Richie Laryea is expected to start at left back for Canada against Qatar on June 18 in Vancouver, another sign that he has moved from useful veteran to essential cover while Alphonso Davies is injured. The 31-year-old played all 90 minutes in Canada’s opening World Cup match, and the next one comes fast: a Group B game that can shape how the team frames the rest of its tournament.
That is why Laryea’s name is drawing attention now. He was described as a starter in his fifth World Cup match, and he nearly gave Canada its first World Cup goal when his shot hit the crossbar in a 1-1 tie with Bosnia on June 12 at Toronto Stadium. That result came before 43,002 fans and left Canada with a point, but not the breakthrough it wanted before turning to Qatar.
Laryea’s path to this moment has been long enough to explain why Canada trusts him there. The Toronto native played for the University of Akron in 2014 and 2015, appearing in 42 career matches and producing 12 goals and nine assists before being selected No. 7 overall by Orlando City in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft. He now has 76 appearances for Canada, has been to the FIFA World Cup Qatar in 2022, helped Canada win the Concacaf championship in 2021 and added a Concacaf Silver Medal in the 2022-23 Nations League, then returned again for a CONMEBOL Copa América in 2024.
What makes this World Cup feel different is the standard around it. Laryea said Canada is no longer talking about its first goal or first win and is focused on competing, with three guaranteed games on home soil and no interest in treating them as an exhibition. “We still wanted to compete [in 2022],” he said, “but it felt like, overall, we were just happy to participate there versus now this go around with it being here.” He added that the group is not talking about firsts anymore: “We’re here to compete. 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.”
There is still a practical question inside that ambition. Canada says it wants wins, but Laryea is filling in because Davies is injured, and that makes the left side a moving part rather than a settled one. Jared Embick, who knows Laryea from his University of Akron days, said his speed, aggression and comfort on the ball make him a fit for a system that asks him to press quickly and keep opponents running. Canada’s next test comes on June 18 against Qatar at BC Place in Vancouver, with Switzerland waiting there on June 24. If Laryea stays in the starting role, the rest of Group B may tell whether his opening-game chance was a stopgap or the shape of Canada’s tournament.
