David's goal helps Canadian men past United States to finish 3rd in CONCACAF Nations League

The Canadian Press

· Posted: Mar 23, 2025 9:23 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Canada leaves the CONCACAF Nations League with a third-place decorativeness — and a grin aft defeating the United States 2-1 connected Sunday.

Before the game, Canada manager Jesse Marsch downplayed the backdrop of the governmental hostility betwixt the 2 North American rivals. But helium showed his players the portion of the fight-filled commencement to the Canada-U. S. Four Nations Face-Off hockey crippled up of the match.

Canadians, nary doubt, volition savour the triumph implicit their neighbours to the south.

"Of people it's lone a third-place game, but antheral that means a lot, I deliberation to the radical backmost home. It means a batch to me," said Canadian fullback Alistair Johnston, who was exceptional connected the day. "And I'm truly arrogant of the team. I'm arrogant of each azygous feline that went retired determination and stepped up."

Mexico faced Panama successful the last aboriginal Sunday astatine SoFi Stadium.

Tani Oluwaseyi and Jonathan David scored for Canada, which finished the crippled with Marsch watching from a container astatine SoFi Stadium aft receiving a reddish paper successful the 54th infinitesimal for a sideline blow-up astatine a deficiency of a punishment call.

WATCH | David's second-half extremity helps Canada unafraid 3rd-place finish:

David scored 5 minutes aft Marsch was ejected.

"Jessie was sticking up for his team. And successful the end, for sure, it galvanized the boys," said adjunct manager Mauro Biello, who stepped successful for Marsch successful the post-game caller conference. "They saw the spot and however overmuch it means to him and we were capable to travel backmost and get that 2nd goal."

David's exquisite onslaught came aft Ali Ahmed recovered him successful the punishment box. The Lille guardant pivoted similar a matador to get distant from a defender and curled the shot past a diving Matt Turner for his grounds 32nd extremity for Canada.

Replays seemed to amusement David mislaid his footing arsenic helium attempted a speedy crook to evade defender Max Arfsten. David had besides gone down minutes earlier successful the U.S. container nether unit from Tyler Adams with Garcia waving to play on.

The reddish paper means Marsch volition miss the archetypal crippled of the CONCACAF Gold Cup this summer.

Canada was the much unsafe squad connected the day, holding connected successful the last minutes arsenic the hopeless Americans pressed for an equalizer. Goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair and centre backs Moise Bombito and Derek Cornelius made important precocious stops.

"I deliberation we showed large quality today, adjacent successful the hard moments," said David. "We stuck unneurotic and yet got the win."

WATCH | Canada manager Marsch denounces Trump rhetoric:

Patrick Agyemang scored for the U.S., which mislaid 2-1 to Canada the past clip they met successful a September affable successful Kansas City — the Canadians' archetypal triumph implicit the Americans connected U.S. ungraded since July 1957 (a 3-2 World Cup qualifying triumph successful St. Louis).

It marks the archetypal clip Canada has beaten the U.S. successful consecutive matches since it won 2-1 successful a World Cup qualifying/CONCACAF Championship crippled successful November 1980 and 2-0 successful an April 1985 friendly, some successful Vancouver.

Canada placed 5th (2019-20), 2nd (2022-23) and 5th (2023-24) successful the 3 erstwhile editions of the Nations League.

Canada, ranked No. 31 successful the world, mislaid 2-0 to No. 19 Mexico successful semifinal play Thursday, portion the 16th-ranked U.S., conceding a 94th-minute goal, were beaten 1-0 by No. 36 Panama, ending their bid for a 4th consecutive title.

Canada outshot the U.S. 8-5 (4-2 successful shots connected target).

Overcoming Davies' aboriginal injury

Canada mislaid skipper Alphonso Davies successful the 12th infinitesimal Sunday aft the Bayern Munich prima went down doubly and needed aesculapian attraction for a genu issue. He was replaced by Niko Sigur with Johnston — who took implicit arsenic skipper — switching to the near side.

WATCH | Davies exits aboriginal with genu issue:

There was small travel to the crippled aboriginal connected but Canada began to enactment the Americans nether pressure.

Oluwaseyi opened the scoring successful the 27th infinitesimal aft Ahmed sent the shot into the U.S. punishment box. David's attempted changeable squibbed disconnected a subordinate and it fell kindly to Oluwaseyi who knocked it successful from adjacent scope for his archetypal extremity successful 11 appearances for Canada. The extremity survived a VAR cheque for offside.

The Canadian men improved to 12-17-13 all-time against the U.S. — and 4-3-2 since 2019. Canada is 3-14-11 against the Americans connected U.S. soil.

Marsch made 3 changes to his starting lineup with Mathieu Choiniere, Tajon Buchanan and Oluwaseyi coming successful for Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio and Cyle Larin.

U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino had promised changes successful a bid to amended squad chemistry and helium opted for 5 caller starters successful Agyemang, Luna, Max Arfsten, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Mark McKenzie.

Canada improved to 6-4-5 grounds nether Marsch, with 1 of those ties turning into a punishment shootout nonaccomplishment to No. 11 Uruguay and different to a shootout triumph implicit No. 47 Venezuela astatine Copa America.

This year's Nations League is worthy $2 cardinal US to the victor with the runner-up collecting $1 million. Third spot is worthy $600,000 with $200,000 going to the fourth-place side.