Canada feels 'much more prepared' for World Cup after Canadian Shield win

It was a tale of two completely different games from the Canadian men’s team at this month’s Canadian Shield tournament in Toronto. 

After romping to a dominant 4-2 victory over Ukraine on Saturday, a Canadian side that underwent wholesale lineup changes laboured through a 5-4 penalty shootout loss to Ivory Coast on Tuesday after the two nations played to a 0-0 draw in regulation time. 

Despite the defeat, Canada finished atop the final standings of the inaugural Canadian Shield competition, winning its first international competition since hoisting the Concacaf Gold Cup trophy in 2000. The two games also served as vital preparation for this summer’s Gold Cup and provided Canada with some valuable lessons ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which it will co-host. 

As a member of Concacaf, the soccer region that covers North America, Canada routinely competes against its closest geographical rivals. But you can only gain so much by playing nations such as Mexico, the United States and Honduras. 

Prior to the Canadian Shield, the men’s team’s last home match against a European opponent was a win over North Macedonia in 1998, and it had been 31 years since it hosted an African nation. If the Canadians hope to be competitive on home soil next summer, they must take on the best in the world and play a wide variety of teams between now and then.

An expanded field of 48 nations at the World Cup means the range of possible opponents with different playing styles for Canada next summer is endless. That’s why it was so important for the Canadians to step outside of the safety of their Concacaf comfort zone. In facing Ivory Coast, the reigning African champions, and an Ukraine team that sits five spots above them in the FIFA world rankings, Canada received a small taste of what to expect at the World Cup.

Coach Jesse Marsch’s men dominated against a technically proficient Ukraine, thanks to a dynamic attack led by Jonathan David (two goals) and Tajon Buchanan (goal and two assists) that constantly turned the screws and never let up. But against Ivory Coast, the Canadians failed to get any of their eight shots on target and couldn't bypass the Africans’ sturdy midfield to gain a strong foothold in the match.

Canada was pushed to its physical limits by the Ivorians. That was exactly the type of experience Marsch wanted, as he feels it better prepares his team for the World Cup.

"I wanted to challenge (our players) to understand their roles and to experience what it would be like to play against that level of opponent,” Marsch told reporters after Tuesday’s loss.

“We're a much more prepared team for what next summer will require. And that's been the goal of creating these friendlies, is to try to get the best opponents possible that we think we're going to see next summer. Ivory Coast challenged us in a lot of ways. And we bent at moments, but we didn't break, so that part was great.” 

The Canadian Shield also allowed Marsch to broaden his options by giving invaluable opportunities to the team’s exciting crop of young prospects and players with relatively little international experience.

Marsch fielded a somewhat experimental starting 11 against Ukraine, highlighted by a quintet of centre back Luc de Fougerolles (19 years old), fullback Zorhan Bassong, midfielders Nathan Saliba and Niko Sigur (both 21) and striker Promise David, who between them only had nine caps. Centre back Jamie Knight-Lebel, 20, and winger Jayden Nelson, 22, came off the bench in the second half to earn their second and sixth caps, respectively.

Against Ivory Coast, forward Daniel Jebbison earned his first start in only his third game for Canada. David marked his national team debut against Ukraine by scoring the team’s third goal of the match after he intercepted a pass and then held his nerve in firing his shot through the legs of goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin.  

“Look, he’s not used to playing at this intensity, so his body was kind of like, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore.’ But obviously, he is a goal scorer,” Marsch said of David. “So, if he gets chances, he’s going to score goals. And then it’s (about) developing a higher fitness level, an ability to stay connected in the game the way we want.” 

De Fougerolles was outstanding against Ukraine, anchoring a back line next to veteran centre back Derek Cornelius in only his second start in three international appearances. Sigur provided Canada with excellent two-way play, while Saliba’s creative display in midfield showed why a number of European clubs are tracking him. 

“I think it's been a really positive camp for me, especially (playing) 90 minutes of the first game, which was amazing,” said De Fougerolles. 

He added: “(Marsch) made it clear that the plan was to give everyone an equal chance. He can't get everyone minutes ahead of the Gold Cup, but the players who had their first starts, I think they played really well. … And I think it's positive for the whole group.” 

Marsch is high on De Fougerolles, even though he’s yet to make his full debut for Fulham in the English Premier League. 

“He’s an incredibly intelligent player. He’s very aggressive. Today was a day where it looked like he was just always in the right place,” Marsch said. “And then with the ball, he’s brave. He’s not afraid to make mistakes. He has the right kind of behaviours and habits. I thought it was a really, really strong performance from him.” 

The performances from De Fougerolles and his young cohorts didn’t go unnoticed by the team’s core of veterans, including Stephen Eustáquio, who wore the captain’s armband against Ukraine while earning his 50th cap for Canada. 

“For the World Cup, we need 26 strong players. We need 26 machines. The older guys, we try to tell them the values of the team and what we need to do. And I think they've been doing very well. If everybody's playing well, it's good for Canada,” Eustáquio offered. 

What was also encouraging about the team’s overall showing at the Canadian Shield was that its success was achieved despite the absence of several key players. Captain Alphonso Davies, Alistair Johnston and Moïse Bombito missed out due to injuries and other issues. 

Yet, the Canadians hardly missed a beat without three of their most important starters, as Marsch learned a lot about who he can rely upon with the World Cup just over one year away. 

“Both Ukraine and Côte d'Ivoire put their best teams out against us. That says a lot. I think that shows what international football is starting to think about our team,” Marsch said. 

He later added: “I'm excited for the Gold Cup … Yeah, the games will be different in the Gold Cup, but I think we'll be able to say this was a big experience and we came out on top, we won the trophy, and made another step in our overall progress. But now, we're ready for the next biggest challenge, and we want to win that (Gold Cup) trophy.”