Stephen Eustaquio steps into leadership spotlight as Canada's men's soccer team builds toward 2026 World Cup

Chris Jones is in Bucharest with Canada's men's soccer team ahead of Friday's game vs. Romania as it continues preparations for next year's FIFA World Cup.

Building a national team during brief international windows is like building armour between battles: You need to make something bulletproof in a hurry.  

Jesse Marsch, the head coach of the Canadian men's soccer team, sees Friday's match against Romania and Tuesday's against Wales — along with two more windows in October and November — as his best chance to find new and lasting leadership before next summer's home World Cup.

The game in Bucharest might be a friendly, but there will be a crackle in the night that will test the Canadians, who are the better side but haven't won in Europe since 2011. There are Romanian ultras who dress like paramilitaries, and security precautions, by domestic standards, will be intense.

The Romanian Football Association is expecting about 50 brave Canadian fans to attend. They will be isolated in a corner of the National Arena's upper reaches, with a buffer of empty sections between them and about 25,000 home supporters.

The opposition will feel nearly as overwhelming on the field, and someone will need to step up to lead an unlikely Canadian charge.

WATCH | Marsch joins CBC Sports to give address on state of Canadian soccer:

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At the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, now-departed veterans Atiba Hutchinson and Milan Borjan were commanding captains. In their absence, they left a void. Before the Copa America in 2024, Marsch named Alphonso Davies captain and Stephen Eustaquio his vice.

It hasn't been a seamless transition. Last spring, Davies tore his ACL in a match