Cruz Azul hit back at Marsch over Whitecaps 'poisoning' allegations
A Cruz Azul spokesperson has hit out at Canada head coach Jesse Marsch after the former Leeds United boss claimed some of the Vancouver Whitecaps players were 'poisoned' ahead of the Concacaf Champions Cup final last weekend.
On Thursday, the Whitecaps said in a statement that a 'significant number' of players and staff had fallen ill upon the team's return to Canada, days after being thumped by Cruz Azul 5-0 in the final.
Advertisement
Last season, the Columbus Crew reported a similar incident after losing 3-0 in the final to Liga MX side Pachuca.
On Friday, Jesse Marsch had his say on the incident after some of Whitecaps players reported for international duty, ruffling some feathers in Mexico in the process.
'It's for me, appalling that this is the second year in a row that Concacaf and the powers that be have allowed an MLS team to go down to Mexico for a big final and get poisoned,' Marsch said. 'It's ridiculous. Something has to be done to protect these environments.
'Look, in the past when you would go down there, I remember being with the U.S. national team and club teams going down to Mexico, it was 'will the fire alarm be pulled in the middle of the night? Will there be dancing and singing?' And those are somewhat spirited, competitive advantages that are created when you go down to Mexico. But poisoning the team is another, is another version."
Advertisement
According to the Athletic, a spokesperson for Cruz Azul has labeled Marsch's comments as "out of line", and nothing more than "damage control."
Canada are set to face off with Ukraine on Saturday in an international friendly.
📸 Sarah Stier - 2024 Getty Images
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
David double as Canada beat Ukraine 4-2
Jonathan David scored twice as World Cup co-hosts Canada enjoyed a convincing 4-2 win over Ukraine in a friendly match at BMO Field on Saturday. Jesse Marsch's side got off to a fine start when David, put them in front when he followed in to tap home after his header from a Tajon Buchanan cross was parried out by Anatoliy Trubin. Advertisement Right-winger Buchanan was causing the Ukraine defence plenty of problems with his speed and trickery and he was also the creator of the second goal -- whipping in a cross which was perfectly glanced home by David. Canada were effective in their high pressing and from a turnover Promise David raced clear and confidently slotted home his first international goal to make it 3-0 in the 31st minute. The chances continued to arrive after the break and substitute Jayden Nelson struck the post as Canada looked to put the game completely beyond the Ukrainians. The fourth goal arrived in the 81st minute when Luc De Fougerolles headed goalwards and Buchanan turned it home. Advertisement Ukraine got some consolation in the final minutes with a goal from Illia Zabarnyi and Oleksandr Zinchenko penalty. The game is part of a four-team mini-tournament, The Canadian Shield, which also features New Zealand and the Ivory Coast. Canada face the African side on Tuesday as they warm-up for the CONCACAF Gold Cup later this month. sev/bb
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
The 3️⃣ standout players from Mexico's defeat to Switzerland
Today, Mexico was defeated by Switzerland and from OneFootball we bring you the 3 standout players from the match. Fabian Rieder, Switzerland's standout player The Stuttgart player was the undisputed standout of the match. First, he assisted Ndoye for the 1:3 score, and then he capped off his great match with a perfect chip to seal the final result. No one can question his award as the best player of the match. El Tala Rangel struggles The defense had a nightmare match, and the Mexican goalkeeper was unable to stop any of the goals that went in. Without a doubt, he will once again be the focus of criticism from the fans. Sepúlveda gives hope When all seemed lost, the Cruz Azul player scored the consolation goal to give Mexico some life. Although his goal was of little use in the end, Sepúlveda had a great match and showed why he should be a starter. Advertisement This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here. 📸 JEFFREY D. ALLRED
New York Times
4 hours ago
- New York Times
Canada clinical vs. Ukraine as Buchanan bounces back, David tandem shines
TORONTO – Jesse Marsch went into this summer hoping to learn more about who he can and can't count on in his Canada side with the 2026 World Cup a little over a year away. Following a clinical 4-2 friendly win over Ukraine, the Canada head coach likely has some answers. That a Canada side missing two of its near-guaranteed starters in the 2026 World Cup, Alphonso Davies and Alistair Johnston, kept a strong Ukraine side on its heels is promising for Marsch. That it got strong performances from players with just a handful of appearances for Canada means Marsch has every reason to believe this is one of his team's most inspired performances in recent memory. Advertisement Yes, Ukraine largely looked listless close to goal in the first half. Though Ukraine mounted a push early in the second half and tacked on two late consolation goals, including a penalty goal from Arsenal's Oleksandr Zinchenko, it was largely a half step slower compared to Canada. That shouldn't discount how efficient Canada was with the ball and how well it closed down on Ukraine defenders in a rather comprehensive victory. Here are The Athletic's takeaways from the match: Jonathan David did as Jonathan David does, scoring in bunches to propel Canada to the win – and also propel his value on the club market higher and higher. There were questions about whether Marsch would start David against Ukraine. He is out of contract after five years at Lille and is weighing options ahead of a massive summer move, meaning he risks injury by playing before signing elsewhere. But with his national-record-padding 33rd and 34th goals for Canada, David answered all questions about his capabilities right now. GOAL 🇨🇦 JONATHAN DAVID opens the scoring, rounding off a bit of brilliance by Tajon Buchanan ✨#CanMNT go up 1-0 over Ukraine