Les Rouges may have endured a dismal Gold Cup campaign, but they have started their World Cup run up in fine fashion
In July, it seemed that Canada's moment had gone.
It was the Gold Cup, and the Canadians were well in the picture to win the tournament. The USMNT were struggling on the pitch, and their fans were arguing off it. Mexico were still a team in between eras and trying to find their footing. Canada, meanwhile, had a new manager, a dynamic new playing style, and the kind of feel-good vibes that are, historically, conducive to a championship run.
Jesse Marsch knew it. Before the tournament, he pointed out that Canada had done all of the talking, but probably needed to do some winning, too. He constructed the ultimate, almost Jose Mourinho-esque "us vs. them" mentality. Here were , the scrappy underdogs, the Americans of yesteryear made modern, and ready to finally win something.
Of course, that's not how it worked out. Canada were bounced from the Gold Cup in the quarterfinals, on the wrong end of a wonderfully worked smash and grab from Guatemala. But they could have few complaints, in the end. Canada should have won, and they didn't.
That disappointment left the national team at a bit of a crossroads. There will no longer be a medal around their necks as they roll into a home World Cup. No competitive fixtures are remaining. Instead, Marsch has to find glimpses from friendlies that remain, and show that there is scope for, at least, a performance to be proud of in a tournament held, at least in part, on home soil.
And after beating Romania in convincing fashion, there is reason to suggest that those struggles of last summer might just be fading into footballing memory.
ImagnThe Gold Cup disappointment, and ensuing response
Marsch has admitted that the Gold Cup disappointment has stayed with him. After all, how could it not? Canada had a window of opportunity last summer, and Marsch made all of the right noises about trying to win the thing. Instead, Canada were disastrous, their campaign marred by red cards, managerial meltdowns, and an eventual deserved exit.
“We lost because we beat ourselves, and we can’t do that in important matches,” said Marsch. “We certainly can’t do that next summer.”
Of course, there were mitigating factors. First, Marsch went with a remarkably young squad for the Gold Cup. He called on a handful of teenagers, and was without star left back Alphonso Davies, who had suffered a serious knee injury in the Nations League third-place match with the United States in the previous March. The inexperience showed, especially in big games.
“We fell short in some areas. And I've tried to talk very openly about that; about how disappointed we were to lose in the quarterfinals,” Marsch said.
Marsch promised that, above all, he would try to find ways to mitigate that with his current squad. The solution? Call on his older guys.
"We have a lot of really good, talented, established players in the national team now, but we need more big leaders that understand what the best games are about, how to manage big moments and how to make sure, next summer, we know as a group out on the pitch how to handle things," he said before Canada's first September friendly against Romania.
AdvertisementGettyDominating Romania
In the run-up to Friday's fixture, Marsch nailed in all of the big talking points. Canada had enjoyed "the best week of training" since he took the job, he insisted. He praised the effort, quality, and desire of the group. It was all very Marsch-ian, the manager playing the hits in what figured to be an admittedly tricky game. Romania might be 45th in the FIFA World rankings, but they were playing on home soil – and made an unlikely run at Euro 2024. Throw in the fact that Canada have a poor record on the European continent, and the pieces seemed to be in place for another disappointment here.
Instead, they turned in what can only be described as a complete performance on away soil. were on it early, scoring twice in the first 22 minutes, before cruising the rest of the way. They were, in the end, excellent value for the 3-0 win – their first in Europe for 16 years.
"It's a special win for us, and another step, I think, for us on the way to making sure we're a really good team next summer [at the World Cup]," Marsch said.
It must be pointed out that it was far from a vintage Marsch performance. Canada were out-possessed and never quite established the kind of attacking rhythm the manager has so often preached to his team. This was, instead, quite a physical, intense showing – one that relied mostly on moments of individual quality and off-ball work.
GettyWhat to take from the win
Still, there were plenty of strong takeaways. The first was the showing of Jonathan David.
The Juventus striker has, for some time, been the hipsters' favorite forward – a footballer who does a bit of everything and is only improving as a goalscorer. He was too good for Lille, and it is, in fact, an immense surprise that he took as long as he did to secure a move to the Serie A giants – and even more remarkable that they let him do so on a free contract. He was excellent throughout, taking his one chance cleanly and providing the kind of off-ball work that Marsh craves. Tajon Buchanan and Tani Oluwaseyi also had their moments going forward.
But perhaps the real point of encouragement was the performance of Ali Ahmed. The left midfielder has always been tipped for success, but never quite found his groove in a Canada shirt. He was the man of the match against Romania, finishing the game with a goal, an assist, and four chances created. Sure, there were some negative headlines created by the reluctance of Ismael Kone to be substituted. But the manager interpreted it only as a good thing.
"He wanted to stay on, which is normal. I get it… Ismael's super important. We're gonna keep moving him along," Marsch said.
(C)Getty ImagesThe big names to return
And there's more to look forward to here for Marsch and Co. Wales, of course, will present a different kind of challenge. The atmosphere there might be tough. manager Craig Bellamy has done an honorable job at the helm as the sweetheart of Euro 2016 navigates the post-Gareth Bale era. Brennan Johnson is an immense talent who has developed into a star for the national team. Any kind of result to take back to North America would certainly be regarded as a positive.
This is all coming, remember, with a slightly depleted squad. Davies is still recovering from his ACL tear – and will be back in the picture by November. This camp came without center backs Alistair Johnston and Moise Bombito. Attacking options Daniel Jebbison and Jacob Shaffelburg are also not in the picture – and would both seem to push for minutes in nine months.
"I wouldn't vote against Alphonso being back [in November]," he said. "He’s a freak of nature in terms of his overall physicality, and so in the discussions I’ve had with him in the club in the last months, everyone says that he’s doing great and he’s meeting all the measurements and benchmarks that he needs to.”