Canada captain Alphonso Davies, Moise Bombito will be available to play vs. Qatar on Thursday

Before Canada’s World Cup roster became official on June 11, head coach Jesse Marsch made three gambles, taking a trio of players who were not fit to play but had shown hopeful signs that they would return from their injuries in time to contribute.

He selected Alphonso Davies (out with a hamstring strain since May 6), Alfie Jones (out with an ankle injury since Dec. 26), and Moise Bombito (out with a broken leg since Oct. 5).

On Wednesday, Marsch said that two of his bets are surprisingly close to paying off: Davies and Bombito will be available for Thursday’s must-win against Qatar in Vancouver.

“They’re not out,” he said, correcting a reporter who suggested they were. “They’re in.”

Jones, who has sat out the last two days of training with a muscle injury, will miss the match, leaving the remainder of his tournament also in doubt.

Davies’s availability is the most stunning development, although Marsch cautioned that Canada’s captain will return only if the conditions are perfect and the moment demands it — if Canada’s trailing late, for instance, and needs a goal in a hurry. 

“We took some risks in how we put the squad together, hoping that we could manage all these situations to give our best players the best chance to be on the pitch with us for our most important games,” Marsch said. “But what we don’t want to do is put players at risk... We’re trying to be very calculating.”

Marsch and his team, usually remarkably open and accessible, have become coyer since last week’s opening draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina.

At Monday’s training session, reporters were told that Davies remained subject to “return to play” protocols, the least-intensive level of training for injured players.

No update was offered for Davies on