Canada seek bounce-back victory in Gold Cup Group B finale

After his time coaching CF Montréal and the New York Red Bulls, Jesse Marsch moved to RB Leipzig in Germany to begin his footballing forays beyond North American shores.

It was there, where the now Canadian men’s national team head coach learned the term “selbstverständlichkeit,” meaning to be assured of oneself. It’s something he sees in El Salvador’s national team, and wants to bring to Canada’s identity.

“It’s very clear that they have a strong identity. I said this once before in Germany, and the word is 'selbstverständlichkeit,' and it means understanding oneself,” Marsch told reporters on Monday. “There are a lot of German words that are very complex, that one seems long, but I think it wraps into an identity of what you're trying to create in football.

“You want to create a team where everything they do is second nature, and that's what I feel like El Salvador has.”

For Canada, that identity has been forged over the last 13 months, with a high-pressure style, complemented by a vigorous edge and a desire to navigate past challenging moments.

Unwanted pressure

On Tuesday, though, Canada face pressure.

After a 1-1 draw against Curaçao, they likely need at least a draw against El Salvador at Houston Dynamo FC's Shell Energy Stadium to advance and win Group B at the Concacaf Gold Cup, before they can continue onto the knockout phase and their mission of winning a first trophy in 25 years.

"You're gonna have a few bad games. That's just how life is," Nashville SC and Canada winger Jacob Shaffelburg said of the performance against Curaçao.

"I think everyone in the locker room knew that we were disappointed in ourselves after that one, but it's just about learning and what we can do better."

Opportunities ahead

While Canada would have rather clinched a quarterfinal berth in their second matchup, they'll hope to take advantage of a more open game against No. 81-ranked El Salvador, given that Los Cuscatlecos will need to pull off the upset to have any chance of advancing.

That opportunity could allow Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi to have more chances to run in behind and link up with star striker Jonathan David.

At the same time, a midfielder like Montréal’s Nathan Saliba may have more space to open the game up, especially when combining with wingers like Shaffelburg or former New England Revolution star Tajon Buchanan.

“He’s got a good combination of athleticism and intelligence, technical ability, tactical awareness, responsibility on the pitch, commitment to the game, ability to run and to cover ground,” Marsch said of Saliba, who has scored twice in Canada’s last two games.

“If you put the whole package of what you want out of a No. 6 that plays in your midfield, I think he's pretty much shown that over the last three weeks.”

Injury concerns

Even with Marsch back on the bench, the CanMNT's roster will be a little lighter on Tuesday after Jonathan Osorio and Ali Ahmed each returned to their clubs due to injuries sustained in the tournament.

It leaves Canada with just 21 healthy field players and limited options in midfield. However, despite not being able to add to the roster mid-tournament, Marsch’s staff will be rooting for FC Porto to be eliminated in the FIFA Club World Cup on Monday night, as Stephen Eustáquio was included on the roster, with hopes he could be inserted after the group stage, should Concacaf allow it.

“We're looking at it now, it's four elimination matches left, so we can't have anything but the best mentality and an understanding of how difficult this match will be,” Marsch said. “It can be a matter of inches and sometimes centimetres on the pitch that will make the difference."

Bouncing back

Although scrutiny of the Canadian team increased following their draw vs. Curaçao, they have done a good job of bouncing back over Marsch's tenure.

Following his Canadian managerial debut, a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands, Les Rouges rebounded with a scoreless draw against France. After losing 2-0 to Lionel Messi’s Argentina to start the 2024 Copa América, they followed it with a 1-0 win over Peru.

In Marsch’s 19 games in charge, the CanMNT have only drawn back-to-back once and have never lost consecutive matches.

“It’s the commitment of the group and the belief in what we're doing together...I expect us to be ready for tomorrow,” Marsch added. “We've created higher expectations from the performance of the team and for what expectations are internally.”