KEY TAKEAWAYS: CanMNT flexes newfound maturity to see out impressive 1-0 win vs. Wales
The CanMNT have capped off a dream September window in style, as they defeated Wales 1-0 in Swansea on Tuesday.
After beating Romania 3-0 in a friendly in Bucharest on Friday, Canada did well to build off that in their second of two matches this window, taking care of business against a solid Welsh side.
They were made to work for their victory, as Wales brought plenty of intensity just days after picking up a crucial road win vs. Kazakhstan in World Cup qualifying, but Canada showed good maturity to see out the result.
Thanks to an unlikely first-half goalscorer, as centre back Derek Cornelius scored a peach of a free kick for his first-ever Canada goal, Canada did what they needed to do to hold onto the win from there, keeping their second straight clean sheet in the process.
After a frustrating end to their Gold Cup this summer, this was an excellent bounce-back for Canada, who took a big step forward in their quest for the World Cup, which is rapidly approaching.
“I told the players after the match,” Canada’s head coach, Jesse Marsch, said in his post-match press conference. “For me, these 10 days, and how we've used them to maximize the themes that we wanted to put into practice, were probably the best 10 days we've had together.”
They’ve still got plenty to do over the next nine months, but this is a good way to start that journey, one that is quickly going to become a sprint towards the finish line as they prepare for that World Cup opener on June 12th next year.
Before looking too far ahead, however, are some KEY takeaways from this one.
Derek Cornelius steals the show at both ends:
Who would’ve thought that on a day where both teams rolled out lineups filled with attacking talent, it’d be the Canadian centre back who would steal the show with a goal to remember?
Despite having just a dozen career goals to his name, including none for Canada’s senior team (he has scored at the U23 level, though), Cornelius stepped up with a goal he won’t soon forget, as he found the top corner with a lovely free kick from outside of the box in the first half.
For those who have followed his career, this isn’t as surprising to see - Cornelius used to be a striker who only became a centre back in his teens - although not many would’ve expected him to show his attacking skills in this manner.
Yet, it marked a good window for Canada in terms of their set-pieces, as they also found the net off a free kick vs. Romania, with Ali Ahmed finding Jonathan David with a great cross on a wide set-piece on Friday, setting the table for this Cornelius goal a few days later.
“Derek has been working on free kicks,” Marsch explained when asked why Cornelius stepped up to take the attempt. “So I was excited for him to get the goal. It was a fantastic free kick - I think the distance was good for him. That was a great goal, and a big help to us.”
GOLAZO 🇨🇦
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 9, 2025
DEREK CORNELIUS NAH BRO
WHAT. A. FREE. KICK. 🤯#CanMNT up 1-0 on Wales 🏴 pic.twitter.com/QUIl5CXymb
Returning to Cornelius, though, this was just one of many brilliant actions from the centre back in this game, as he couldn’t seem to set a foot wrong.
In particular, he was a rock defensively, making several critical actions. The numbers give an idea of how good he was - he had two tackles, one block, six clearances, two interceptions, seven recoveries and won four out of five of his duels, as he was a leader for Canada at the back.
Here's Cornelius making one of countless defensive actions, as he denies Harry Wilson of what seemed like a near-certain goal with a great block (via OneSoccer/TSN)
Then, on the ball, he was solid, making five passes into the final third and completing four out of seven long balls, even if he was a bit sloppier than usual in his overall passing, completing just 28 out of 35 passes (80%).
This performance comes at a good time for Cornelius, too, as his centre back partner in this game, Luc De Fougerolles, has continued to put up some strong showings for club and country lately, pushing Cornelius for a starting spot long-term, even when Moïse Bombito returns.
Having paired nicely with Bombito, that’s been Cornelius’s spot to lose, though, and he did well to show why that’s the case in this game.
To stick with De Fougerolles, however, it’s not a bad thing to see him shine again - he’ll continue to push both Cornelius and Bombito, and is looking to be a strong backup option to have at the position - one that can step up if needed, for whatever reason.
No doubt, though, Marsch will be happy to see Bombito and Cornelius reunite for the first time since March, and a performance like this from Cornelius shows why that is the case. 
