PREVIEW: CanMNT looking to finish Copa América journey off on high note in third-place match vs. Uruguay
The CanMNT won’t be lifting the Copa América trophy this weekend, but their journey at that tournament isn’t quite over yet.
Despite their loss to Argentina in the semi-finals on Tuesday, the show goes on for them on Saturday, as they get set to take on Uruguay in the third-place match in Charlotte, North Carolina.
There, a lot is still on the line for this Canadian team, who will look to end off what has already been an excellent tournament for them on a high note.
To begin, they can pick up some hardware in the form of a bronze medal, becoming just the third Concacaf nation to ever do so at a Copa América, joining Mexico (two second-place finishes, three third-place finishes) and Honduras (one third-place finish) if they reach the podium. .
Then, there’s the financial incentive of winning this game, which could reportedly be worth an extra $1 million on top of the minimum of $8 million Canada has already earned with their run in this tournament, which is no small chunk of change.
Lastly, there’s the fact that this is a chance for this team to get one more big test against a top team, with Uruguay sitting as one of the best teams in the world at the moment, giving Canada another opportunity to test their chops after doing so several times over the past month.
Safe to say, that gives this Canadian team plenty of reasons to want to do well in this third-place game, which can sometimes be hard to get up for, knowing how close one was to playing in the final.
Official: The #CanMNT will play Uruguay🇺🇾 in the Copa América 3rd place game Saturday
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) July 11, 2024
A top side, one ranked 14th in the Fifa Rankings and 6th in the Elo Ratings, it'll be an great test for 🇨🇦as they get set for their last Copa game
Also, a battle of former Leeds coaches👀
Here’s what to keep an eye out for in this game from a Canadian perspective.
How will Uruguay respond to semi-final heartbreak?
Historically, Uruguay have done well to find success at the Copa América, sitting as the team with the most wins with 15, tied with Argentina.
Despite that, however, they haven’t had a lot of that success in the 21st century, winning just one of those 15 trophies since the turn of the millennium, which came in 2011 when they defeated Paraguay in the final of that tournament.
Other than that, though, success has eluded them, as that was the only final they’ve reached since 2000, and they’ve only made the final four three other times.
That was supposed to change in this tournament, as they entered armed with a strong generation of young talent and a legendary head coach in Marcelo Bielsa. Sitting in second place in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying after amassing a record of 4W-1D-1L (13 points) in six games, having picked up statement wins over Brazil and Argentina, they’ve been one of the hottest teams in South America as of late.
Because of that, it looked like they’d be poised to make a deep run in this tournament, something they backed up by racking up nine points in three group-stage games, before beating Brazil on penalties to reach the semi-finals.
Manuel Ugarte sends Uruguay to the semi-finals!#CA2024 pic.twitter.com/sA0aA0s92I
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) July 7, 2024
There, however, they fell short of their goal against another red-hot CONMEBOL side, Colombia, who defeated them 1-0 thanks to a 39th-minute goal from Jefferson Lerma.
Then, as a double whammy, several key players jumped into the stands and engaged in altercations with fans after the game to protect their families, which may lead to big sanctions down the line. That doesn't appear likely to affect them for this game, but that could have a big impact on their next couple of World Cup qualifiers, and the whole scenario may be weighing heavily on the players.
Because of that, it’s hard to know how up for this third-place game Uruguay might be. Will they view this as a chance to put that altercation behind them and head off the tournament on a high note? Or will their minds be elsewhere after the chaos of the semi-final and the ramifications it might have on their World Cup campaign?
No matter what happens, however, it’s worth noting that this team is a strong and deep side, one that should offer plenty of challenges to Canada no matter who they put out there. Sitting 14th in the world in the FIFA Rankings, and sixth in the Elo ratings, they’re a top side and have mostly played like it this tournament.
In particular, they’re excellent defensively, allowing just two goals in five games, conceding an average of just 0.51 xG per game, and having allowed more than 1 xG just once all tournament (which came in their semi-final vs. Colombia).
