Copa América: refreshed Canada can play spoilers at maiden tournament

HThe story was made in 67 seconds of Canada’s match against Croatia at the 2022 World Cup. Alphonso Davies’ leaping header was the team’s first-ever goal in the men’s tournament and set the tone for a new era in Canadian football – an era that Jesse Marsch hopes to accelerate during the Copa América.

In May, Marsch was announced as head coach of the Canadian men’s national team, replacing John Herdman, who left for Toronto FC in the MLS. Historically, coaching Canada has been tough. The organization has experienced political and financial turmoil, with the women’s national team in particular expressing a lack of investment. Despite these concerns, Marsch, who interviewed for the USMNT job in 2022, accepted a job that some say makes him overqualified — thanks to creative accounting from Canada’s MLS franchises.

“US Soccer had the opportunity to sign me,” Marsch told the Guardian in May. ‘They have no one to look at but themselves. Ultimately, I have the freedom in my life to do what is best for me and myself.”

The best thing for the American is a return to international football. After concluding his playing career in 2010, Marsch made his coaching debut as an assistant for US Soccer before taking the top job at Montreal Impact (now CF Montréal). He then joined the Red Bull Football Syndicate and was named MLS Coach of the Year at the company’s New York outpost, before going on to win back-to-back Austrian league titles and clinch Champions League places with Salzburg and Leipzig.

There he built a reputation as a progressive coach, someone who fits ‘Red Bull’fashion model‘, all with high intensity and focused on player development. It’s a model Canada Soccer hopes will bring together a talented group of young players by the time they co-host the 2026 World Cup.

This summer will be Marsch’s first time in an international dugout at a major tournament since 2010, when he worked as an assistant to Bob Bradley at the World Cup in South Africa. “I think I can take a lot of lessons from that and apply that to what we’re doing in Canada,” Marsch said. “I’ve tried to really keep my finger on the pulse of what things we need to keep and how we evolve.”

There’s plenty of work to do. From the highs of the Herdman era, Canada hit a new low before Marsch’s arrival, drawing 2-2 against Guadeloupe and working to a 0-0 draw against Guatemala last summer.

Still, the team is in a better position today than the disappointing result at Qatar 2022, where they lost all three of their matches. From a talent perspective, Marsch has taken charge of an exciting pool. Many of Canada’s top players are relatively young: Davies (Bayern Munich, 23), Tajon Buchanan (Internazionale, 25), Jonathan David (Lille, 24) and Ismaël Koné (Watford, 22). Marsch’s 26-player squad for the Copa América consists of just two players over 30 and 15 players under 25.

“Our final vision, our final goal is in two years. And we have only just begun our process,” said Marsh after his first match in the lead.

Building a team that peaks in 2026 is Marsch’s long-term goal. But in the short term, Marsch will have to face his first big challenge: a first Copa América. After narrowly qualifying for the tournament with a play-in win over Trinidad and Tobago, one of the best sides in Canadian soccer history will take their first steps against the best soccer America has to offer. And they don’t come much bigger than facing Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the opening match of the tournament on Thursday.

In preparation, Marsch had two friendly matches against the Netherlands and France earlier this month, both in preparation for their own international tournament. It was a chance to experiment before Thursday’s showpiece. Did things go according to plan? Kind of.

Despite a 4-0 defeat against the Netherlands, Canada was surprisingly strong in the first half. They showed all the hallmarks of a Marsch team: a high press and a focus on transitions. The 4-4-2 formation was similar to the formation under Herdman. Davies wore the armband at left-back, Celtic’s Alistair Johnston sat on the right, with Malmö’s Derek Cornelius and Colorado Rapids’ Moïse Bombito as centre-backs (a bold choice considering both youngsters have only five caps between them). Preston’s Liam Millar, Porto’s Stephen Eustáquio, Koné and Buchanan were in midfield, while Mallorca’s Cyle Larin partnered David up front. It was goalless at halftime, with Canada showing patience and choosing moments to spark Marsch’s aggressive press.

After halftime things went wrong and Ronald Koeman’s team took control of the midfield. Canada was shocked and forced to make mistakes. Marsch was unfazed. “It was actually a pretty good performance,” the coach said after the game.

He was right. Despite the raw score, it was one of Canada’s better performances since 2022, and it proved Marsh was willing to turn things around. He is no longer the tactically inflexible manager who struggled at Leeds. Here was a coach who was willing to adapt.

That versatility was clearly evident in the 0-0 draw against France. Ten of the team’s eleven starting players were retained, with goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau replacing Dayne St Clair. But Marsch changed his approach. Rather than egging on the press, he was happy for his side to sit in and play with patience. They were better organised, retained possession and were smarter in the final third. France improved the advanced statistics, but this was no sit-in-and-hop gig. Canada chose its moments and was dangerous on the counterattack. In the second half they won the possession battle.

For Marsch, it was a glimpse of the team he’s trying to build. “It’s a draw, it’s not a win,” Marsch said. “But this will help [the players] we understand it better and believe more in what we are trying to achieve.”

It’s hard to think of a tougher start than facing two Euro 2024 favorites in a week, but Marsch believes these games can accelerate his team’s development. “It’s almost unfair to have to play your first match against the Dutch and your second against the French,” Marsch said after the friendly matches. “But what then? We have to grow up as a team, we have to grow up as a football nation. And we have to figure out ways to get better and there’s no better way to do that than playing against opponents like that.”

It won’t get any easier. Then the world champions. They will then play Peru on June 25 and Chile on June 29 as they look to progress to the Copa knockout stages.

Expectations are low. The aim is to avoid a repeat of the World Cup performance. Both performance and results will be the benchmark. But Canada has the potential to play spoiler in the group stage. The team has dangerous attacking talent, creative midfielders and a solid group of defenders. And with Davies, David and Koné they have a match winner at all three levels.

Argentina are the more experienced, technical and talented side – and it is likely that the opening match at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium will feel more like a home game for Argentina than a neutral ground. But after holding France to a draw, confidence is high that the Canadians can go head-to-head with the world’s best this summer.