The Copa America was a wild tournament on and off the pitch but Canada are among the wild stories.
They knew it was going to be a tough test. The team had many doubters. It was expected they would go home early. But they finished fourth. It’s still hard to believe. Canada finished fourth at the Copa America. I can’t believe I actually wrote this sentence.
They fought hard against the eventual winner, Argentina. Canada won a tight contest against Peru and played a scrappy scoreless draw against Chile. Canada also won a nail-biter on penalties against Venezuela resulting in one of the greatest games in the men’s team’s history. They also played very well against Uruguay in the third-place match. That was a match they deserved to win but unfortunately lost on penalties.
So what now? There is nowhere for Canada to go but up. After all, they put the country and the world on notice. They also shot up from 49th to 40th in the FIFA rankings. Not bad.
Canada tried so hard but got so far, but in the end, it doesn’t even matter. Actually, it did matter. Canadian soccer fans put their trust in the men’s team and got as far as they could. They took a massive step towards the 2026 World Cup and showed Canada is a soccer country.
So let’s take a look back at the fun ride it was. Here are five things we learned from Canada’s Copa America run.
#1: The stocks of Jacob Shaffelburg, Moise Bombito and Derek Cornelius have risen
There are a lot of players on Canada that have had their stocks rise in the Copa America. But we’ll focus on these three.
Jacob Shaffelburg didn’t start much since he made his first cap in 2020. But now, he proved he is a starter for Canada. Shaffelburg impressed with his speed and creativity. He scored in Canada’s win over Venezuela and assisted Jonathan David’s goal in the 1-0 victory over Peru.
Look who created more chances than Shaffelburg. Yes, those guys. That’s how good the man from the Maritimes has been.
Moise Bombito and Derek Cornelius were a formidable duo for Canada in the back. Sure, there were moments when both had big errors but they did well. Bombito and Cornelius were everywhere with their blocks, tackles and clearances.
Cornelius has been linked to Ligue 1 teams and Bombito has as well. MLS insider Tom Bogert reported on Monday that talks for Bombito between Lyon and Colorado Rapids are happening. Bogert also reported that Bombito wants the move.
He deserves the move. After all, look how great he was at clearances.
We’ll see if Bombito, Cornelius and Shaffelburg move to bigger clubs soon. Nothing has been reported on Shaffelburg leaving Nashville SC yet but it seems inevitable.
It is also worth mentioning that Alistair Johnston and Alphonso Davies did well defending the flanks. Davies was put as a left-back for the Copa America. That raised eyebrows but it worked.
#2: Ismaël Koné had a tough start but ended strong
Ismaël Koné impressed in the June friendly against France. However, he had a tough start to the Copa America.
He didn’t look comfortable as he kept losing the ball and getting walked defensively. Koné was even benched in the game against Venezuela. However, he scored the winning penalty kick.
It was in the semi-finals to Argentina and especially the third-place game against Uruguay that Koné proved he belonged. Against Uruguay he was creating chances, winning the ball back and being an engine in the midfield. Oh yeah, he scored this beautiful goal.
Despite a tough start to the Copa America, Kone was instrumental in starting the attack.
With him now going to play for Ligue 1’s Olympique Marseille, he could take his game to new heights and be a regular for Canada.
#3: Maxime Crépeau proves he is Canada’s number one
No disrespect to Dayne St. Clair who made some great saves in Canada’s loss to Uruguay, but Maxime Crépeau proved he is Canada’s number one goalkeeper.
Crépeau was a big reason Canada went far. It could’ve been worse in the opening game against Argentina without his saves. Thanks to him, they avoided disaster against Chile and Peru and he came up huge in the penalty shootout against Venezuela.
According to FootballReference, Crépeau lead all goalkeepers with at the Copa America with 17 saves. That’s not too shabby.
#4: Where were the goals?
Canada only scored four goals in the Copa America. Two were by Jonathan David, one by Koné and the other was by Shaffelburg. Obviously, that’s not good enough.
Imagine Canada knew how to finish. Who knows what could’ve happened?
The final third was lacking. It was weak. The passes weren’t right, the touches were bad and the shots weren’t coming. Canada managed 63 shots but only 19 were on target. They also had the fourth highest expected goal rate in the Copa America at 8.3. The only teams with higher expected goals? Argentina, Colombia and Uruguay, who were the teams that finished in the top three.
Canada was also behind those teams in shot-creating actions with 104. However, they were 10th in the Copa America in goal-creating actions with just 5. That is one behind the United States.
David had plenty of chances to score but his misses hurt. Cyle Larin was playing alongside him and looked too isolated and underwhelming with the ball.
Canada head coach Jesse Marsch decided to end the partnership for the third-place game and went with a 4-2-3-1.
Larin and David had an underwhelming tournament but Canada as a whole needs to figure out how to put the ball in the back of the net.
#5: Jesse Marsch is the man for the job
Speaking of Marsch, he had a really tough task when he took the Canada job. It came with a lot of pressure.
It is safe to say he delivered. Marsch made sure Canada competed and they gave their all in every game at the Copa America. He made sure to adapt to different situations and was not afraid to take risks.
The players looked like they wanted to run into a wall for Marsch. Frankly, who can blame them?
Marsch also isn’t afraid to speak his mind. Whether that is about the way the Copa America is run, his players or player development in Canada.
The Copa America proved Marsch was the right choice for Canada’s men’s team. Now he and the rest of the federation must build on their success and look ahead to the 2026 World Cup.