Jesse Marsch might not have seen the goal live, but his impact was palpable for the Canadian men’s national team in a 2-1 win over the United States in the Concacaf Nations League third-place match.
Sent off in the 54th minute after overreacting to a referee’s decision, Marsch ran through the bowels of SoFi Stadium to get to a place to watch. Five minutes later, Jonathan David curled in the 2-1 goal, giving Canada a lead they wouldn’t surrender.
The Concacaf Nations League third-place match wasn't the stage they wanted, and they won’t be leaving Los Angeles with a trophy, but Sunday was significant. It was a victory over their rivals and a crucial, savvy win in the final full-strength competitive match ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026, showcasing their squad’s depth.
"Jesse was sticking up for his team, and it galvanized the boys," said assistant coach Mauro Biello, who stepped in for the suspended Marsch at the post-match press conference. "They saw the trust and how much it means to him and we were able to come back and get that second goal."
Since Marsch took over the Canadian team in May 2024, his ideals have driven the group emotionally and tactically. Ahead of the clash with the USMNT, he showed the team clips of the Canadian hockey team’s three fights in nine seconds against the USA at the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off, wanting to inspire his team for the third-place clash.
“Hit them first,” striker Tani Oluwaseyi said Marsch told the group before scoring the opening goal for his first in a Canadian shirt.
While there weren’t fisticuffs, the emotional play worked, as did the jolt of energy the squad got from his sending-off.
Alistair Johnston went “elbows up”––Canada’s latest rallying cry against recent American discourse––on USMNT striker Patrick Agyemang early, and the Canadians dominated the pace of play as the Americans toiled on in desperation through the remainder of the match.
“The mentality of this team is strong, and today was another big test for us against a very good American team, and it showed that we're ready to compete against anybody in this region,” Biello added.
“We can go out there and use our speed, our power and our quality to be able to take over games… Even after we scored the second goal, we were still pressing; we're still pushing, and in the end, we were able to control the game.”
Canada find depth through identity, something USA lacks
Rivalry often presents heated challenges, and Sunday’s matchup showed just how much work head coach Mauricio Pochettino must do with his USMNT to reach Canada’s level, let alone compete with the best sides in the world at next summer’s World Cup.
Even turning to depth pieces, Canada dominated.
Regular starting midfielder Stephen Eustáquio wasn’t included in the lineup, nor was Cyle Larin, David's usual strike partner. Instead, Mathieu Choiniere took up the midfield pivot alongside Ismaël Koné, and Oluwaseyi slid in alongside David.
Things didn’t get any easier either when Alphonso Davies had to leave the match in the 12th minute, forcing 21-year-old Niko Sigur to be subbed in at right back and shifting Johnston to left back, a position he’d never played in his career.
It wasn’t quite the full rotation Marsch used in a penalty shootout loss to Uruguay in the Copa América third-place match, but it was close—and Canada still looked the better side.
“This team isn't a really strong starting 11; this team is building depth, building a really strong squad, and that's what you need to have because injuries happen, and adjustments can be made,” Johnston said. “If you want to be a football nation, you need to have multiple deep guys at every position, and I think we're seeing that now.”
