetings in the theatre room (here), it’s like, ‘I spent so many hours in there already.'” he said with a smile. “So it’s just crazy to to know that we’re playing games in our backyard.

“It’s just going to give us an extra push with our fans and family here. It’s amazing, truly.”

Nelson moved to Norwegian side Rosenborg in January 2023. The Whitecaps then picked the young Canadian up from Rosenborg in January 2025.

Flores, a 22-year-old winger from Georgetown, Ont., underwent surgery last Friday after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee while playing in the CONCACAF Champions Cup with Mexican club Tigres UNAL.

Brampton will have a strong presence on the national team, now with six players with ties to the city named to the country’s final FIFA World Cup roster. Brampton’s other contributions to the team are Tajon Buchanan, Jonathan Osorio, Cyle Larin and Promise David, along with Liam Millar, who grew up in Brampton before moving to England at age 13.

More roster changes could be on the horizon as Canada coach Jesse Marsch continues to monitor key defender Moïse Bombito, who participated in modified training.

Left back Alphonso Davies and defender Ralph Priso, both nursing hamstring injuries, were again in ‘return to play’ mode. Their training included running sessions and lighter drills while the main squad worked out nearby.

Marsch has said the team is taking Bombito’s situation day by day and will give him until the very last minute as he works his way back from a fractured tibia sustained in October.

The 26-year-old centre back from Montreal played just 30 minutes against Uzbekistan before limping off and icing his leg. He then stayed on the bench in Canada’s 1-1 draw with Ireland last Friday.

Teams can replace any injured player on the roster up to 24 hours before the first game kicks off.

Bosnia, ranked 64th in the FIFA rankings, reached the World Cup by beating Italy in a European qualifier last March. No. 30 Canada has an automatic berth as a tournament co-host.

The Canadians will head west after their opener for group-play matches in Vancouver. Canada will play Qatar on June 18 and Switzerland on June 24.

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press

– With files from INsauga.com