Ahead of matches in Toronto against Iceland and Tunisia, the message from Canada is clear \u2013 these are not friendlies.<\/p>\n
They might be friendly in name, but they\u2019re so much more than that as Jesse Marsch\u2019s squad convened for its final camp ahead of submitting the official 26-man roster for this summer\u2019s FIFA World Cup.<\/p>\n
As a co-host, Canada automatically qualified for the tournament and was not subject to a gruelling qualification campaign, some of which are still ongoing, and the kind of emotional journey that took them to Qatar in 2022.<\/p>\n
You can catch Canada vs. Iceland from Toronto\u2019s BMO Field on Saturday with coverage getting underway at 12:30 p.m. ET\/ 9:30 a.m. PT on TSN1\/4, the TSN App, and TSN.ca.<\/p>\n
But even with that part already handled, the battle before June\u2019s tournament is far from over.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know we qualified already, but all the games we\u2019re playing, we don\u2019t see them as friendlies,\u201d Sassuolo midfielder Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9 told TSN.ca. \u201cThis is preparation for us. We know that if we don\u2019t take those games seriously, we have nothing to prepare us for the biggest competition of our lives. We\u2019re always aware of that, so every game we go into we try to apply everything we\u2019ve learned and go in with the best mentality and the biggest fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the matches at BMO Field set for Saturday and Tuesday, Canada will complete its nine-match schedule, including January\u2019s B-level friendly with Guatemala, for the 2025-2026 season. Canada enters having lost just one of its previous seven matches with wins in four of them. The team was a 2-0 winner over Venezuela last time out in November.<\/p>\n
Marseille centre-back Derek Cornelius, who is on loan at Rangers, says adopting that mindset comes from a top-down approach.<\/p>\n
\u201cNumber one, I think it comes down to the coaching staff,\u201d the Ajax, Ont. native said. \u201cJesse, whether it\u2019s friendly match or a Copa America semifinal, he puts the same intensity into the group, whether that\u2019s in training on the pitch or how he communicates with the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t really look at these games as friendlies. These are solid, preparation games that we need to be ready for a World Cup. It comes down to the mentality of the coaches and the mentality of the players, the group. We want to win every game that we play. We kinda put the pressure on ourselves, whether it\u2019s a friendly game or a high-stakes qualifying game. We try to put the same pressure, the same expectations, the same professionalism on ourselves and continue to take steps in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Canada has been particularly selective with its opponents during the stretch between last summer\u2019s Gold Cup and the World Cup. Opponents have come from all over the globe and reflect different tactics and styles. The team believes it\u2019s the perfect way to prepare for the summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the World Cup, you\u2019re gonna face teams from all over the world,\u201d Hajduk Split\u2019s Niko Sigur said. \u201cYou play CONCACAF [regularly], you play regionally, you know these teams, you\u2019re familiar with them, but on the world stage you might play an African team that has an entirely different way of playing compared to a European team or a South American team or an Asian team. So I think it was important that we had some variety in the opponents we played. They each brought different things that we analyzed and tried to improve upon going into the tournament.\u201d<\/p>\n
The current international break comes during the stretch drive in Europe\u2019s top leagues. There are fewer than 10 matches remaining in the campaign with teams jockeying for position in title races, fights for European places, and in relegation battles. For some, this camp provides an opportunity to refocus on common goals in a positive space with people they trust.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the best locker room I\u2019ve ever been in,\u201d Kon\u00e9 said. \u201cI\u2019ve said that multiple times. I feel like one of the older guys on the team now, but yeah, our locker room is welcoming because I guess we understand people. We understand that you need to be in a good environment to bring out the best in yourself. All of us, we know the other players coming in and we want to give them the best environment so they can bring their best selves.\u201d<\/p>\n
The elephant in the room, though, has been the laundry list of injuries afflicting the team with some fresh and others having been long-term absences.<\/p>\n
While players like wingback Alphonso Davies (hamstring), forward Promise David (hip) and centre-back Alfie Jones (foot) didn\u2019t make the trip, others such as right-back Alistair Johnston (hamstring) and centre-back Mo\u00efse Bombito (leg) are in camp as observers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re just trying to manage,\u201d Marsch said. \u201cI say I\u2019m very solutions-based when it comes to injuries and just trying to figure out what else we can do and how to push the envelope and how to make sure that we\u2019re giving each guy the best opportunity to be at 100 per cent. So that\u2019s been the focus.\u201d<\/p>\n
The injury situation puts certain players in awkward positions. Perhaps it sounds callous, but one player out of action means another gets to step up in his place. There is personal benefit on offer at the cost of a friend\u2019s bad luck. Acknowledging that nobody wants to see a teammate hurt, players are still approaching the circumstances with a dispassionate lens.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to take it for what it is,\u201d Bournemouth striker Daniel Jebbison, who is on loan at Preston North End, said. \u201cLike, everybody here is your buddy, but at the end of the day, we have our own careers, our own goals, milestones we want to get to and you just need to look at it like football is a cutthroat sport. And not only for you, but the people who are coaching you, the owners \u2013 it\u2019s really cutthroat and you have to accept it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kon\u00e9 offers a similar assessment.