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Photo Credit: Canada Soccer
Canada Wins Canadian Shield, But Leaves Fans Wanting
By It wasn’t the greatest of spectacles at BMO Field on Tuesday, but Canada still managed to lift some silverware – even if it came after a penalty shootout loss.
The drab 0-0 draw against Cote d’Ivoire was enough to make Canada the victors of the inaugural Canadian Shield tournament after defeating Ukraine 4-2 early on. Yet despite lifting the trophy, the performance did cause some concerns as it showed the lack of cohesion between the depth pieces as the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup looms.
Wholesale Changes A Wholesale Gamble That Didn’t Work
Canadian Men’s Head Coach Jesse Marsch was always clear that he was going to give everybody a chance to prove themselves in this Canadian Shield friendly tournament, especially since not everyone called up for it was going to play in the upcoming Gold Cup that starts later this month. That is why Marsch made a staggering ten changes to the side that defeated Ukraine a few days prior. Of that lot, there were some newer players that had an opportunity to prove themselves and some older players who had an opportunity to prove they still belonged.
Unfortunately for them, the performance did not reflect that opportunity.
From kickoff, Cote d’Ivoire were the hungrier team. They were more aggressive, more determined, and better connected, especially in the midfield. Jonathan Osorio and Ismael Kone were struggling to match up against the likes of Ibrahim Sangare and Franck Kessie. At one point, the Canadian duo could barely make a pass before losing possession due to the press of The Elephants. Osorio was chasing shadows, seemingly demonstrating that his age is catching up to him, while Kone tried to do it all himself – which meant he ended up falling right into Cote d’Ivoire’s traps.
The issues weren’t just in midfield. The defence had a tough time dealing with the long balls over the top, just about cutting out dangerous passes and blocking goal-bound shots. Joel Waterman was turned inside out on more than one occasion, but managed to make up for it a few times as well. Senior vets Sam Adekugbe and Richie Laryea were not up to their usual standard, with the former having to yet again come off with a calf injury that leaves both Canadian fans and Whitecaps FC fans groaning in frustration. Luckily for the defence, Cote d’Ivoire themselves were wasteful and lacked precision in the final third. However, Canada’s attack didn’t fare much better.
No Davids, No Party
Unfortunately for Canada’s attack, when your team doesn’t register a single shot on target after 90 minutes at home, your first look is towards the strikers.
Starting pair Daniel Jebbison and Cyle Larin, the latter of which wore the armband this match, were unable to carve out any real chances against Cote d’Ivoire when they were on the pitch. For Jebbison, he’s a dual national who has been hyped up greatly before he committed to Canada as a hidden gem. So far in his short Canadian career, however, he hasn’t really been able to live up to that hype. The young AFC Bournemouth striker had some clever footwork in this match but struggled in both his decision-making and link-up play. Many fans were already (and likely prematurely) calling for his number to be called on the sideline and wanting for him to stay home.
Then there is Cyle Larin. Larin continued his poor form in front of goal since the 2022 World Cup. Now, he was tasked to do more of the Jonathan David role as the provider between the front two, but provided little in his 62 minutes, having a 69% pass accuracy and losing nine of his 13 duels. Canada’s leading scorer for the Men’s team has carried massive question marks about whether his time may be up for the national team before the 2026 World Cup. Alas, this performance didn’t help those concerns.
The fact that both Jonathan David and Promise David, scorers of three out of the four goals against Ukraine, seem to be in some of their finest forms in their careers right now puts even more pressure on the likes of Larin and Jebbison to perform. However, after this match, it’s hard to imagine any other front two than the Davids playing against Honduras in nine days time.
Starting Eleven Sorted For Gold Cup?
Speaking of those who are surefire to start, it seems that many positions have been locked up after these two performances against Ukraine and Cote d’Ivoire. Both Davids are surefire starters after their impressive performance playing together up top. Stephen Eustaquio proved how vital he is to the team and how much they miss him when his gone. With the injury to Sam Adekugbe, it looks like Niko Sigur will surely start for Canada on that left-hand side. And with Moise Bombito missing the competition due to a wrist injury, Luc de Fougerolles excelled alongside Derek Cornelius and proved why he should start that opening match against Honduras.
Then there are a few positions that have a bit more contention for it. The question of Mathieu Chioniere and Ismael Kone starting beside Eustaquio will be a tough one, especially when you consider how well Nathan Saliba played against Ukraine despite his club’s poor form in MLS. The wide attacking midfielders also beg the question, as Whitecaps FC pair Jayden Nelson and Ali Ahmed provided the only real spark in that match against Cote d’Ivoire, but was it enough to usurp the dynamic duo of Jacob Shaffelburg and Tajon Buchanan? It’s difficult to say.
Even Zorhan Bassong, who is not on the Gold Cup roster, made a good shout for his future inclusion as Alistair Johnston’s deputy at right-back, which may come as soon as the Gold Cup should he be selected to replace Sam Adekugbe if the defender’s injury is as serious as it looked on Tuesday night.
That, then, leaves the goalkeepers. Maxime Crepeau made six saves despite conceding two goals against Ukraine, showing that he still has that ability, even though he is struggling to get game time in Portland. Dayne St. Clair, meanwhile, is in the opposite situation as he is in fantastic club form in the MLS with Minnesota United as one of the clean-sheet leaders, but disappointed in the final penalty shootout against Cote d’Ivoire when he let two soft penalties past him in Canada’s eventual shootout defeat.
All in all, this match against Cote d’Ivoire did give fans a lot of answers about who to start in the Gold Cup, but also left a lot of questions around who can step up from the sidelines and perform when the team needs it most.
Header Image Photo Credit: Canada Soccer
