Canada regroup after Curaçao draw: "We won't drop our mentality" | OneFootball

By Ben Steiner

Did anyone say it would be easy?

If the Canadian men’s national team has learned anything in the 25-year search for a trophy, it’s that bumps are inevitable, even if the situation seems to be going better than ever.

After starting the Concacaf Gold Cup with a dominant 6-0 win over Honduras, Canada played to a 1-1 draw with Curaçao on Saturday, in the scorching Texas heat at Houston Dynamo FC’s Shell Energy Stadium.

Despite CF Montréal’s Nathan Saliba scoring from a set piece in the ninth minute for his second goal in as many games, Les Rouges struggled to find their footing.

They weren’t able to string together many opportunities before Curaçao tied the match in second-half stoppage time through Jeremy Antonisse.

“We’ve got to learn from these types of games,” assistant coach Mauro Biello said after the match, with Canada head coach Jesse Marsch serving the second game of his two-match ban.

“We let it get a little bit too wide open. We gave away silly fouls, and they were just pumping balls into the box, and we had a hard time dealing with second balls and set pieces. These are things that we have to continue to work on and be prepared to do better in the next game.”

2023 flashbacks

For Canada, it’s the first significant setback in the Marsch era. In some ways, it brings back memories from the 2023 Gold Cup group stage under previous head coach John Herdman, where they drew Guadeloupe and Guatemala before beating Cuba to advance.

Now, they face a similar challenge, even under new leadership, and with a much deeper roster.

“[Curaçao] were able to get out of situations, and put our back line in difficulty with long balls, and then we weren't able to close the second phase,” Biello added. “We need to do a better job of not giving up fouls and then controlling the game in many ways.

“A lot of these guys are young players, but they've got to learn from these types of situations.”

Rotated squad

Canada rotated their squad on Saturday to continue assessing players ahead of the FIFA 2026 World Cup on home soil. Yet, outside of Saliba’s continued form and Ismaël Koné’s return in midfield, there weren’t many positives.

Less than 24 hours after Marsch said that Canada had a “plan A, plan B, plan C, plan D, all the way up to plan double-Z,” Canada struggled to adapt, falling victim to Curaçao’s high-press, and coming out lucky twice on close VAR reviews that pulled back goals.

“We let them have it,” Saliba told TSN after the match. “I think we need to be a bit better at taking it back and making it back to make it become our game and play the way we want. It’s something we’ll learn from.”

Throughout the match, the CanMNT seemed off. They finished with just 75 percent pass completion and connected on just nine of 18 long ball attempts, while consistent fouls and a whistle from the stands disrupted the game.

Even on the bench, things weren’t smooth, with staff seemingly miscounting the number of subs, as they looked to bring in both former Orlando City SC striker Cyle Larin and defender Luc De Fougerolles, after already making four changes.

“There were some whistles in the crowd, which threw off the game for both teams, and the referee was trying to deal with it,” Minnesota United’s Dayne St. Clair told OneSoccer post-match. “There were also a lot of fouls and stoppages in play... not the result that we came into, but that’s football.”

Moving on

As much as the disappointment of the late concession will sting, it’s not all negative.

Saliba’s goal, coming off the second phase of a set-piece, was continued proof that the addition of set-piece coach Nicolas Gagnon to the staff has had its benefits, given it was the second set-piece goal in as many games.

The depth in midfield, with Saliba, Koné, and Mathieu Choiniére, also reigns as a positive, as does the play of St. Clair in goal, after he made two sprawling saves in the first half.

At the same time, Canada remains in a favourable position in Group B with four points from two games, and is the overwhelming favourite against El Salvador in their final group stage match, which will come under similar conditions in Houston on Tuesday (10 pm ET | FS1, FuboTV).

And a slight reality check isn’t the end for a team eyeing excellence and a trophy this summer.

“We won’t drop our mentality. No, we have to keep going like this and be even more fulfilled to be better, and keep progressing,” Saliba added. “It's a long marathon of a tournament, so we keep progressing, we keep getting better and better every game.”