Which CanMNT player will benefit most from late transfer?

Think of this week's Race for the Roster as more of a table-setter than anything else.

While there is no movement from Steven Caldwell in his Canada starting XI or his 26-man roster, the transfers that needed to materialize for key players ahead of the summer window closing did so, providing the boosts a number of players needed with under a year until the 2026 World Cup.

Perhaps the player who needed a transfer the most, veteran forward Cyle Larin got his move, joining Dutch powerhouse Feyenoord on loan from Mallorca. Having essentially been frozen out from the first team, staying put could have been the death knell for Larin's chances of making the Canada roster at all, let alone starting alongside Jonathan David. The Eredivisie is obviously a step down from La Liga, but as long as Larin is playing and scoring goals, that won't matter. Now, if he doesn't score goals in the Netherlands, then another conversation might need to be had...

After falling out of favour under manager Roberto De Zerbi at Marseille, centre-back Derek Cornelius has joined Rangers on loan. Currently penciled in as a starter in central defence alongside Moise Bombito, regular playing time this season will be essential for Cornelius to maintain that place. He joins a Rangers team in need of a spark. While they were able to take a point in a scoreless draw in this past weekend's latest edition of the Old Firm derby, Russell Martin's team has had a dreadful start to the new campaign, including a 9-1 aggregate loss to Club Brugge in their Champions League qualifying tie. Through four matches in the Premiership, Rangers is still looking for its first win and is already six points behind leaders Celtic and Hearts. Cornelius will be looked to help shore up a leaky backline and get Gers back into title contention. After a run of three straight titles from 2009 to 2011, Rangers have won just one in the past 14 seasons with Celtic winning the other 13. Brendan Rodgers' side will look to make it five straight next spring.

One player who wasn't on the move, though, is Stephen Eustaquio. The veteran midfielder has found playing time hard to come by at Porto and the thought was he could look for a move, but he has chose to stay and fight for his place. Eustaquio remains a lock in Caldwell's starting XI.

Elsewhere, goalkeeper remains a position of intrigue for Canada.

Caldwell stresses that the race has not be won by anybody just yet, but as of right now Canada's No. 1 shirt appears to be firmly in the hands of Minnesota United's Dayne St. Clair. The man most expect to be his biggest challenge, Maxime Crepeau, has failed to mount much of one in recent weeks, forced back to the bench at Portland Timbers. The team has lost 10 of the 17 matches he's started this year and Phil Neville has once again turned to James Pantemis in between the wickets. Crepeau's struggles are Pantemis's gain as the more he stars for Portland, the greater his chances of being on the plane for Canada next summer. As Caldwell mentions, should Crepeau continue to miss out on minutes, a move in the winter transfer window could be necessary to salvage his World Cup hopes.

Jayden Hibbert also continues to raise eyebrows. The 21-year-old Atlanta United 'keeper has posted back-to-back clean sheets as he emerges as a potential name for the Canada squad. Hibbert has been named to Jesse Marsch's squad for this month's friendlies against Romania and Wales.

While there is no movement in Caldwell's 26-man squad, there is a change on the fringes.

Caldwell has swapped out one player for another on the bubble. Removed from consideration is Columbus Crew forward Jacen Russell-Rowe. While the Toronto native has a career-high seven MLS goals this season, he hasn't scored in his last 11 matches across all competitions. In his place comes the wily veteran Junior Hoilett. The 35-year-old winger from Brampton, Ont. is now in his second season at Hibernian and has notched an assist through three league matches. Should Hoilett continue to see regular minutes - he's averaging just under an hour thus far this season - and perform, the former Blackburn Rovers, QPR and Reading man could force his way into the conversation for next summer.

Here's what Caldwell's squad looks like in Week 13 (Note that the lock icon represents a lock for the starting XI)

Race for the Roster: Week 13 (4-4-2)

Forwards

STARTERS: Jonathan David (Juventus) and Cyle Larin (Feyenoord, on loan from Mallorca)
BENCH: Promise David (Union SG), Daniel Jebbison (Preston North End, on loan from Bournemouth) and Tani Oluwayesi (Villarreal)

Midfield and Defenders

STARTING MIDFIELDERS: Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich) INJ, Niko Sigur (Hajduk Split), Stephen Eustaquio (Porto) and Tajon Buchanan (Villarreal)
BENCH: Jacob Shaffelburg (Nashville), Ismael Koné (Sassuolo, on loan from Marseille) Liam Millar (Hull City) INJ, Nathan Saliba (Anderlecht), Mathieu Choiniere (Los Angeles FC), Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC) and Ali Ahmed (Vancouver Whitecaps)

STARTING DEFENDERS: Richie Laryea (Toronto FC), Derek Cornelius (Rangers, on loan from Marseille), Moise Bombito (Nice) INJ and Alistair Johnston (Celtic) INJ
BENCH: Sam Adekugbe (Vancouver Whitecaps) INJ, Jamie Knight-Lebel (Swindon Town, on loan from Bristol City) and Luc de Fougerolles (Dender, on loan from Fulham)

Goalkeeper

STARTER: Dayne St. Clair (Minnesota United)
BENCH: Maxime Crepeau (Portland Timbers) and Tom McGill (Brighton)
IN THE HUNT: : James Pantemis (Portland Timbers) and Jonathan Sirois (CF Montreal)