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst of all, it\u2019s football \u2013 you need to be aware of that,\u201d the 23-year-old Montrealer said. \u201cYes, it\u2019s an opportunity, because at the end of the day, all of us, we need to bring our best selves to give us the best chance to be in the team. You\u2019re there for your friends, you\u2019re gonna be there for your teammates, you\u2019re there for your brothers, for sure, but you have to understand you still have a job to do. You still need to be ready whenever you\u2019re called upon. It\u2019s been pretty easy for us to understand there\u2019s gonna be injuries and whatever our role is, it\u2019s gonna impact the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 28-year-old Cornelius is one of those contending with injury. He picked up a muscle injury during the Venezuela friendly and required surgery. He\u2019s been out of action since, but is close to match fitness as camp opened.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a shock at first,\u201d Cornelius said of the injury. \u201cI didn\u2019t expect to be as serious as it was. But then I just had to work on and deal with what was in front of me and focus on getting back fit. I\u2019m feeling good and getting game-sharp again, so that\u2019s where I\u2019m at now and it\u2019s been a pretty smooth process.\u201d<\/p>\n
The former Vancouver Whitecaps player says he and his injured teammates have been staying in contact during their respective rehabs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe try to keep in touch with each other,\u201d Cornelius said. \u201cI\u2019ve been checking in with Moise, Alistair and just seeing how they\u2019re coming back and the obstacles that they\u2019ve had to overcome. But at the end of the day, we all support each other. We all know the goal we have that\u2019s at the end of the tunnel. I think we\u2019re all in a good space right now and getting close to being back at full fitness.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Canada prepares for its games in Toronto, there are two teams back in Europe trying to earn a trip to the city.<\/p>\n
Canada will open its Group B play on June 12 against the winner of UEFA Pathway A. The victor will be decided on Tuesday when Italy hosts Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Azzurri were 2-0 winners over Northern Ireland on Thursday in the semifinal, while Bosnia-Herzegovina survived Wales on penalties.<\/p>\n
Even with the Canadian implications, Sigur says the team hasn\u2019t been following what\u2019s been happening in the playoffs closely at all.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know it\u2019s there in the background, but at the end of the day we\u2019re focused on ourselves and what we\u2019re going to do,\u201d Sigur said. \u201cWe have a camp here before we can even get to the World Cup. We have two more friendlies, and I would say the mentality of the team is we\u2019re calm and focused on what we can do, but whatever team we get is really not important. We need to be at our best. That doesn\u2019t matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
But for Canada\u2019s Italian-based players, the fate of the Azzurri is inescapable. Should Italy fail to defeat Bosnia-Herzegovina, it will mark a third-straight missed World Cup for the four-time champions. That would be almost unfathomable for the football-mad nation.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery Italian media member, every Italian journalist, they\u2019re talking about it,\u201d Kon\u00e9 said of Italy\u2019s plight. \u201cThere\u2019s not anywhere you can go in Italy, whether it\u2019s Rome, Milan, Bologna, wherever it is, Parma, that they\u2019re not speaking about it because they know how big it is. For a country like that, that\u2019s won it in the past, to not even qualify again would be crazy. I think the fact they\u2019re already in this position, there\u2019s a big [negative] judgment around it. They put big pressure on them to qualify, every fan [does], but for me the team is super good. We\u2019ll see what they do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even though Canada doesn\u2019t share Italy\u2019s desperation this weekend, they\u2019re still out for the same outcome against their two opponents.<\/p>\n
\u201cResults-wise, we\u2019re aiming for two wins,\u201d Fulham defender Luc de Fougerolles, who is on loan at Dender, said. \u201cI think performance-wise, we\u2019re gonna try to show what we can do again. I think we\u2019ve done well this year, but I think there\u2019s been a few performances that could have been better. So we\u2019re just looking for two good performances and two wins in the end.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Marsch, the matches are one final chance to get a good look at his group before submitting his official roster. He says most of the work has already been done. Very few places remain unclaimed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf everybody\u2019s healthy, I think I\u2019d have 24, 25 names I\u2019d be pretty sure on and then it\u2019d just be about how to balance out the last two spots,\u201d Marsch said. \u201cBut we\u2019re close to knowing who our guys are.\u201d<\/p>\n
But nothing is a given for the men trying to earn the right to play in a World Cup on home soil. Until they hear their name called for that final squad, it\u2019s time to keep up the fight. Now is not the time to coast.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a real stepping stone for us,\u201d Jebbison said. \u201cThis is preparation for the World Cup and playing teams you haven\u2019t really played before is always a good test. We\u2019re calm, we\u2019re ready, we\u2019re focused for it, but it\u2019s going to be a good challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ahead of matches in Toronto against Iceland and Tunisia, the message from Canada is clear \u2013 these are…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":564877,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[440],"tags":[712,49,48,561,82],"class_list":["post-564876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","tag-apple-news","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-soccer","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/564876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=564876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/564876\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/564877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=564876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=564876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=564876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}