Canada’s national soccer team took a significant step forward under Coach Jesse Marsch with a scoreless draw against second-ranked France in a friendly at the Stade Matmut Atlantique. Despite the progress, Marsch believes there is still room for improvement as his 49th-ranked team prepares for the Copa America opener against top-ranked Argentina on June 20 in Atlanta.
“It was a big step forward,” Marsch remarked. “But there’s still so much work to be done. What I liked was that a lot of the individual behaviours were clearer today than against the Dutch. And collective organization for what we wanted to do in all phases of the game was better. But there’s still a lot to do to get even better for me.”
The draw against France is a notable achievement for the Canadian men, reminiscent of their historic ties with Brazil in the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup and ahead of the 1994 World Cup. However, Marsch remains grounded, emphasizing that it was just one game and a friendly at that. “It’s one game. It’s a friendly. It’s against a very good opponent and it’s a draw, it’s not a win. But obviously there’s confidence in the group right now,” said the 50-year-old American coach, who was appointed on May 13.
In the context of CONCACAF, Canada’s draw stands out, especially given the 11th-ranked Americans’ 5-1 loss to No. 12 Colombia and No. 14 Mexico’s 4-0 defeat to No. 15 Uruguay.
The French dominated the first half, but Canada’s defense, led by goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, held firm. Crepeau, replacing Dayne St. Clair, made several crucial saves, including a spectacular stop from Marcus Thuram’s shot. Canada managed to pose more questions in the second half, with a key moment coming when William Saliba blocked a Jonathan David cross intended for substitute Jonathan Osorio.
France had their chances late in the game, with Randal Kolo Muani missing an open header in stoppage time and Crepeau saving a shot from substitute Kylian Mbappe in the 96th minute. Despite these threats, Canada’s defense remained resilient.
Marsch made just one change to the starting lineup from the previous match against the Netherlands, bringing in Crepeau for St. Clair. He also rotated the captaincy, with Stephen Eustaquio wearing the armband after Alphonso Davies led the team against the Dutch. Davies had a promising combination with winger Liam Millar, who hit the crossbar in the 47th minute.
The Canadian squad will now regroup for Copa America, facing No. 32 Peru and No. 42 Chile in Group A after Argentina. The team’s performance against France, alongside their earlier match against the Netherlands, provides a foundation to build upon as they prepare for tougher challenges ahead.
France, preparing for Euro 24, fielded a star-studded lineup and had lost just two of their last 13 matches before facing Canada. Their squad included players from elite clubs such as AC Milan, Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, and Real Madrid. Didier Deschamps’ side will open Group D play against No. 25 Austria on June 17.
Canada’s June fixtures mark their highest-ranked opponents since the 2022 World Cup, where they faced then-second-ranked Belgium. The last encounter with France was during Canada’s debut at the FIFA World Cup in 1986, where they narrowly lost 1-0 to a star-studded French team.
