Canada gain "confidence" from battle with Colombia | OneFootball

By Ben Steiner

HARRISON, New Jersey – The Canadian men’s national team looked like they belonged.

Against Colombia, the No. 13-ranked team in the world, Les Rouges played with confidence, control, and even a little swagger. In the end, Tuesday's scoreless draw was a statement for Jesse Marsch's side – especially after their 1–0 loss to Australia on Friday.

“We are looking more like an experienced team, the leaders are looking more and more like leaders, and the young players are developing where they look more like the regular players,” Marsch told reporters after the match.

“I believe that the way we play, in the way that we commit to games, is going to ultimately benefit us more down the road.”

World Cup environment

Without World Cup qualifiers, Canada went big-game hunting, organizing friendlies to mimic what they might face next summer as tournament co-hosts alongside the United States and Mexico. They got that with Colombia’s quality and the hostile environment at Sports Illustrated Stadium, home of the New York Red Bulls.

Of the more than 20,000 fans in attendance, there were maybe 50 Canadians – and 23 of them were among Marsch’s squad.

“Our guys are kind of used to it, and the best thing to do to quiet a crowd is not give much away, and we did that,” Marsch said. “We didn't really give a chance for that great crowd, the very pro-Colombian crowd really needed to get itself going.”

Added Minnesota United FC goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair: “With the home World Cup coming, we know that it's going to be able to flip for us, and we're really looking forward to that.”

Game management

Les Rouges have tied major opponents before, holding France to a scoreless draw last year in Marsch’s second game in charge. Since then, their game management has blossomed.

In the 77th minute, Canada nearly surrendered a counterattack. But Niko Sigur body checked Bayern Munich superstar Luis Díaz, earning a tactical yellow card and cutting off any opportunity.

St. Clair, meanwhile, was more patient on the ball than ever, while Toronto FC’s Richie Laryea maintained aggression, despite a 12th-minute yellow card.

“If I hadn’t gotten that yellow, I could have been even more aggressive than I was in the game, so that part was a little bit of a disadvantage for me," Laryea said. "But I went over to the sideline and Jesse said I have to continue to play aggressively, because that's the way we play.

“More than anything, confidence is what a result like this brings for us. If you're able to compete with Colombia, you feel like you can play against anyone.”

Lineup foreshadowing

When Canada open the World Cup, many of the same faces that played on Tuesday could be in the lineup.

Marsch started his strongest available side, with only the injured Alphonso Davies and Moïse Bombito among the absolute locks to crack the starting XI next summer.

The backline, featuring Sigur and Luc de Fougerolles, along with Derek Cornelius and Laryea, remained unflappable against Los Cafeteros, who were highlighted by Díaz and former Columbus Crew star Cucho Hérnandez.

“That says a lot about the overall development of the group and defensively, the structure of the entire team,” Marsch added. “I told the guys that when you look forward to the World Cup, clean sheets are a premium. If you get clean sheets, you always give yourself a chance.”

Rest of 2025

Ahead of the September window, Marsch emphasized that Canada were looking at the entire six-game fall slate as a single window. The first section saw two significant wins and clean sheets against Romania and Wales, before the attack sputtered out without a goal in October.

Now, they look to November to wrap up 2025, hosting Ecuador at BMO Field, home of Toronto FC, before taking on Venezuela at Inter Miami’s Chase Stadium.

“We achieved a lot again, and now we need to come back in November and make sure that we cap off this time period before the World Cup draw, to make sure we're really ready to push for the World Cup," said Marsch.

That window comes amidst the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs, a key focus for Minnesota’s St. Clair.

“We have some big ambitions in Minnesota, and we know that we're still fighting to see how far and high on the table we can reach," said the two-time All-Star.

"Decision Day for us will be important, and it can hopefully kick us into some momentum for the playoffs."