Offensively, goals have been a bit harder to come by in tougher games after they poured in a combined eight against Bolivia and Panama in their first two games, as they scored just one goal across matches against the US, Brazil and Colombia, generating just 3.04 xG across those games.
Otherwise, they’ve got a whole host of players playing at top clubs to rely on across the pitch, including defenders José Giménez (Atlético Madrid), Ronald Araújo (FC Barcelona) and Mathías Oliviera (Napoli), midfielders Manuel Ugarte (PSG), Rodrigo Bentancur (Tottenham), Federico Valverde (Real Madrid) and forward Darwin Núñez (Liverpool), giving them a strong core of players to rely on. (It’s important to note that Araújo has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament with an injury, however).
Along with some underrated contributors who ply their trade in South America, such as goalkeeper Sergio Rochet (Internacional), Nicolás De La Cruz (Flamengo) and Giorgian de Arrascaeta (Flamengo), they’ve got all the pieces to be a top side in CONMEBOL for a reason.
Safe to say, they’ve done well to transition the team from the side that relied heavily on Luis Suárez and Edinson Cavani in the mid-2010s and look primed to be a threat at the next World Cup because of that.
OLIVERAAAAAAAAAAA 🗣️
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) July 2, 2024
URUGUAY TAKES THE LEAD OVER USA IN THE 66TH MINUTE!#CA2024 pic.twitter.com/1ejepJpha8
And with Bielsa at the helm, it’ll be intriguing to see how they develop from here. One of the most revered coaches globally for how he’s revolutionized modern football, he’s done well to push Uruguay from being the defensive unit they were known for in the last decade, as his side has done well to hold onto the ball, control the midfield and play more aggressively this tournament while retaining that defensive solidity.
Yet, all of that shows why this is such a great test for Canada. Having faced Uruguay back in 2022 in the lead-up to the World Cup, this Uruguay team has grown a lot since then and will offer a good measuring stick to Canada.
It remains to be seen if they’ll view this game as a chance to play more youngsters, but either way, expect them to stick to their style, playing in the 4-2-3-1 they’ve used for most of the tournament, and be ready to battle to earn this third-place medal.
Can a tired Canadian side find energy for another big game?
If you told most Canadians that this CanMNT side would be in this position a month ago, most would’ve laughed off the suggestion, showing how key of a journey this has been for this team.
Because of that, it’s expected that Canada will come out and give their all to win, as they’ll know how important this third-place match could be for the short and long-term future of this program. Winning won’t just be felt on the day, but in the months to come, too, which may push them on to new heights in the future.
Despite that, it’s also worth noting that Canada might not have too much more to give if they’re to try and get a win over the line. As head coach Jesse Marsch mentioned after the semi-final, they’ve got a lot of tired legs in their squad right now, and it showed in that game, where they couldn’t find the spark to blow open a game they were very much competing in.
Jesse Marsch says he knows the team didn't have depth like Argentina.
— Ben Steiner (@BenSteiner00) July 10, 2024
"I could tell by the 18th minute we were tired."
Mentions there will be multiple lineup changes in the third-place match on Saturday. #CanMNT
Certainly, Uruguay will also be fatigued, and Canada will have the advantage of having an extra day of rest, but for a side that hasn’t rotated their squad a lot, starting just 13 different outfield players across their five games this tournament, that extra day might not make much of a difference for them.
At the same time, that could open up the door for some new faces to step up. Despite a lack of rotation in his starting lineups, Marsch has given some looks to some new faces off the bench, and some of those players might be primed to earn a start in this game, something he hinted at earlier this week.
Jesse Marsch on rotation for Saturday, mentions a surprise name
— Felipe Vallejo (@FelipeV_FC) July 10, 2024
"Chances are Luc de Fougerolles will start on Saturday"
Points to needing to demand more on young players across the country#CanMNT
It’s hard to imagine there’ll be wholesale changes, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a handful of tweaks, allowing him to freshen up the squad. Here’s an example of what that could look like, to get an idea of what to expect.
