3 Tactical Takeaways: CanMNT refind midfield balance, tweak attack in win vs. USMNT

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The CanMNT have reached the podium of the Concacaf Nations League for the second time, as they defeated the USMNT in the 2024-2025 third-place match on Sunday. 

Their second straight win over the US, who they beat in a friendly last September, this one will mean a bit more for Canada given the ongoing political tension between these two countries. 

Plus, this is a rivalry, at the end of the day - and given that it’s been one-sided in the US’s favour for so long, Canada will be pleased to see the tides turn as of late.  

ELBOWS UP, CANADA. 💪

WE DID IT. 💥#CANMNT 🇨🇦 DEFEATS #USMNT 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/X8W0f9qoZE

— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) March 23, 2025

Certainly, their performance reflected the last point - it was hard to tell this was a third-place match for Canada, who brought all sorts of intensity to the table as they looked for a win. 

They got it in the end, helping erase some of the frustration they felt after a painful loss to Mexico in the semi-finals on Thursday, making the most of a game they did not want to be in given their aspirations to win a trophy in this tournament. Despite that, they knew that this was a game that could still help them, as it allowed them to learn more about their group, something they did quite well to do given the circumstances. 

With that in mind, here are three KEY tactical takeaways from this one.

Canada shows improved final third play on goals:

In their loss to Mexico, one big thing that stood out for Canada was their offensive struggles, as they missed several opportunities to put Mexico’s backline under pressure. 

In particular, it was felt that Canada lacked ideas in the final third, as they often got the ball into dangerous areas, but then failed to execute several attacks. 

This time around, however, they seemed to find the creative spark they lacked on Thursday. When they got the ball out wide, in particular, they had a much better idea of what to do with it, and that showed on both goals, which originated from wide areas. 

First, there was Tani Oluwaseyi’s goal, which started with some nice play from Ali Ahmed on the left. Having received the ball in a dangerous spot, Ahmed did well to push his defender back by dribbling right at him, before spotting a nice passing lane into the box, sending a low ball to Jonathan David.

From there, David did the rest, getting some help from a deflection, bundling the ball into the path of Oluwaseyi, who finished from close range for his first Canadian goal.

Here's Canada's opener, which starts from a great ball from Ahmed. 

Then, on the second goal, Canada found joy from a similar area, this time on the other side of the pitch. This time, it came from some nice play from Mathieu Choiniére and Tajon Buchanan, as after some nice play out wide, Choinière played a lovely slip pass to Buchanan, who had cut across the US backline with a perfect run. 

After that, Buchanan pushed the ball out to Ahmed, who had drifted centrally to support the attack, and Ahmed then managed to pick out Jonathan David from there. Once David had control, the rest was automatic from the in-form striker - he cut inside and curled one home on his left foot to score what stood as the winner.

Here's David's marker, which starts with a great run from Buchanan.

Yet, Canada seemed to craft these sorts of attacking moves all night long, after struggling to do so against Mexico. 

This time, they had the movement they needed on and off the ball, which allowed them to drag the US out of their defensive shape, something they didn’t do enough of against Mexico. From the 1v1 ability of Ahmed and Buchanan, the progressive passing of Choinière and Ismaël Koné, the overlaps from Niko Sigur and Alistair Johnston, and the runs from David and Oluwaseyi, it was a positive showing from Canada’s attack.

Here's the sort of direct, quick attacking play Marsch likes to see from Canada.

The numbers reflect that, as well - Canada had seven shots and 36 touches in the US’s box in this game, having generated just two shots and 13 touches in Mexico’s box a few days prior. For a team that has struggled to score under Jesse Marsch, entering this game with 12 goals in his first 14 games in charge, look for them to build on this going forward.

And here's the sort of movement Canada needs to do more of when the direct option isn't on. Look at how much space they created with their off-ball runs, and slick passing. 

Niko Sigur helps impressive backline in first extended Canada cameo:

It was seen as a big coup when Niko Sigur filed a one-time switch to Canada last fall, as despite representing Croatia’s youth teams, he decided to commit to this Canadian side going forward.  

Since then, however, we haven’t seen a whole lot of him in a Canadian shirt - before this camp, he had made just two appearances for Canada - a 13-minute cameo off the bench against Mexico in a friendly last September, and then a 26-minute appearance against Suriname in the second leg of the Nations League quarter-finals last November. 

In this game, though, he finally got his moment to shine. It didn’t come the way he would’ve expected - he started the game on the bench, as Canada made just three changes to their lineup from the Mexico match, with Tajon Buchanan, Mathieu Choinière, and Tani Oluwaseyi slotting in for Jonathan Osorio, Stephen Eustáquio and Cyle Larin. 

Given that Marsch had spoken highly of Sigur in the lead-up to this camp and prior to this third-place match, it was felt he could be handed his first start in this game, but instead, he was left to start this game on the bench. 

He didn’t have to wait long for an opportunity, though - just 12 minutes into the game, Alphonso Davies had to come off due to an injury, and Marsch decided to turn to Sigur, throwing him in at right back, with Johnston shifting over to left back. 