Canada shows maturity as they see out second straight game:
While there’s a lot that Canada can be frustrated with when they reflect on their loss to Guatemala in the Gold Cup quarter-finals, one of the biggest factors was that they couldn’t hold onto a 1-0 lead in that game, conceding a second-half goal.
Yet, that last point has been a theme under Jesse Marsch, as 16 of the 20 goals they’ve conceded have come in the second half of games, including 12 in the last 30 minutes of matches.
Because of that, Marsch made sure to push his team to be better in the second half of games this window, and it feels like they got that memo in both matches they played this week.
Given that they scored three of their four goals in the first half this window, that shows that starting games continues to be something they’re quite good at, but they’ll be pleased that they held onto leads in both games, too.
In particular, this Wales victory was one that Marsch will relish, as his team had to defend a one-goal lead for the entirety of the second half, something they were unable to do against Guatemala.
They were made to work for this win, as Wales kept 64% of possession in the second half, but Canada kept them to just five shots, with only three of them coming inside the box.
It wasn’t all perfect, as Wales still had some good looks at goal, including a late opportunity from Mark Harris that OPTA ranked as a big chance, but Canada mostly weathered the storm to keep the clean sheet.
Thanks to some timely substitutes and a change in approach, they did well to keep their team fresh and not let themselves get too open as they chased a second goal, which is something they can sometimes be guilty of doing.
That doesn’t mean they didn’t try to make it a 2-0 game - they had five second-half shots of their own, including a Tani Oluwaseyi breakaway opportunity that he’ll want back - but they didn’t overcommit in the chase of that second goal.
Because of that, look for them to build on this, as Marsch was certainly quite pleased with what his team showed in their ability to close this one out, something he’d like to see them continue to build on going forward.
“We've been challenging the group to understand moments where we need a little more savviness, more communication and leadership as we continue to grow in our overall experience of how to manage games,” Marsch said.
“With that challenge on the board, to then see the two performances that we delivered, and the way that we sealed both wins late in the match, I think this (window) saw some massive progress for us, so this is a big development.”
Saliba steps up in midfield:
With no Stephen Eustáquio for this match, as the midfielder rejoined Porto after the Romania game due to a knock, this offered a prime opportunity for someone to step up alongside Ismaël Koné, who started his second straight game in midfield after not playing as much at the Gold Cup.
Interestingly, though, instead of choosing Mathieu Choinière, who is more of a natural Eustáquio replacement, Marsch went for a different option, sliding in Nathan Saliba alongside his old CF Montréal teammate.
A big vote of confidence for Saliba, who Marsch leaned on heavily this summer, the young midfielder repaid his manager's faith in a strong performance, too. 
Here's Saliba gliding through midfield on the ball, jumpstarting a counter with a great left-footed ball, before nearly setting up a dangerous opportunity with a great right-footed ball moments later (via OneSoccer/TSN)
He was not as clean on the ball as he’d like, completing just 26 out of 35 passes (74%), although he was still able to make eight passes into the final third and three out of four long balls, which was good to see. 
Here's another great attacking action from Nathan Saliba, who finds Tani Oluwaseyi with a perfect weighted through ball (via OneSoccer/TSN)
Where he really shone, though, was on the defensive side - he had four tackles, four clearances, four recoveries and won seven out of 12 duels. 
Saliba does well to flex his defensive chops in this clip, helping jumpstart a Canadian attack (via OneSoccer/TSN)
That was key, because the one worry with a Koné and Saliba midfield pivot was the defensive side of the game, but Saliba was more than up to the task.
Through that, it freed up Koné to have another strong offensive performance - he nearly had a great goal if not for the post, while also completing 17 out of 20 passes (85%), all three of his dribble attempts, three passes into the final third and two out of two long balls - which gave Canada a key edge in midfield.
First, here's Koné setting up a dangerous chance after gliding through a couple of Welsh midfielders, which nearly led to a penalty won by Richie Laryea (via OneSoccer/TSN)
In this clip, Ismaël Koné does well to jump up, win the ball, and nearly scores after a nice 1-2 with Jonathan David, only finding himself denied by the post. Shows his confidence to make an aggressive defensive read like this one, and nearly turn it into a goal (via OneSoccer/TSN)
What that shows, now, is that all of a sudden, Canada is starting to have a few different players who can step up if needed for Eustáquio, which hasn’t always been the case in recent years - just look at how Canada struggled at the 2022 World Cup, where he went down with an injury.
