Canada ends winless skid, caps year with composed victory over Venezuela

FORT LAUDERDALE — Wonless in their previous three matches, the Canadian men's team got back on track in their final game of the year with a 2-0 victory over Venezuela in an international friendly Tuesday at Chase Stadium.

Both teams were down to 10 men within minutes in an argument that was testy and acrimonious, at times close to a boil on several occasions. This evening it was almost a football match with champagne from Canada. But it was a professional performance from the Canadians, who should be commended for their management of the game and for keeping their cool to see things through.

Notably, NHL legend Wayne Gretzky was in attendance at the event and spoke before the game with coach Jesse Marsh and the Canadian team.

“I don’t think there’s a better person to come and talk to our team about being Canadian, about unity, about fighting for country. He was fantastic,” Marsh said.

Here are three takeaways from Tuesday's matchup in Florida.

Canada's scoring drought is coming to an end

Growing concerns about Canada's scoring woes will subside somewhat with this result. But is it Reds Whether they can sustain and build on this is the big question ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which starts in less than seven months.

Ismael Kone scored in the first half and substitute Promise David scored a late goal to seal Canada's victory. Kone's fourth goal for the national team ended Canada's scoring drought at 342 straight minutes (just over seven halves of football). The team's previous goal came in their last 1-0 win over Wales in Swansea on September 9, when centre-back Derek Cornelius scored with a superb free kick from 25 yards, his first goal for his country.

Both of Canada's goals against Venezuela were well received. In the 23rd minute, Richie Larrieu latched on to Jayden Nelson's pass down the left flank and made a superb run into the penalty area. His shot at goal led to a very poor clearance by Venezuelan Nahuel Ferraresi and the ball fell to Kone, who slotted it into the top left corner from 12 yards.

Canada sealed the win with seven minutes left when Joel Waterman struck a superb shot over the top of the pitch, releasing Niko Sigur down the right flank. The youngster crossed early from the wing into the box to David, who struck home before firing the ball past goalkeeper Jose Contreras.

“We still need to work on the quality of our chances in the build-up and then how that leads us to attack a little more and how we can (convert) more of our possession into chances and chances into goals,” coach Jesse Marsh said.

“We scored two goals, but I think this team has better possession and has more opportunities in the final third to create more chances… We still have a lot of work to do, but we have made a lot of progress.”

While Canada's one-goal drought has come to an end, top forward Jonathan David's scoring streak continues unabated. David, 25, is considered the men's team's all-time leading scorer, scoring 37 goals in 73 matches. But the Juventus striker has struggled at club level since joining the Turin Giants this summer, scoring just once in 14 games in all competitions. He went five games without a goal for Canada (his longest drought with the national team) after scoring in each of his previous three appearances.

Marsh is already working on choosing which forward will play alongside David at the World Cup. Kyle Larin hasn't scored a goal in his last 11 caps, a streak that dates back more than a year. Marsh recently said Tani Oluwaseyi was in pole position to start alongside David, but the Villarreal striker has only scored two goals in 20 appearances for Canada.

If David is unable to play for both club and country in the next few months, Canada will struggle to score goals at the World Cup.

Defender Alfie Jones is very impressive in his Canadian debut.

A day after taking the oath of Canadian citizenship, English-born centre-back Alfie Jones impressed in his highly anticipated debut for Canada against Venezuela.

The new Canadian national played the full 90 minutes, forming an effective partnership with Derek Cornelius and then Joel Waterman (who came on for the injured Cornelius) at the center of a four-man defense that prevented the South Americans from breaking through. Comfortable in possession all night, Jones helped Canada transition from defense to attack with his excellent behind-the-back passing.

Tuesday's game has been a long time coming for Jones. Jesse Marsh first approached the 28-year-old centre-back more than a year ago after being warned his potential to represent Canada national team striker Liam Millar, Jones' former teammate at Hull City.

Jones had long since given up on playing international football, so March essentially gave him a lifeline and the chance to play in next year's World Cup, something he had previously only dreamed of. On Tuesday, Jones repaid the trust of his new national team manager, revealing why Marsh was so keen to bring him in and why Canada Soccer did everything it could to speed up the citizenship process.

Marsh was impressed with how Jos looked “so natural, fit in so well” with Team Canada on both sides of the ball.

“I was thinking about his general aggressiveness, his winning aerial duels, a couple of moments in the box where they scored good goals and he positioned himself very well to clear the ball. And then (in possession) I thought he was also an outstanding player, helping set up the game and helping on the starting line to break down the opposition. So I thought Alfie played a pretty complete game,” Marsh said.

Though mild-mannered and lanky in build, Jones is by no means a shriveled violet. Playing in the English lower leagues and the Scottish Premiership forced him to embrace the physicality of his position and ingrained a sense of toughness in his playing style.

Jones brought a sense of calm to Canada's back line, staying poised under pressure and using his large frame to stop Kevin Kelce as the Venezuelan striker lurked in the box and looked confident he could deliver a dangerous shot.

“Obviously, because our backline is high, we always have to be ready for the ball in behind. So I just try to be in a position (where) I can be on the front foot and be aggressive,” Jones said.

Canada's defense continues to stand firm

While Canada's offense has been weak in recent games, the defense has been solid and nearly impenetrable. Tuesday's clean sheet was the team's third in a row and fifth in six matches – a 1-0 loss to Australia, which scored its only shot on target in Montreal in October as its only blemish.

A 0-0 draw last month against Colombia in New Jersey allowed the Canadians to maintain their high finish. coffee producers under control, limiting them to one shot on target. Ecuador, which like Colombia survived grueling South American qualifiers to earn a spot at the World Cup, didn't even score a goal in last Thursday's 0-0 draw against Canada in Toronto.

Likewise, Venezuela found Canada's back line impregnable. Vinotinto recorded just 10 shots, but only three of them were on target, and none of them seriously tested goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, who earned one of the easiest of his 10 career shutouts for Canada.

Jones was a towering presence in the center of the backline alongside Derek Cornelius and Joel Waterman, while Richie Laria and Niko Sigur provided exemplary defensive support from their full-back positions.

“Jesse (stressed) this window to us, that we need to stay clean, that we need to be strong, we need to be smart. I think we can be really happy (tonight),” Sigur said.

Canada's successful run at the Copa America last summer was highlighted by its dynamic group of forwards who looked absolutely fearless against South America's best. At the time, it seemed like this would be the way forward for this Canadian team, relying on its quickness, athleticism and direct attack to beat opponents.

But now the Canadians' strong and decisive defensive play has become the pin on which their success hangs. Canada has become a challenging team, capable of wearing down opponents with aggressive defense and getting results. It's this profile that will serve Canada well at next summer's World Cup, when the stakes will be much higher, the level of competition will be tougher and the margin of error will be minimal.

“If you've followed my career, I've probably won a lot more 4-3 games than 1-nil or nil-nil games. But we've managed to create real consistency in the way we play and the aggressiveness we play. I think that, along with good goalkeeping, means we've been very stingy. We haven't given much away, even against really good opponents,” Marsh said.