Canada coach Jesse Marsch speaks on South Africa, lies and World Cup decoy Alphonso Davies
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Published Jun 25, 2026•Last updated 23 minutes ago•9 minute readYou can save this article by registering for freehere. Orsign-inif you have an account. Alphonso Davies has watched all of Canada's group stage matches from the bench behind coach Jesse Marsch so far. Will he play against South Africa? Marsch, who already has used him as a decoy, says yes. Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images/PNGFirst question for Jesse Marsch at Canada’s training session on Thursday: “Are you the real Jesse Marsch or a decoy?”Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J. J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J. J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorAnd the floodgates opened. The Team Canada coach sparked a furor of outrage — mostly media-driven — after he admitted that Alphonso Davieswas never going to playin Wednesday’s momentous game against Switzerland, and he was just a “decoy” to throw off Swiss preparation. “Everything we do is about trying to gain an edge, whether it’s strategy, tactics, match plan, messaging,” Marsch said. “And if me saying Alphonso Davies is ready to play means that the opponent has one per cent more preparation or three per cent more preparation in that direction than in another, then that’s less energy they can devote to doing what they need to do in other areas. “My main loyalty is to this team, right? And doing whatever is possible to help this team be successful in the tournament. Obviously I want the country to be wrapped around it, and so some people get mad … but this is not a friendly, this is competitive. We’re going to do whatever we can as a group to make sure that we can get an edge. ”Davies was never going to play in the game, Marsch said, and that decision rested with the coach. Their star left-back didn’t see the field in a game that could have seen Canada top the group with a win or draw and get a chance to stay in Canada for one, potentially two, more games. “I’ll be honest, OK? Alphonso came to me before the game and said he wanted to play,” Marsch said. “I said I made the decision not to play him because he wasn’t there yet. He didn’t hit his max velocity, he will do that today. He didn’t hit all the little checklists to make sure that mentally and physically, in all ways, he’s free to go out and play. “As much as I know he’s important to the team, I knew we had another game to play, and I care about his physical well-being, and I don’t want to put him in jeopardy of having any setbacks. ”The decision was “easy, because we’ve had a plan,” he said. “The only deviation to the plan is how I’ve communicated with you guys. When you have injuries, and especially muscle injuries, there’s return-to-play protocols. There’s a science behind making sure that you hit all these different benchmarks. ”He said Davieswill play against South Africathree days hence in Los Angeles, through his minutes will be capped as part of the rehab protocols. The question was asked, bluntly: “Why should we believe you?”“That you all think I’m a liar? Yeah, like I’m an American liar speaking to the Canadians?,” he said. “I would think that people would appreciate that this is a competitive environment, and that we’re doing everything we can to gain every little edge. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Canucks Report will soon be in your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again“I guess it’s because it’s Alphonso, and everybody’s so excited to have our best player, and to be on the pitch. I get it, but that’s also the reason why we use the strategy. ”He was also asked about the status of Stephen Eustáquio, who started on the bench against Switzerland because of fitness issues, and came on late as a substitute. “I’m not telling you,” Marsch retorted. “And what if I tell you? It’s probably a lie, anyways. ”BONKERS BAFANA BAFANAWhen South Africa upset South Korea on Wednesday night, it flipped the mood among Canada fans from sombre to hopeful. It meant avoiding what would almost be a home game for the Koreans, as L. A. boasts an expat population of nearly half-a-million. And instead of the 28th-ranked Taegeuk Warriors, they get South Africa, who are 54th. Bafana Bafana had a shocking start to the tournament, picking up two red cards in a 2-0 defeat in their opener, but bounced back to tie Czechia before beating Korea to finish second in Group A. They stifled the Koreans, holding them to just eight shots. “Amazing. I’m lost for words,” said South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams. “Proud is an understatement. The amount of pressure that this team was under, not only on the field, off the field, and for the players to show up today when our backs were against the wall. “When I saw all the publications posting the potential teams to go out of the group, and we had no percentage, that fuelled something inside of us that everyone is against us. We will use that as motivation, as energy to fight. And the fight that the guys showed today. Amazing. ”The South African players mobbed coach Hugo Broos after the game, after they made it to the knockout round for the first time in the country’s history. “We love the coach,” said Williams. “What he’s done for this team, for this country, I don’t know. He deserves a statue. “Sometimes we don’t have the belief, we don’t believe we can go and win a game and achieve things, and he always tells us that we can. And each and every day, when our backs are against the wall, when people are criticizing us, when they don’t believe in us, he’s always there stepping up, believing us, supporting us in the good and bad moment. As players, you won’t always have the best moments, but he’s always there. He believes in us. “That’s why today, as much as this is for 62 million South Africans, this is to coach Hugo for what he’s done for us and for the country. Thank you so