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Winnipeg Free Press
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Canada yet to live up to swagger
We have known for some time that the Canadian men's national soccer team can talk the talk. When they qualified for a first World Cup in 36 years, the players styled themselves the 'Kings of CONCACAF.' When they got there, ex-manager John Herdman's smug disrespect of Croatia nearly caused a diplomatic incident. More recently, head coach Jesse Marsch boasted that his 2025 Nations League squad was the 'strongest' in the country's history; only the trophy would do. Last month he stated the team would not be satisfied with the Gold Cup 'unless we win it.' Ashley Landis / The Associated Press The play of Niko Sigur was a bright spot for underachieving Canada at the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament. Well, they didn't, and they didn't win the Nations League, either. Croatia beat them 4-1 in Qatar, where they were CONCACAF's worst representatives. Herdman is long gone; Marsch served a two-match suspension at the Gold Cup, and Canada's lone tournament triumph in a quarter century was achieved at a friendly event they concocted, hosted and designed for themselves to win. Oh, they can talk all right. When it comes to walking the walk, their route often ends abruptly at the first hurdle. The latest trip-up was what should have been a straightforward Gold Cup quarterfinal against Guatemala. It even started well enough, with Canada dictating much of the play against a quality opponent, only for two yellow cards in the space of nine minutes to derail a campaign that, according to the bluster, was supposed to end this weekend instead of last. Unfortunately, it was one of Canada's more reliable players, Jacob Shaffelburg, who picked up both bookings in first-half stoppage time, leaving his team disadvantaged for the entire second period. The Nashville winger had been hacked at, kicked and generally abused during the final group stage match against El Salvador. Maybe it was frustration; perhaps he just wanted to assert himself. Whatever the rationale, he morphed from the bullied to the bully in the quarterfinal, as did most of the players in white shirts and red shorts. It's not really necessary for us to rehash the result. Canada crumbled under the pressure, conceded an equalizer and lost on penalties. Sometimes that's just the way it goes. When looking back on the four games they played at the competition, Marsch and his staff might even find some happy take-aways. Niko Sigur, who earned his sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth caps at the Gold Cup, impressed as both a right-back and central midfielder. And although he missed the decisive penalty, Luc de Fougerolles provided speed, distribution and smarts from his defensive position. The thing is, when you've announced it's either win or bust, declared yourself a tournament favourite and then beat your chest as you got off the plane, you've foregone the excuse of construing failure as a bit of bad luck. What's more, you take on a certain reputation when this sort of thing happens repeatedly. Canada's national team can rightly think they're one of the best in CONCACAF. What they may not realize is they're also one of the most disliked. That's not necessarily a bad thing, especially when the bad feelings are generated by fear. Only, they're not. No, the contempt in which Canada are held has more to do with their own sense of entitlement, a perception of arrogance and some quite evident petulance. To be clear, confidence — even an abundance of it, a swagger — is a key ingredient in a good team. It's commendable the Canadian men have developed so much of it so quickly. Having said that, proclaiming yourselves regional 'kings' and declaring you can 'be winners at the World Cup' will annoy just about everyone else when you yourselves have won exactly nothing. Lecturing the opposition and officials about fair play isn't helpful, either. The old stereotype of every team south of the United States taking dives, feigning injury and sneakily hurting the honest and upright Canadians is not only played out, but also a tired, race-based trope. It's also one that backfires when the Canadians are the bruisers, which happened in the Guatemala match. Wrapping it all together, and transforming disdain into ridicule, is a penchant for whining, complaining and wildly remonstrating that starts with the manager and, more and more, is seeping down to the players. Marsch began the Gold Cup in the press box because of a suspension he was served in the Nations League Finals. After losing his temper at a match official in the group stage opener, he nearly earned himself another one. When 'Canada are under investigation' is a more familiar headline than 'Canada have advanced to the final,' you've got a problem. Some of that problem can be addressed on the training pitch, in the video room and at coach's meetings. As just one example, the past few weeks revealed a tactical naiveté that showed an open door to Guatemala the moment Canada went down to 10 men. This sort of thing can be dealt with relatively easily, provided Marsch shows some flexibility. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. In fact, many of Canada's shortcomings — strategic and behavioural — could be reversed overnight with a bit of humility. They don't have to act like they've never seen a World Cup before, which is precisely what happened at the last one. But they shouldn't be expecting their opponents bow down to them, either. Not when they're still to earn the respect they seem to crave. Not when they repeatedly show that, for all the talk, they've yet to walk the walk. jerradpeters@ @
Fox News
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Jesse Marsch on Canada's early Gold Cup exit: 'We're missing half of our group'