Other than that, however, don’t expect too much to change from Marsch. Canada has done well to stick to their tactical philosophies, defending aggressively and compactly, pressing high up the pitch, while playing direct and vertically in possession, and that won’t change in this game.
Because of that, look for the changes to represent more of a chance to audition than a tactical shift, as this will be a chance for some of those newer faces to see how they fit in Marsch’s system.
At the same time, Marsch does have one big question to answer - his attack. His defence has remained solid all tournament, conceding five goals (on 5.86 xG) in five games, four of them coming from two games the top team in the world and favourites to win the final, Argentina, but their attack has struggled, finding the net just twice (on 5.61 xG).
For a team filled with attacking talent, that’s been a big surprise, as this team has the names on paper to score goals, but other than tallies from Jonathan David and Jacob Shaffelburg vs. Peru in the group stages and Venezuela in the quarter-final, respectively, those goals have been hard to come by. They’ve had chances, to be fair, but have struggled to finish them, which they’ll hope they can change soon.
What that shows is that if there are to be any tactical shifts, expect them up front, where Marsch might be tempted to switch to a 4-2-3-1 instead of his usual 4-2-2-2, or to experiment with some other smaller tweaks, including the use of inverted wingers to get his full backs more involved.
Other than that, however, don’t expect much to change, and rightfully so, as Marsch continues to push his team in just his eighth game in charge. Arguably already ahead of schedule with where many thought this team would be at this stage of his tenure, he’ll want to continue to push this team forward, focusing on their long-term goal of the 2026 World Cup.
With every challenge like this, Canada takes one step closer to being ready for that World Cup, and a win in this game will only help them get closer to where they want to be ahead of that tournament. 
The battle of former Leeds coaches set to offer unique tactical battle:
Elsewhere, another big battle to watch will be on the sidelines, as it’ll be intriguing to see how both match up to the other tactically.
Especially in this game, which also happens to be a meeting of two former Leeds managers in Bielsa and Marsch. Not only that, but Marsch’s tenure came right after Bielsa’s, who had spent 2018 to 2022 at the club before parting ways before Marsch swooped in and spent the next year at the helm of the club.
Because of that, it’ll be intriguing to see how the two teams line up, as they’ve got a lot of similarities and differences.
Canada will play Uruguay in the 3rd place match at the Copa America.
— Tsar FC (@TsarbucksFC) July 11, 2024
Ex-Leeds Manager Jesse Marsch vs Ex-Leeds Manager Marcelo Bielsa. #CanMNT pic.twitter.com/1lSxEZlzG4
For example, both use similar formations, with Uruguay preferring a 4-2-3-1 and Canada preferring a 4-2-2-2, and both expect their teams to do a lot of running and pressing defensively. Defensively, Bielsa is known for using a bit more of a player-to-player marking system, while Canada has mostly defended in a zonal defence, which will be an interesting battle to see play out.
Offensively, Uruguay has been a lot more of a possession-based team that does its best work through controlled attacks, while Canada has been a lot more transitional, although they’ve also balanced that with some good spells of possession in games.
The big question will be to see how they can exploit the other’s defensive weaknesses - when attacking a player-to-player system, off-ball movement is crucial, while quick ball movement can be key to dragging a zonal system out, something that both teams will look to provide.
Overall, though, there’s no doubt that a lot of eyeballs will be on this clash to see this matchup. Given the contrast of how the pairs Leeds reigns were perceived within the club’s fanbase, as Bielsa is revered as a legend while Marsch is far less popular, Leeds fans will be intrigued to see how the pair face off, with many likely to back Bielsa.
So while it’s hard to know how both teams will line up as both are likely to rotate their squad, leading to some new positional battles, the tactical battle between these two coaches will steal the thunder in that regard, which will be fascinating to see play out.
