Canada smashes six past Honduras in spectacular start to Gold Cup campaign

New York Times

3 hours ago

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Jesse Marsch might not have been on the touchline as the Canada head coach serves a two-match suspension for a red card in March, but Canada still showed all the hallmarks of a Marsch-led team as they ran Honduras into the ground to open their Gold Cup campaign.
With assistant coach Mauro Biello directing traffic, Canada looked in a different class to Honduras in their 6-0 win. Two goals from Tajon Buchanan and strikes from Niko Sigur, Tani Oluwaseyi, Promise David and Nathan Saliba made the difference.
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Canada entered the Gold Cup as one of the tournament favorites. They now have a commanding lead atop Group B after a plodding 0-0 draw between El Salvador and Curacao. The five-goal haul was the most Canada has scored since Marsch took over in May 2024 and the most Canada has scored in any game since a 7-0 round one World Cup qualifying win over Aruba in June 2021.
If Canada can continue to play as aggressively as this through the summer heat in the United States, there's little reason for them to lose the favoritism tag they've earned. Canada next plays Curacao on June 21.
The difference in quality between a Canadian side with the likes of Jonathan David and Tajon Buchanan and a Honduras side currently ranked 75th in the world by FIFA was one thing. But the manner in which Canada executed Marsch's game plan was another.
Canada's performance has Marsch's fingerprints all over it. Most notably, Canada pushed the tempo, employed physicality and pressed a Honduras team that sat back into submission. Perhaps the most rewarding takeaway for Marsch will be how relentless his team moved until the final whistle. Marsch is undoubtedly asking a lot of players who just finished their European club seasons to run other teams into the ground. But he got what he asked for against Honduras.
It was another very notable step from Canada towards solidifying their tactical identity ahead of the World Cup.
Nathan Saliba moved with purpose and quickness with the ball through the middle of the park. The 21-year-old is on the verge of a summer transfer from CF Montreal and looked ready for more Gold Cup starts. Ali Ahmed played in front of his home crowd like a player possessed, taking multiple heavy fouls from Honduras and continuing to drive play in wide areas.
Mathieu Choiniere showed the bursts of physicality he'll need in a central midfield role. Joel Waterman, now likely fourth on Canada's center-back depth chart, stepped into plays with authority.
Tani Oluwaseyi undoubtedly reminded Canada's coaching staff why he should be called upon as second forward. By pressing Honduras' back line relentlessly, the Minnesota United forward ensured he could create chances. His 47th minute goal showcased his power.
Finally, Tajon Buchanan continued to look like a different player than the one who struggled to return after breaking his tibia at Copa America. His two goals were the result of his aggressiveness to get to the right places near goal.
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All in all, it was Canada's relentlessness and movement that earned them the win. And it should earn them even more confidence in playing the Jesse Marsch way, too.
Canada's 21-year-old Niko Sigur certainly has a sense of timing. In his first start for Canada in British Columbia, the province he was born in, Sigur connected with Jonathan David for some clever link-up play and fired home his first senior national team goal. It was just his sixth start for Canada and Sigur's first time back in BC Place since serving as a ball boy in an international game six years ago.
In the build-up to his goal, Sigur showed a deft turn with the ball and confidence pressing forward in the final third. His heads up play was a reminder of how few players like Sigur Canada has in their squad. Sigur started at right back but showed the presence of mind to move deep into a midfield position, which he can also play.
Sigur raising the jersey of injured defender (and Vancouver Whitecap) Sam Adekugbe was a class touch as well.
There's no doubting Canada has other intelligent midfielders, like Stephen Eustaquio. But it's not just Sigur's smarts that stood out play after play in Canada's attack – it was the speed in which he processed the game and moved forward. He closed down on opposition attacks well, too.
That combination of pace and game-changing ability to break through lines? It has Sigur on the verge of becoming an indispensable Canadian player in 2026.
Marsch has three tiers of players he is considering for his final World Cup roster, with the first group being locks. As Sigur confidently dictated play throughout the entire game – from multiple positions no less – he likely now finds himself in that top echelon.
So much of the talk surrounding this Canada team at the Gold Cup has been focused on how their stars showed up for the tournament, and, well, one United States' star did not. Now, that narrative could be a product of Canada's longstanding inferiority complex with their southern neighbors shining through. But the narrative was reinforced Tuesday afternoon when Alphonso Davies, recovering from an ACL tear suffered in March, arrived at Canada's hotel to support his teammates. The Bayern Munich star left back met with his team and then watched Canada's win live in BC Place.
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BC Place is the stadium where Davies began his own ascent, with Vancouver in MLS, into the star he is now. Davies looked at home, his grin shining in a way you might not expect from a player having suffered a crushing injury.
But he had reason to smile: even without him and other starters like Moise Bombito, Eustaquio and Alistair Johnston, Canada always looked a step ahead of Honduras.
Did Davies' appearance contribute to the result itself? Unlikely. But did it reinforce how strong Canada's team harmony feels with the World Cup less than a year away? Almost certainly.
The vibes in Canada's camp leading up to the Gold Cup have been noticeably positive. If Canada can continue to keep their spirit high and match those vibes with added experience come the World Cup, they'll only increase their chances of getting their first win in the tournament.