Jesse Marsch had a victorious home debut as Canada's head coach, with Les Rouges beating Panama 2-1 Tuesday night at Toronto FC's BMO Field.
CanMNT's only friendly of the October FIFA international window ended in triumph thanks to goals from Cyle Larin and Jonathan David, who both reached 30 tallies all-time for Canada.
Larin, the former Orlando City SC standout, got things going for the hosts just before halftime, first-timing Vancouver Whitecaps FC winger Ali Ahmed's service into the box after Nashville SC's AnÃbal Godoy made a mess of things in the back for Los Canaleros.
Panama threatened to play spoiler 69th minute, when former D.C. United striker José Fajardo chipped Portland Timbers goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau to level the score.
However, David avoided the upset three minutes from full-time, cooly finishing off a give-and-go with Liam Millar and setting off a dramatic celebration for Les Rouges.
Goals
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: Eleven games into his tenure, Marsch finally got the chance to manage Les Rouges on home soil. While not quite as riveting as their performances en route to a fourth-place finish at the 2024 Copa América, Canada got the job done as their preparation ahead of co-hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup hits another gear.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Canada were in danger of settling for a disappointing draw before David's late winner put everything in its right place for the hosts.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Ahmed continues to impress as he gets more national team minutes, delivering an assist in Larin's opener to highlight another standout shift for Canada.
Next Up
- CAN: Thursday, November 14 vs. TBD | Concacaf Nations League
- PAN: Thursday, November 14 vs. TBD | Concacaf Nations League