The highly-anticipated rematch between the United States and Canada will have to wait, as Les Rouges were eliminated from the CONCACAF Gold Cup in a 6-5 penalty-kick decision after a 1-1 draw with Guatemala on Sunday. Canada, which had the third-best odds to win the tournament behind the U.S. and Mexico, was set for a date with the United States in the semifinals, but things didn't go according to plan. When Canada coach Jesse Marsch was asked about his team's early exit, he cited the missing players on his roster. "If I'm honest, we're missing half of our group," Marsch told reporters. "That's not an excuse." Before the tournament started, Marsch made headlines for seemingly taking aim at the stars of the U.S. men's team for not participating in the Gold Cup. "Not one guy called me and said, 'Coach, I don't know, it's been a long year, maybe I don't come to the Gold Cup.' Not one guy," Marsch said earlier this month. "Not even close to that conversation." The most notable absence for Canada is Alphonso Davies, who many consider to be the best left back in the world. Davies sustained a torn right ACL in March during the Concacaf Nations League. Canada will co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup with the United States and Mexico next summer. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
Fox Sports
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Jesse Marsch on Canada's early Gold Cup exit: 'We're missing half of our group'
The highly-anticipated rematch between the United States and Canada will have to wait, as Les Rouges were eliminated from the CONCACAF Gold Cup in a 6-5 penalty-kick decision after a 1-1 draw with Guatemala on Sunday. Canada, which had the third-best odds to win the tournament behind the U.S. and Mexico, was set for a date with the United States in the semifinals, but things didn't go according to plan. When Canada coach Jesse Marsch was asked about his team's early exit, he cited the missing players on his roster. "If I'm honest, we're missing half of our group," Marsch told reporters. "That's not an excuse." Before the tournament started, Marsch made headlines for seemingly taking aim at the stars of the U.S. men's team for not participating in the Gold Cup. "Not one guy called me and said, 'Coach, I don't know, it's been a long year, maybe I don't come to the Gold Cup.' Not one guy," Marsch said earlier this month. "Not even close to that conversation." The most notable absence for Canada is Alphonso Davies, who many consider to be the best left back in the world. Davies sustained a torn right ACL in March during the Concacaf Nations League. Canada will co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup with the United States and Mexico next summer. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! Get more from Gold Cup Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
Hamilton Spectator
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Canada coach picks Dayne St. Clair to start in goal in Gold Cup quarterfinal
MINNEAPOLIS - Dayne St. Clair has earned the starting job in goal for 30th-ranked Canada against No. 106 Guatemala in Sunday's quarterfinal at the CONCACAF Gold Cup. St. Clair started in the 6-0 win over No. 75 Honduras and 1-1 draw with No. 90 Curaçao while Maxime Crepeau was in goal for the final Group B game, a 2-0 decision over No. 81 El Salvador on Tuesday in Houston. Prior to Sunday, St. Clair and Crepeau had each started 10 games under coach Jesse Marsch. In choosing St. Clair for the knockout round, Marsch has elevated the Minnesota United 'keeper in the pecking order. '(Dayne) has been, I think, outstanding in the tournament and clearly, in training also, very, very strong,' Marsch told a news conference Saturday. 'That being said, I want to also say this has never been an easy decision and our belief in Max is at the highest level as well. And he's trained really well and been really sharp 'I think Dayne has done enough to earn this opportunity. And in this knockout stage, we're trying to put what we think is the team that is the most prepared and most ready for what these matches will be. And for right now for me that's Dayne.' St. Clair was the lone Canadian named to the Major League Soccer all-star team earlier this week. The 28-year-old from Pickering, Ont., is tied for the MLS lead in shutouts with eight and has made 43 saves in 16 matches. St. Clair has kept six clean sheets in 14 appearances for Canada. The 31-year-old Crepeau, a native of Candiac, Que., who plays for the Portland Timbers, has eight shutouts in 26 Canada appearances. Guatemala, meanwhile, has lost goalkeeper Nicho Hagen, a backup with the Columbus Crew, to injury. Sunday's game will be played on a temporary grass surface at the 73,000-capacity U.S. Bank Stadium, home to the NFL's Minnesota Vikings. 'I think the quality of replacement pitches that we have now is much, much better than when I played,' said the 51-year-old Marsch, a former U.S. international. Canada is 10-2-2 all-time against Guatemala and unbeaten in the last five meetings (4-0-1), dating back to a 2-0 loss in August 2004 in World Cup qualifying in Burnaby, B.C. The teams played to a scoreless draw the last time they met, in group play at the 2023 Gold Cup. 'I know we're not the favourite team,' Guatemala coach Luis Fernando Tena said through an interpreter. 'We understand that. We know the stakes — they're very high right now, specifically for Canada. But, well, surprises always come in soccer. So we have faith in us.' Canada had hoped to get influential midfielder Stephan Eustaquio back, with Portugal's FC Porto out of the FIFA Club World Cup. But Marsch said Saturday that Porto, which failed to advance out of the group stage at 0-2-1, had gone back on its word and refused to release him. Canada previously lost Toronto FC midfielder Jonathan Osorio and Vancouver Whitecaps winger Ali Ahmed to injury, leaving its tournament roster at 23 instead of 26. The Canadian men, who won the tournament in 2000, are in the quarterfinals for the fifth straight edition. Canada survived a physical affair with El Salvador, which had two players sent off. Marsch said he did not expect the same kind of physicality from Guatemala. 