‘We Beat Ourselves’—How Things Went Wrong for Jesse Marsch's Canada at the Gold Cup | OneFootball

A golden opportunity wasted.

Whether it was 19-year-old Luc De Fougerolles hiding behind his jersey or his teammates staring into the disappointing abyss, the emotions were evident as Canada’s men’s national team bowed out of the Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinals against Guatemala.

While No. 30 Canada were forced to play with 10 men for the second half after Jacob Shaffelburg was red-carded for a reckless second yellow, they were unable to defend a 1–0 lead, ending the match 1–1 before falling in penalties.

“It’s frustrating,” defender Alistair Johnston said in the moments after the loss. “It's difficult to win tournaments. You need to be smart. You need to get the calls. You also need to have luck on your side. Unfortunately, we probably took away our luck a little bit there. So it's a tough moment, a learning moment.”

Big Talk Falls Short

Jesse Marsch got significant commitment from star players, but the Canadian men's national team still faltered. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Heading into the Gold Cup, Canada talked a big game. Head coach Jesse Marsch secured commitments from top players, and the expectation was that the team could win its first trophy since 2000.

Instead, they fizzled out against a Concacaf minnow and won’t play another competitive match before their FIFA World Cup 2026 home opener on June 11, 2026, in Toronto.

“I feel bad for the group because I know how bad they wanted it,” Marsch told reporters after the match. “It’s important for us to learn from this because I think we lost because we beat ourselves, and we can't do that in important matches, and we certainly can't do that next summer at the World Cup.”

At the same time, Marsch mentioned that Canada was missing several key players, including Alphonso Davies, Moïse Bombito and Stephen Eustáquio, as well as Ali Ahmed and Jonathan Osorio, who suffered injuries mid-tournament.

“If I’m honest, we’re missing half of our group... but that’s not an excuse,” he said after Guatemala after previously making headlines for saying that “not one guy” asked not to come. “I still felt strongly that this was a really good group, and it was really important to develop more players with this team and see how far we could push it.”

‘A Gut Punch’—Clock Strikes Midnight on Trophy Hunt Pre-2026

19-year-old Luc de Fougerolles was one of the standout players in an otherwise underwhelming tournament for Canada. / Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Although Canada has risen over the last decade, qualifying for its second-ever World Cup in 2022 and advancing to the 2024 Copa América semifinals, the group still lacks a defining moment.

Through 2023 and 2025, talk centred on winning a trophy ahead of the co-hosted 2026 World Cup, and ultimately, they faltered to two Gold Cup quarterfinal exits and no Concacaf Nations League title.

Against Guatemala, that project struck midnight.

“It’s devastating; it’s a real gut punch,” goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair told OneSoccer after failing to stop any penalties. “We came into this tournament with high expectations, and this is not the way that we had envisioned. It's something that's gonna hurt for a while.”

Despite smaller projects, such as expanding the player pool and posting good recent results against Ukraine, the Ivory Coast, and Honduras, Les Rouges still lack a true landmark moment.

“This one’s really hard to swallow,” Marsch added. “We’ve got to learn how to win the biggest moments, right? We’ve made a lot of progress since I’ve been the national team coach, and I really like this group, and I really believe in them, but we have to find a way now to make sure we’re at our best in the toughest games and in the toughest moments. We’re going to figure that out, and I promise you: we will learn from this, and we will move forward.”

Game Managment Growth Needs to Come Alongside Depth

Tajon Buchanan had to leave Canada's match against Guatemala due to a hamstring injury. / Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images

If there was one upside to this summer for Canada, it was the depth developed in midfielders Niko Sigur and Nathan Saliba, as well as the growth of center back De Fougerolles.

However, as much as the player personnel took strides, the managerial side of Canada’s tournament faltered.

Against Guatemala, both Jonathan David and Tajon Buchanan had to be substituted due to apparent muscle injuries, ending their tournaments with a total of 299 and 248 minutes, respectively, of Canada’s 360 total Gold Cup minutes.

Although reliance on superstars can be a path to success, it left neither able to take a penalty kick. While it could be unlucky, the amount of football on the two likely played a factor.

Earlier in the tournament, Marsch quibbled with a reporter for questioning if he had a “Plan B,” and emphatically responded that he not only had B, but “Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, all the way to double Z.”

Against Guatemala, as his team faced adversity, they struggled to adapt and lost two of their most important players due to penalties, while also making several questionable substitution decisions.

What’s Next for CanMNT?

Alistair Johnston and the Canadian men's national team will look to friendlies and club form to prepare for FIFA World Cup 2026. / Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images

With the Gold Cup behind them, Canada must look to friendlies to fine-tune their World Cup preparations.

Already, the team has booked friendlies against No. 47 Romania and No. 29 Wales in September in Europe, and will play No. 16 Colombia at Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey in October, before taking on other matches yet to be booked.

The focus will also continue to turn to players’ club forms, none more so than Davies’s comeback from ACL surgery with Bayern Munich and the next teams for David and Buchanan, which are likely to be determined soon.

Yet, as much as club situations and friendly matches could benefit them, none will come with the ferocity of a competitive national team game, which Canada had hoped to get in the final four of the Gold Cup.

“We’ll create some things internally that reinforce competitiveness, but the reality is friendlies are different than meaningful matches,” Marsch said. “We will still have to find ways to make sure that the urgency and the understanding of what the best games require is there, and that we reinforce that every single time we're together.”

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