CF Montréal captain Samuel Piette will play at Stade Saputo in a Canada shirt for only the second time when the national team faces Peru on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET. He is set to earn his 70th cap, with Canada Soccer recognizing his contributions, although Piette clarified he is not retiring from international play.
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"Being from Montréal and having the pleasure of representing this team for many years, playing again at home in front of my family and friends is special," Piette expressed. "There's representing Montréal, but there's nothing better than representing your country with a special team."
Piette's only previous match for Canada in Montréal was nine years ago when he assisted in a 2-1 friendly victory over Curaçao. He and Cyle Larin are the last two remaining players from that lineup. Since then, Canada has made significant progress, culminating in a historic run to the Round of 16 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which Piette, a core contributor to the team over the last decade, followed from home.
"The World Cup set the tone that this team is different; it's looking to win games and trophies," Piette noted. "This group believes they can go all the way, and every match is treated seriously."
In their fall camp opening, Canada won 1-0 against Chile, though their performance highlighted areas for improvement, particularly in generating offensive chances against nine men for the final 40 minutes. Against Peru, they aim to be more clinical, hoping Jonathan David can transfer his successful form with Atlético Madrid into the match.
"The simple answer is just to work on it in training," David stated. "The more we work on it, the more we’ll see things happen in games."
Having observed the U.S. national team's recent win over Peru, Canada is aware that the South American team still has veteran talent capable of causing challenges.
Head coach Jesse Marsch has not confirmed his lineup but has noted that eleven substitutions will be allowed during the match. Players like David, Nathan Saliba, Tani Oluwaseyi, and Tajon Buchanan are expected to play key roles.
Saliba, now with Villarreal after moving from Anderlecht, commented on adapting to different styles of play: "In Spain, soccer is patient; back here, we're more aggressive and direct. I aim to bring a bit more patience, especially in the final third."
In goal, attention turns to the starting position as Maxime Crépeau, the previous World Cup No. 1, is absent from camp. Dayne St. Clair secured a clean sheet against Chile but will not start against Peru. Instead, Owen Goodman, 22, will make his first appearance as the starting goalkeeper for Canada. Marsch referred to Goodman as a potential future star and expressed excitement for his opportunity.
While improving their performance is the focus for Saturday's nearly sold-out match, Canada's attention will also shift toward their next encounter against a younger U.S. national team on October 6 at Allianz Field in Minnesota.