It was a big ask of Sigur, who hasn’t played as much full back despite breaking through at the position at the club level with Hajduk Split a few years back, before pushing more into his natural central midfield position (along with a bit of winger) this season. 

Despite that, he shone in the role, not looking out of place. He might’ve wanted the US’s lone goal of the night back, as he didn’t get as tight to Timothy Weah before the US winger played the secondary assist on Patrick Agyemang’s finish, but he hardly set a foot wrong after that. 

On the ball, his quality was evident. Playing a key role as a progressor in Canada’s build-up, he had eight passes into the final third, and completed three out of four long balls, doing well to push the play forward.

Here are Sigur's pass attempts (square) and defensive actions (triangles) from this game (OPTA)

No matter if he was asked to tuck into the back three, allowing Johnston to go forward from left back, or if he overlapped himself, he made things happen on the ball, adding rhythm to Canada’s attack.

Here is Sigur's touch map (above) and heat map (below) from this game, showing his flexible positioning on the ball (OPTA).

Then, defensively, he was just as good, winning two tackles, making three recoveries, and winning five out of seven of his duels, doing well to step up after the US’s goal. Despite being dropped into a Canadian defensive system that demands players to play quite aggressively, he didn’t look out of place, and that was key. 

To that point, however, it’s worth noting that it was overall a good night for Canada’s backline - Derek Cornelius and Moïse Bombito looked excellent as a centre back pair, shutting down several US attacks, while Johnston was strong on both sides of the ball despite having to go to left back, a position he hardly plays. 

In particular, Bombito also seemed to shut down a handful of US attacks with excellent defending, as he continues to step up as the rock at the back for Canada, becoming a real leader back there despite his lack of experience at the highest level. 

This time, he led another strong Canadian defensive performance, as their backline continues to be a strength of theirs, and as Sigur’s performance in this game showed, it doesn’t seem to matter who’s in there right now, either. 

Speaking of Sigur, though, look for him to elevate this showing into more minutes going forward. When he committed to Canada, there was a lot of excitement for what he could bring to the midfield, and a game like this gave a glimpse of what he can do there, even if it was at a different position. 

"It was a tough situation for him to come in like that," CanMNT assistant coach, Mauro Biello, said of Sigur afterwards. "To be matched up against Timothy Weah is not easy for a young player, but he did well."

"Niko's been doing well in all the camps that he's been with us, we were just waiting for that moment to give him this opportunity, and today that moment arrived, and I think he took it well."

A good sequence that shows what Niko Sigur did well in this game - first, he shows great patience on a pass at the edge of the box to create a dangerous Cyle Larin chance, and then he flexed his defensive chops to kill an American counter, winning a foul for his efforts. 

Choinière-Koné pivot steps up in rare Eustáquio absence:

On the topic of the midfield, though, it’s worth noting that Canada tweaked things in the middle of the park for this game, as Stephen Eustáquio was given a rare break from starting duties. 

Having started all but one game under Marsch, it was a good chance to push Mathieu Choinière and Ismaël Koné, who were tasked with leading the midfield in this one. 

Given that chance, they made the most of it, too. 

After Koné and Eustáquio had looked a bit out of sync in Canada’s loss to Mexico, Choinière and Koné were on the same page in this game, doing well to control the game on both sides of the ball.

Here are all of Choinière (#6) and Koné's (#8) attempted passes from this game (OPTA)

Thanks to Choinière’s energy, and Koné’s ball-playing ability, the duo did well to make up for what they missed in Eustáquio’s absence, given that he often does so much in the midfield for this team. 

For Koné, the big thing that stood out is that he seemed to take on more responsibility with the ball, while not shying away from his defensive duties. His stat line reflects that - he made six passes into the final third and completed four out of six long balls offensively, but also had two tackles, two interceptions, and won six out of 10 of his duels. 

Given that Koné has battled with his consistency and play on both sides of the ball, it was a great showing from him, one that could go a long way for his confidence, as he’s looked like a player who isn’t sure of his best role as of late. In this game, however, he looked a lot more like the Koné that caught the eye of some big clubs in Europe last summer, which is a huge positive. 

As for Choinière, it was more of a typical showing for him - he seemed to be everywhere, covering ground with ease. His long passing wasn’t as sharp, but he helped facilitate a couple of moves with his short passing, and he had an excellent defensive performance, finishing with two tackles, five interceptions, and winning three out of four ground duels. 

Thanks to the play of both, it allowed Canada to play more on top of the US’s midfield, something they didn’t do enough of against Mexico. Part of that was game state, to be fair - Mexico sat back a lot more than the US did considering they had a lead for that entire semi-final - but it’s still a positive sign given that the US has a lot of quality in their midfield.

Here are all of Choinière and Koné's defensive actions (OPTA)

Plus, for Canada’s system to work, the midfield plays a big role on both sides of the ball, and it’ll be encouraging for Marsch to see good performances from guys not named Eustáquio, further opening up debates about who will be the best option to start alongside him going forward. 

In this game, Choinière and Koné presented good arguments for themselves (as did Sigur), giving Marsch plenty to ponder as he figures out this team’s best midfield configuration for future matches.