'They've got some speed and creativity up front and some strong defensive players on the backline,' he said. 'I think they're athletic, maybe a little bit more athletic than El Salvador but I think more disciplined,' he added. 'I don't think we're going to see such a wild performance as what El Salvador delivered. But at the same time I think it will be very spirited. And they will try to set the tone early, that it's not going to be an easy day for us.' Guatemala finished runner-up to No. 33 Panama in Group C, beating No. 63 Jamaica 1-0 and unranked Guadeloupe 3-2 and losing 1-0 to Panama. Guatemala looks to reach the tournament semifinals for just the second time, following 1996 when it lost 1-0 to eventual champion Mexico. The Guatemala roster features four MLS players including Hagen and 18-year-old CF Montreal midfielder Olger Escobar. Sunday's winner will face either the 16th-ranked U.S. or No. 54 Costa Rica in Wednesday's semifinal in St. Louis. Tajon Buchanan and Nathan Saliba lead Canada with two goals apiece. Acting captain Jonathan David, meanwhile, has seven goals in seven appearances at the tournament and leads Canada in all-time Gold Cup scoring. —- This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Canada coach picks Dayne St. Clair to start in goal in Gold Cup quarterfinal
MINNEAPOLIS – Dayne St. Clair has earned the starting job in goal for 30th-ranked Canada against No. 106 Guatemala in Sunday's quarterfinal at the CONCACAF Gold Cup. St. Clair started in the 6-0 win over No. 75 Honduras and 1-1 draw with No. 90 Curaçao while Maxime Crepeau was in goal for the final Group B game, a 2-0 decision over No. 81 El Salvador on Tuesday in Houston. Prior to Sunday, St. Clair and Crepeau had each started 10 games under coach Jesse Marsch. In choosing St. Clair for the knockout round, Marsch has elevated the Minnesota United 'keeper in the pecking order. '(Dayne) has been, I think, outstanding in the tournament and clearly, in training also, very, very strong,' Marsch told a news conference Saturday. 'That being said, I want to also say this has never been an easy decision and our belief in Max is at the highest level as well. And he's trained really well and been really sharp 'I think Dayne has done enough to earn this opportunity. And in this knockout stage, we're trying to put what we think is the team that is the most prepared and most ready for what these matches will be. And for right now for me that's Dayne.' St. Clair was the lone Canadian named to the Major League Soccer all-star team earlier this week. The 28-year-old from Pickering, Ont., is tied for the MLS lead in shutouts with eight and has made 43 saves in 16 matches. St. Clair has kept six clean sheets in 14 appearances for Canada. The 31-year-old Crepeau, a native of Candiac, Que., who plays for the Portland Timbers, has eight shutouts in 26 Canada appearances. Guatemala, meanwhile, has lost goalkeeper Nicho Hagen, a backup with the Columbus Crew, to injury. Sunday's game will be played on a temporary grass surface at the 73,000-capacity U.S. Bank Stadium, home to the NFL's Minnesota Vikings. 'I think the quality of replacement pitches that we have now is much, much better than when I played,' said the 51-year-old Marsch, a former U.S. international. Canada is 10-2-2 all-time against Guatemala and unbeaten in the last five meetings (4-0-1), dating back to a 2-0 loss in August 2004 in World Cup qualifying in Burnaby, B.C. The teams played to a scoreless draw the last time they met, in group play at the 2023 Gold Cup. 'I know we're not the favourite team,' Guatemala coach Luis Fernando Tena said through an interpreter. 'We understand that. We know the stakes — they're very high right now, specifically for Canada. But, well, surprises always come in soccer. So we have faith in us.' Canada had hoped to get influential midfielder Stephan Eustaquio back, with Portugal's FC Porto out of the FIFA Club World Cup. But Marsch said Saturday that Porto, which failed to advance out of the group stage at 0-2-1, had gone back on its word and refused to release him. Canada previously lost Toronto FC midfielder Jonathan Osorio and Vancouver Whitecaps winger Ali Ahmed to injury, leaving its tournament roster at 23 instead of 26. The Canadian men, who won the tournament in 2000, are in the quarterfinals for the fifth straight edition. Canada survived a physical affair with El Salvador, which had two players sent off. Marsch said he did not expect the same kind of physicality from Guatemala. 'They've got some speed and creativity up front and some strong defensive players on the backline,' he said. 'I think they're athletic, maybe a little bit more athletic than El Salvador but I think more disciplined,' he added. 'I don't think we're going to see such a wild performance as what El Salvador delivered. But at the same time I think it will be very spirited. And they will try to set the tone early, that it's not going to be an easy day for us.' Guatemala finished runner-up to No. 33 Panama in Group C, beating No. 63 Jamaica 1-0 and unranked Guadeloupe 3-2 and losing 1-0 to Panama. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Guatemala looks to reach the tournament semifinals for just the second time, following 1996 when it lost 1-0 to eventual champion Mexico. The Guatemala roster features four MLS players including Hagen and 18-year-old CF Montreal midfielder Olger Escobar. Sunday's winner will face either the 16th-ranked U.S. or No. 54 Costa Rica in Wednesday's semifinal in St. Louis. Tajon Buchanan and Nathan Saliba lead Canada with two goals apiece. Acting captain Jonathan David, meanwhile, has seven goals in seven appearances at the tournament and leads Canada in all-time Gold Cup scoring. — This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2025.