Between Saliba, Choinière and Niko Sigur, Marsch has a breadth of options to replace someone of Eustáquio’s profile - and with what Koné showed defensively this window, he might have to soon thrown into that discussion, too.
Of course, the conundrum Marsch faces - as he does at multiple positions - is figuring out how to pick between that group of players to pair with Eustáquio when he returns, something that is increasingly becoming harder to do, with Saliba’s performance the latest strong showing for Marsch to ponder at this position. 
Here's another great step from Saliba, who helped create a dangerous chance for himself with a good defensive read (via OneSoccer/TSN)
To stick with Saliba for a second, though, it must be pointed out how much he’s developed since his first Canadian call just under a year ago - he has done well to respond to the way Marsch has pushed him, and that’s best shown with his progress defensively, which along with what he can do on the ball, gives him an edge as he battles for more minutes.
“I thought he was very good,” Marsch said of Saliba. “I thought he was very disciplined and very solid on the ball, but he was also combative, winning a lot of duels up and down the pitch, covering every inch of grass.”
“By the way, I knew he would play well, because he has looked fantastic for us since this summer, but also in these last 10 days, in training, he's been one of our best guys, so it was a pretty easy decision to put him in for Stephen (Eustáquio) - that shows that he is a very important player for us moving forward.”
Ahmed, Laryea continue to shine down left side:
Speaking of other positional battles, however, the other area of the pitch where Canada shone in this game was down their left side, as Ali Ahmed and Richie Laryea continued to build their ever-growing partnership on that flank.
Even though this was a quieter game from Ahmed after his breakout showing in Bucharest, at least in terms of final third output, he was arguably just as good in his all-around game, while Laryea put up what can only be described as a ‘vintage Laryea performance’ at this stage of his career.
Thanks to that, it helped Canada cope with Wales’s attacking threats, as their most dangerous attacks seemed to come from David Brooks, who was at right wing, and Harry Wilson, who often drifted right from his attacking midfield position.
In particular, Laryea was a defensive force, doing extremely well in his individual battles against both players. 
Here's Laryea's best defensive action of the night, as he nicks the ball off Wilson on a breakway with an incredible tackle (via OneSoccer/TSN)
Not only did Laryea ensure that both were kept off the scoresheet, and to a combined two shots and one chance created (both coming from Wilson), but he also seemed to get the pair off their game, forcing them both into early yellow cards.
For context, Laryea was also booked in this game, earning his yellow card in just the 14th minute - despite that, he managed to navigate the tightrope the rest of the game, one in which he drew a whopping six fouls.
Naturally, that seemed to drive both Welsh players and fans up the wall, as they couldn’t comprehend how Laryea didn’t earn a second yellow card despite having three fouls of his own - but that’s where Laryea flexed his savviness as a player who is yet to be sent off in his career despite his style of play, as he knew when to poke, and when to sit back.
Of course, while Laryea did a lot of great defending down his side, he was also helped by Ahmed, who himself had another strong defensive performance - he had five tackles, seven recoveries and won eight out of 10 duels in just 65 minutes on the pitch, which is quite remarkable for a winger.
Just to get an idea of how good that was, Ahmed led both teams in tackles, was second in recoveries (only behind Canada goalkeeper Dayne St.Clair), and was second in duels won (only behind… Laryea). 
As he did a lot against Romania, Ahmed did a great job of winning the ball in good areas against Wales, like in this clip (via OneSoccer/TSN)
Yet, that’s the edge that Canada gets with Ahmed and Laryea on the pitch, as both are relentless defenders, and that can make life tough for whoever is on their side.
They can make things happen at the other end - Ahmed still created three chances in this game, while Laryea had a shot and a chance created (and probably should’ve won a penalty) - but that defensive work rate is starting to give them a real edge as they battle to keep their starting spots long term.
For a Canadian team whose best offensive actions often start with good defensive play, Ahmed and Laryea are putting in the hard yards required to both win the ball all over the pitch, especially higher up, which won’t go unignored by Marsch.