much, coach. ”LA-LA LANDTeam Canada had a low-key morning at the University of B. C. on Wednesday. First, a closed-door chat — “I told the video crew that does all the documentaries, ‘OK, get the ‘F’ out of the room,’ ” Marsch said, “this isn’t for you or for anybody else” — before a training session focusing on recovery, rest and resetting. They fly to L. A. after one more training session Friday, to get set for Sunday’s game. They leave behind the partisan crowds that buoyed them against Bosnia-Herzegovina, but framed it as a positive as well, leaving the pressure behind. “There’s also a certain benefit to like eliminating a little bit of the distractions in the circus around the whole thing,” said Marsch. “I think we can get down to L. A. , even with families, and it’s not going to be the same kind of thing around the hotel and around the entire experience. We’ve enjoyed all of it, like it’s been incredible, and what an amazing three, four weeks we’ve had, but now we need to really, really, really lock in and make sure we’re ready for this match. ”Canadian right-back Alistair Johnston reiterated, as he did after Wednesday’s game, that the team was right where they wanted to be. “We got out of the group, and that was still, again, the biggest thing,” said Johnston. “I think a lot of the football fans in Canada, who have a good knowledge of soccer and have followed the team for a while now, know how big finishing second place in a World Cup group is. “I don’t care if it’s a home World Cup or the World Cup was being played on Mars — it’s an unbelievable result. We haven’t really had a home-field advantage until pretty much this World Cup, even in home World Cup qualifiers, we’re such a diverse country, it’s really difficult to get that. “So we’re used to playing on the road. It’s not something that we’re afraid of. We kind of like living for that moment as well, and that’s something that we’re going to have to obviously dig into. And again, we’re playing in L. A. , we’re not playing on Mars or something. ”FAVOURABLE MATCHUP?Les Rouges aren’t taking their opposition lightly, knowing the resilience South Africa showed to bounce back makes them a formidable opponent. “It’s a World Cup knockout,” said Johnston. “I don’t think it really matters who we were playing. Both teams are going to leave everything out there. We have a great level of internal respect always for our opponents, but at the same time, a lot of belief in what we’re able to do. “It didn’t matter who we were playing against in this first game. We truly believe that we’re at our best … we can beat anyone. But we’ve also shown that if we’re not fully at it, we can lose to anyone. “Once you get into the knockout stage of a World Cup, you’re going to run through a gauntlet at some point, whether it’s the first game, the second game, it’s going to come. The fact that it’s South Africa, a team that I think everyone would look at on paper, is obviously not a ‘Spain’ of the world, but at the same time, they’re there for a reason. ”Marsch was already pre-prepped for the South Korean side, having researched them when being up for consideration for the post of national team coach. But it was South Africa’s defence that Marsch paid most attention to Wednesday, watching Bafana Bafana suffocate their opponents despite having just 32 per cent of the ball. They held them to just eight shots, on 18 touches inside the area. “I think that we match-up well,” Johnston said. “I think that they’re also gonna be looking at us and seeing chances as well. I think it’ll be quite an open game, maybe a bit of end-to-end football will be pretty good, probably for the neutral as well. “But at the same time I think that it suits our style with how we want to play in terms of being able to get out and transition, probably some more open space there. THE WHAT-IF TOURNAMENTDavies, Marcelo Flores, Ismaël Koné and Moïse Bombito. What would this Canada team look like if they had these players fully healthy and available? What would have changed?“I think every single team in the world would love to be their full selves, but that’s not what sport ever is,” said Johnston. “When you get to these tournaments, you get to the knockout stages, is that you’re obviously going to pick up injuries, there are going to be things that you know happen throughout a tournament. “It’s part and parcel of sport. If we had our full team, are we maybe better? Yeah, potentially. But at the same time, we’ve grown this program so much these past couple years … We’re at that stage now where we have depth, we have a true 26-man squad that was competitive to make. No matter who it is that’s going to play, we have total confidence in that next man up. ”IS THIS TEAM BETTER THAN 2022?In Qatar, Les Rouges went three-and-out in a 32-team field. In 2026, they are now just entering the Round of 32. The two teams they pulled points off of, Qatar and Bosnia-Herzegovina, wouldn’t have made it had the qualifying pool been the same as four years ago. Eight goals and four points say yes, Marsch asserted. “We came from a situation where we had zero points as a nation in the World Cup. We had two goals, and one was an own goal,” he said. “We have four points, second in the group, eight goals scored. An incredible momentto showcase the team in every way against Qatar. “We set ourselves up for a second-round match where we feel like we can go after the game and give ourselves a chance of moving on in the tournament. And what a beautiful thing that we’ve created an expectation of excellence here for this program in this country. “So, you’re welcome,” he added to laughter. Canada vs. Switzerland Recap: Swiss defeat Canadians 2-1 after hard-fought second halfVancouver hotel bookings picking up ahead of World CupJoin the ConversationVancouver CanucksVancouver CanucksInternational SoccerInternational SoccerSportsThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more aboutcookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to ourTerms of UseandPrivacy Policy.