early in this one 😎 🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer & TSN — OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 7, 2025 GOAL 🇨🇦🇨🇦 TAJON TO J. DAVID AGAIN 🤯 Buchanan's ice-cold first touch sets up a cross for an even colder glancing header by Jonathan David and the #CanMNT go up 2-0 over Ukraine 🇺🇦 🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer & TSN — OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 7, 2025 David's play overshadowed his new strike partner with the same surname, Promise David. The 23-year-old hulking forward made his Canada debut – and looked like it, too. Promise David mistimed a few balls to his new strike partner and didn't offer enough pace and sharpness close to goal. There's a ton of anticipation surrounding a player who burst onto the scene for Union SG in Belgium this season, scoring 11 goals in 24 first-division matches. For most of the first half, Promise David acted like a player who was trying to prove his qualities instead of letting them shine naturally. He relaxed after he banged his first Canada goal past Ukraine goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin in the 31st minute. The goal was the result of his forcing Ukraine's back line into a turnover and then having the poise to finish. GOAL 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦 PROMISE DAVID SCORES FOR THE #CANMNT 💥 🇨🇦 Canada go up 3-0 over Ukraine in the 1st half 🇺🇦 🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer & TSN — OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 7, 2025 After a touchline chat with Marsch, Promise David was substituted at halftime for another emerging forward, Daniel Jebbison. And so for now, Promise David deserves the benefit of the doubt. The two Davids bring such complementary qualities up front, and it makes sense to play them as a tandem if Canada can maintain at least close to the majority of possession. Promise David's athleticism speaks for itself, but he doesn't look like he can be depended on to press heavily just yet. If Canada can continue to find space on the flanks and move the ball towards the middle of the park as it did early on, he could develop into a lethal option. Advertisement Canada opened the scoring four minutes after the first kick thanks to a remarkable run from a player who needed to have a strong performance. Tajon Buchanan has not looked like the dynamic wide player who was Canada's best performer at the 2022 World Cup. His confidence had looked shot for Canada as of late, and Buchanan has hardly been as pacy and electric since returning from a devastating leg injury at Copa América – until Saturday. Buchanan kept Ukraine's back line on its toes and moved with purpose on the tail end of some smart Canadian build-up. As Buchanan darted toward the Ukraine goal, he found a player he often does, and the uber-intelligent Jonathan David sniffed out his own space and tapped home his own rebound. Then 20 minutes later, it was lather, rinse, repeat, as a purposeful run from Buchanan led to a quick cross that David expertly headed home. That kind of connection is one Marsch will need to lean on for Canada to have success against strong opponents. Buchanan then punctuated his game with an 81st-minute goal and his trademark backflip. As he stuck the landing, it was official: Buchanan is back for Canada. GOAL 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦 TAJON BUCHANAN GETS HIS GOAL 😎#CanMNT go up 4-0 over Ukraine 🇺🇦 as Tajon scores off a set piece routine ✨ 🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer & TSN — OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 7, 2025 There's added significance that comes with his showing. Marsch is using the June window to test the depth of his squad. He wants to audition multiple players to see whether they can respond to his demands and whether they can be counted on against decent opposition. Given Buchanan's up-and-down play for Canada as of late, his position in the starting XI wasn't completely safe moving forward. That might change after Saturday. Canada's coaching staff has wanted Buchanan to cut inside with the ball more and more. As he did against Ukraine, he opened up plenty of space for his forwards. Buchanan likely showed the coaching staff it can continue to count on him as he surged forward into more of an attacking midfield role – a place where there presently isn't much depth. Advertisement Flash back to the 2022 World Cup: Buchanan earned a transfer to Inter Milan largely on the back of his lights-out play. After completing a loan from Inter to Villarreal, another move could be in the cards this summer if Buchanan plays like he did against Ukraine. When faced with his three Vancouver Whitecaps players still feeling ill after their Concacaf Champions Cup final game in Mexico, Marsch elected to lean on young, unproven players in a friendly. Five of Marsch's starters had just eight international appearances between them: Zorhan Bassong, Promise David, Luc De Fougerolles, Nathan Saliba and Niko Sigur. And all showed reason for optimism in the future. David scored in his Canada debut. Bassong was confident playing the ball out of the back. De Fougerolles stepped into traffic with poise and directed players around him in a way you wouldn't expect out of a 19-year-old center back. Saliba showed quality dribbling confidently out of a deeper-lying midfield role. As for Sigur, he was perhaps the best of the bunch. There was a physical edge in his defensive play that made him look bigger than his 5-foot-9 frame. His smarts make him valuable in any position, but it's that edge that Marsch craves. In his first start for Canada, Sigur delivered that. Expect more starts this summer in the Gold Cup and for Sigur to push for a starting spot in the 2026 World Cup. Marsch then went for even more youth in the second half, bringing on 20-year-old center back Jamie Knight-Lebel to close down the game. Knight-Lebel tracked Ukraine defenders well and showed just enough snarl beside De Fougerolles. Having a center back pair with a combined age of 39 against the 25th-ranked team in FIFA's rankings? The future is bright.
