Marsch not worried after Canada has to fight back for draw vs. Iceland

TORONTO — If Jesse Marsch was worried, he hid it very well. 

Under normal circumstances, Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Iceland in an international friendly might be concerning for the Canadian men’s team coach, especially with his side’s opening match of the FIFA World Cup a little less than 80 days away. 

Iceland, after all, boasts one of European soccer’s more modest national teams, having failed to qualify for the World Cup and sitting 75th in the current FIFA world rankings, 45 spots below the Canadians. 

But this disappointing result for Canada comes with somewhat of an asterisk considering how badly Marsch's team was hit by injuries and suspensions — noticeably absent for the Canadians were Alphonso Davies (their captain), one of their starting centre backs (Moïse Bombito), their best right fullback (Alistair Johnston), and their two starting central midfielders (Ismaël Koné and Stephen Eustáquio). 

Maybe that’s one of the reasons why Marsch cut such a calm figure in the post-match press conference, choosing to focus on the way his team came back from two goals down to earn a draw.

"I love the boys. Their Canadian spirit is so clear; they're so committed to everything. They never back down. And I think that mentality and mindset really served us well today and will continue to serve us well," Marsch enthused.

Here are four key takeaways from Canada’s draw against Iceland. 

Defensive miscues put Canada in a big hole  

Canada applied pressure early on and earned three consecutive corner kicks. But a wildly egregious error by centre back Kamal Miller allowed the visitors to open the scoring after only nine minutes.     

Miller’s comical attempt to play a back pass to goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair from the centre circle was intercepted by Orri Óskarsson. The Icelandic forward took two touches while on a clear breakaway and then kept his composure in beating St. Clair with a driving shot from just outside of the box into the lower right corner.  

Another defensive error allowed Iceland to double its advantage in the 21st minute. Mikael Ellertsson won the ball off Canadian fullback Niko Sigur inside his half and then played a lovely through ball for Óskarsson, who blasted his attempt from inside the penalty area past a helpless St. Clair.  

Both goals came about, in part, because Miller and Sigur were facing their own goal rather than trying to play the ball forward. Also, Miller and fellow centre back Joel Waterman failed to properly close down Óskarsson on his second goal.  

Óskarsson ruthlessly capitalized on both mistakes, and Canada can expect more of that at the World Cup when they play a high calibre of opposition if it makes similar mistakes.

“It’s frustrating to give away the two goals the way we did in the first half and put ourselves in jeopardy. We want to play forward; we want to make mistakes playing forward, not mistakes playing backwards. So that’s the mistake, right?” Marsch said. 

A spirited comeback by Canada 

Orri Óskarsson’s brace represented a first for Canada as it had never previously conceded two goals in the opening half since Jesse Marsch took over as coach in May 2024. Not only that, but this marked just the third time in 20 games that Canada had trailed.     

Buoyed by the 26,328 spectators at BMO Field who braved the cold weather, Canada continued to press forward and attack with purpose for the remainder of the opening half. The home side opened the second half on the front foot and was given a lifeline when Icelandic midfielder Mikael Egill Ellertsson was judged to have fouled Tajon Buchanan inside the 18-yard box. Jonathan David stepped up to the spot on the ensuing penalty and sent Iceland’s goalkeeper the wrong way in the 67th minute.  

Just nine minutes later, substitute Daniel Jebbison drew a second penalty for Canada when his quick-footed movement inside the box led to a foul by centre back Hörður Björgvin Magnússon. Once again, David sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to level the score and notch his team-record extending 39th goal for Canada. 

Jesse Marsch obviously didn't like seeing his side concede a pair of soft goals early in the first half to go down 2-0. But he was impressed by how Canada kept its cool and was able to net two second-half goals to draw level. 

“Sticking to our principles, understanding how to not make fatal errors in games is really important. … I was calm at halftime. It wasn't like I yelled at them. I was calm, and I was trying to give them a couple solutions with the ball, but what I said to them is we're still on top of the game, and if we push the tempo more, we're going to find the first goal, we're going to find the second goal, and then we're going to get the winner,” Marsch said. 

He added: “There's a lot of learnings at all moments for what these games are and what games will be (at the World Cup), but we've got to learn from them. That's an important part and then not to make those same mistakes and other ones that can be fatal.” 

A solid debut by Marcelo Flores 

Winger Marcelo Flores earned his first cap for Canada when he came off the bench in the 63rd minute for Ali Ahmed.  

Flores, a 22-year-old born in Georgetown, Ont., is a dual national who had been capped for Mexico but had his one-time international switch approved by FIFA in February. Flores plays for Tigres UANL in Liga MX, the Mexican first division.  

Based on his cameo on Saturday, you can understand why Jesse Marsch was so keen to bring him into the Canadian team ahead of the World Cup. Flores offered Canada an assured presence when in possession and lent plenty of thrust to the team’s attacking ambitions with his quick movements. 

"I just tried to get on the ball; tried to be more energetic; tried to do something to change the game. ... I was just trying to make the most of my first opportunity," Flores said. 

Marsch lauded Flores for “how he brings different things” to Canada. 

“Mostly his comfort in tight spaces and his ability to see little plays. … He's really clean and quick and clever on seeing plays, and then initiating little combinations, whether he plays on the right, whether he plays on the left. I even think he can play like a second striker for us at times. You can see that that's something that we don't necessarily have,” Marsch admitted. 

Canada finishes with 10 men yet again 

The Canadians were riding high after Jonathan David’s second goal from the penalty spot as they continued to probe Iceland’s back line. 

A third goal looked to be on the cards for the hosts, but the trajectory of the game dramatically changed in the blink of an eye. Canada was forced to play the final 10 minutes of regulation time down a man when Tajon Buchanan was red-carded for an elbowing foul on Ellertsson as the ball was going out for a throw-in.  

Iceland took advantage of the man advantage and saw more of the ball the rest of the way, making it difficult for the Canadians to grab a late winner. 

"I think if that game goes on a little longer and we don't get a red card, I think we win that game," Canadian fullback Richie Laryea stated. 

Worryingly, Buchanan’s expulsion means Canada has had a player red-carded in three consecutive matches, and four times in its last eight outings. 

Yet, Jesse Marsch isn’t worried that his team might be picking up a bit of bad reputation ahead of the World Cup. 

“If any of them were really reckless in nature, then maybe. But I think that even today's can be handled by (a yellow card). It's not a malicious elbow that gets thrown,” Marsch argued. 

At the same time, Marsch realizes the team has to clean up its disciplinary record, or else it will suffer punitive damages at this summer’s World Cup. 

“We’re not a dirty, nasty team. We’re hard, we work hard; we were physical, we play hard, but we’re not a dirty team. So, I’m not worried about developing a reputation. But certainly, cards like that can change momentum in tournaments, right? So, we have to find a way to eliminate picking up those red cards,” Marsh offered.