Canada-Panama friendlies anything but – Winnipeg Free Press

Opinion

They might be the two best teams in CONCACAF, and they’ve recently developed one of the North and Central American and Caribbean region’s most heated match-ups.

No, it’s not Mexico-United States, although the border opponents will renew their enmity next week in Guadalajara. That’s yesterday’s rivalry.

This fresher, more relevant animosity entangles a pair of innovative coaches, delivers reliably exciting soccer and animates almost everyone involved.

JOHN LOCHER / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES

Canada’s Ismael Kone (right) knocks the ball out of the air against Harold Cummings of Panama during a 2023 CONCACAF matchup.

It’s Canada-Panama, and their next encounter is a Tuesday friendly in Toronto (October 15, 6:30 p.m., OneSoccer). Just don’t actually call it a “friendly.”

As Panama manager Thomas Christiansen said Thursday, before his squad travelled north for matches against the Americans (Saturday, 8 p.m.) and Canadians, “If we take them as friendly matches, they will overwhelm us. So they are not friendly matches at all.”

He also remarked Canada’s form under new manager Jesse Marsch has been “spectacular,” and that he appreciates the 2026 World Cup co-hosts’ “aggressiveness” — a trait he no doubt sees in his own side as well.

It’s why these teams match up so well against each other, and why their encounters have become can’t-miss contests.

In their previous four meetings, Canada and Panama have combined for 28 bookings and two red cards. In their history, the Canadians have never won in Panama City and have yet to score a goal there. In their last showdown in this country, the Panamanians were drubbed 4-1 in a World Cup qualifier that featured Alphonso Davies’ iconic goal and sent their pundits into a rage.

Another match, a “friendly,” was scheduled for the following June, but after flying all the way to Vancouver Los Canaleros were left in limbo as their hosts went on strike and refused to play.

Not ideal. Though Les Rouges haven’t exactly enjoyed their excursions to Estadio Rommel Fernandez, where they inevitably turn up red-eyed after being kept up all night by the locals lighting fireworks outside their hotel — which likely explains their goalscoring record at the stadium, or lack thereof.

Canada and Panama simply don’t do normal international soccer. There’s always something else going on, and this time it happens to be Marsch’s first match on home soil.

Since his May appointment, the 50-year-old has managed games in the Netherlands, France and the United States, but never in Canada. That wasn’t by design, but rather necessitated by the summer’s Copa America and the preparatory invitations to Rotterdam and Bordeaux.

Those journeys, the fourth-place finish at the Copa, the followup win over the United States in Kansas City, Mo., and the draw with Mexico in Arlington, Texas, not only put Canada back atop the CONCACAF perch, but also gave the team a sort of worldly quality they’ve never really had.

Marsch has also, despite his brief time in charge, invented the Derek Cornelius-Moise Bombito defensive partnership, unleashed the pace and creativity of Jacob Shaffelburg, signalled a generational change by naming Davies captain, and commenced a youth movement that has brought the likes of Niko Sigur, Santiago Lopez, Jamie Knight-Lebel and Kwasi Poku into the national team set-up.

He calls it “The People’s Team,” and the outreach he and his players are doing at their Montreal training camp this weekend certainly speaks to that.

There’s an uncharacteristically feel-good element to Canada these days, though the happy thoughts will be put aside on Tuesday at BMO Field.

Christiansen, like Marsch, has been building a team that reflects his own personality and footballing values. Given that he came up through the Barcelona academy under Johan Cruyff, it means his Panama squad are drilled to play an upbeat, possession-oriented game.

Typically anchored by Jose Cordoba — he’s currently injured — the Central Americans play a three-man defence that stretches to five when the opposition has the ball. Christian Martinez and Adalberto Carrasquilla control the centre of the park, and Cesar Blackman and Yoel Barcenas blaze forward from the flanks in attack.

Stylistically, it’s an approach similar to Canada’s, though tactically it’s quite different. The result is fierce battles for space, fast forward movements and eminently watchable soccer.

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