Crépeau or St. Clair? Who will occupy Canada's net biggest question ahead of World Cup

Amid a spate of injury and form concerns for Canada’s men nearing their World Cup opener on June 12, perhaps one question looms largest: Who will be the starting goalkeeper?

Last Saturday, the two contenders — Orlando City’s Maxime Crépeau and Inter Miami’s Dayne St. Clair — met in an MLS match that felt, at least for Canadian soccer fans, more like a contest between them than their clubs. The winner was Crépeau, even though he allowed three goals in the first 33 minutes.

Because St. Clair then allowed four.

Jesse Marsch, Canada’s head coach, has wrestled with his goalkeeping dilemma for more than a year, splitting starts almost evenly between his principals. Asked whether he’d made up his mind after the March international window, when St. Clair drew Iceland 2-2 and Crépeau held Tunisia scoreless in another draw, Marsch shook his head.

“I’m not sure,” he said. “It’s as close as it’s always been. I know I can’t make a wrong decision. That’s a beautiful thing to know.”

⚽️ Orlando City's Tyrese Spicer exploits a gap behind the Inter Miami's center-backs, latches onto a through pass, and finishes clinically through the legs of goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair to complete a stunning 4-3 come-from-behind victory. <a href="https://t.co/bDWVjRLAqe">pic.twitter.com/bDWVjRLAqe</a>

When Marsch joined the team in May 2024, Crépeau was the obvious first choice. He had backed up Milan Borjan heading into the 2022 World Cup, only to miss the tournament after he suffered a horrific broken leg with LAFC weeks before he was to arrive in Qatar.

He came back to perform heroically in the 2024 Copa America, reclaiming the inheritance that felt rightfully his.

But Marsch has a hard-wired preference for pure athletes, and St. Clair looks more like a