The Canadian men faced elite opposition in 2024 and can expect more of the same next year in the lead-up to co-hosting the World Cup in 2026, says coach Jesse Marsch.
A fourth-place finish in Canada's first trip to Copa America this summer provided some memorable moments in a year that saw the Canadian men, currently ranked a career-high No 31, face six top-20 teams in No. 1 Argentina , No. 2 France, the seventh-ranked Netherlands, No. 11 Uruguay, the 16th-ranked U.S. and No. 19 Mexico.
"But my philosophy has been that giving those big challenges has been a key elements of the standards that we've able to create. I know we'll be more prepared for them than we were at the beginning of our time together. But it will still mean we have to be at our best for a lot of these games." Canada posted a 6-3-5 record in 2024, with one of the draws turning into a penalty shootout loss to Uruguay and another to a shootout win over Venezuela en route to the fourth-place Copa finish.
Appointed coach of then-No. 49 Canada on May 13, Marsch has played 33 different players in his 13 matches in charge. But he relied on a core group with 13 players taking the field nine or more times. "But I probably would say I'm pleased with the 33 , but the 13 I would like to look more like 17 for now."
Jonathan David scored five goals and added four assists in 2024 to pass Cyle Larin with a Canadian-record 31 goals in total . At club level, David leads France's Ligue 1 with 11 goals in 14 games and reached the 1o0-goal milestone earlier this month for Lille, nearing the club record of 112 set by the late Andre Stappe in the '50s.
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