VANCOUVER — It was always going to be the juxtaposition this FIFA World Cup would challenge us with. As relative newbies to this level of football, combined with the delicious fact that we have matches on home soil, exactly when would the actual football stories take precedence over the sentimentalist angle that is so easy to focus on?
The answer is, I am not quite sure just yet. The Canadian soccer carnival has only just arrived in Vancouver as Canada prepares for its next group match, and the vibes are strong, the buzz is fizzing. It is a wonderful place to be if you’re a soccer fan.
However, we do want answers to hard questions. Notably, the status of Jonathan David. Whether he starts or not on Thursday in what is basically a must-win match against Qatar is not in question; of course, he should. The question is more along the lines of: what exactly is wrong with Canada’s top attacking player?
It has been a tough year for ‘The Iceman’. Since making the switch to Juventus in Italy’s Serie A, he has looked far from the prolific David that dominated with Lille in France. Jumping to the Old Lady of Italian football was a giant move, and it wasn’t made easier with a difficult campaign for the club — one manager was replaced and the other failed to lead the team to a Champions League spot.
For this country, next week will mark the one-year anniversary since David scored a goal from open play. Manager Jesse Marsch is also beginning to have his concerns. Marsch relies heavily on David, a player he describes as the most cerebral one he has ever coached. David is also a minute-muncher for Canada — no other footballer has played more under Marsch’s watch (1,940 minutes).
No player has scored more than David’s 14 goals in that time either. Yet, when the team was desperate for a goal last week against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Marsch subbed off David in the 61st minute. When the fourth official held up his number on the sidelines, there was a ripple of shock from the established Canadian media present. This was unheard of.
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When pressed on David’s place within the squad at Monday’s training session at UBC, his teammates snarked off any doubt in their teammate’s standing. According to Joel Waterman, Ali Ahmed and Niko Sigur, there is absolutely zero worry. They are fully confident David will come good.
“We all know what he's capable of, how intelligent he is,” Sigur told media on Monday. “He's come up big for us countless times when his back's been against the wall and him scoring. So, we know what Jonathan's about. We know he's going [to] come for us in these next games.”
“I don't think anybody is thinking twice about him performing and scoring goals,” Ahmed added. “You know what he's done for us. It's one game. I'm sure he'll find the back of the net one way or another. You can see he's the same. You don't see any effects of it. And yeah, probably the best striker I've played with … he's complete. He's a good player, smart player, can finish the ball, can play football well.”
Against Qatar, there is every chance he will. Sitting one off the magical 40 mark for Canada, David will be relied on once again to lift the team. His technical ability, intelligent runs and eye for goal will be crucial if Canada are able to do what’s expected of them — that is beat Qatar and beat them handily. Goal differential is important in the World Cup, especially if first place in the group is still the aim — a result that would see Canada remain in Vancouver for as many as two knockout rounds.
Perhaps adding to the pressure being heaped on David’s shoulders is the fact that four years ago, in the midst of superb club form, David was quiet at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Look a little closer though — which was probably not appreciated as much as it should have been at the time — and that group was horrendously challenging: Croatia, Belgium and Morocco! Perhaps we give David a pass on that one, but how about now?
Less than a week into the World Cup, Canada is looking and acting like a so-called ‘soccer nation’. If that is the case, difficult questions regarding its team should absolutely be asked.
Enough of the fluff. Players like David get it. They play in established and ruthless markets, the media of which will never shy away from the tough ask.
We haven’t heard from David since the opening match as he is rarely paraded out to talk to the media so the answer to the current noise around his struggles is simply to score goals again. Something David is very good at. And he has a chance to show us again this Thursday.
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