The rise, and redemption, of Niko Sigur

Niko Sigur’s shift came to an end in the 85th minute on Tuesday night, the 22-year old defender greeting his replacement, Zorhan Bassong, with a double high five before being given a knowing pat on the back by Canadian men’s national team head coach Jesse Marsch. Both Sigur and Luc de Fougerolles, Marsch told media post-match, had responded exactly how he’d hoped they would versus Colombia.

“Luc and Niko, I don’t treat them like young players, they don’t play like young players, right?” he said. “You could argue that there were a lot of little breakdowns in the goal against Australia and I wasn’t too hard on them, I was just trying to get them to be clear on what could be better. I knew that those guys would turn around and have a good performance today and they did.”

Sigur, to be clear, was surrounded by questions following his poor decision last week versus Australia, a decision which cost Canada a goal but wasn’t the reason they lost given their many whiffed opportunities. But Sigur’s been relied upon heavily the last few windows, as has de Fougerolles, the other player involved in the breakdown in Montréal. Marsch didn’t hesitate to put them out again, illustrating the belief he has in his squad.

And it's safe to say Sigur’s performance against Colombia — a suffocating shift which all but starved Bayern Munich attacker Luis Díaz of the ball — answered any lingering questions about whether he has what it takes to play top football: Tuesday was Sigur’s redemption.

It’s important, before breaking down his play versus Colombia, to take a step back to understand how quickly Sigur has progressed under Marsch.

It’s just been just over a year since the Hajduk Split man filed paperwork to change his international availability from Croatia to Canada, making his debut for the national team on September 10, 2024, versus Mexico. He headed into 2025 looking for a bigger role, be it as a right-back or midfielder. 

“I’m not exactly sure where I’m going to play but I’m ready, I’m ready for a bigger role. I think the whole group is ready as well because we’re going in wanting to win this,” Sigur told OneSoccer in June. 

A combination of timing and injuries granted Sigur’s wish as he quickly found himself as a starter in the Gold Cup following a strong training camp in Halifax. He scored his first goal for Canada on June 17 versus Honduras.

And although Canada crashed out of the Gold Cup in spectacular fashion, Sigur continued to be Masch’s right-back of choice with Alistair Johnston ruled out through injury. The last two windows have seen Sigur, de Fougerolles, Derek Cornelius and Richie Laryea as Marsch’s preferred backline with key players unavailable.

Which brings us to Tuesday’s gritty performance at Sports Illustrated Stadium, the pro-Colombia crowd making for a distinctly unfriendly environment for Sigur and his teammates.

Not that Sigur noticed. It was clear from kickoff that the defender was dialed in as he was tasked with marking Díaz on the right flank. He was often touch-tight and bullied the Colombian physically so as to trap the Bayern Munich winger before he could really use his pace. In the 34th minute, for example, Díaz dropped back towards the centre line to collect the ball. Sigur immediately followed his mark and bowled him over, not giving him an inch to peel around him. 

Despite his 5 '9 frame, Sigur also battled for every ball against the taller Díaz (5' 11) and ended the night having won 9 of his 15 duels. He committed five fouls but showed dogged defending against one of the world’s highest ranked programs. In the 77th minute, he showcased his football IQ as he wisely took a tactical foul to prevent a Colombia counter-attack. But most telling, in the second half, there was almost a repeat scenario from the Australia match, with de Fougerolles chasing an attacker into the corner and Sigur in the box. Sigur was able to clear the ball and highlighted what he’d learned in a brilliant bounce back performance.

Marsch, said de Fougerolles post-match, is good at letting his players learn from their mistakes.

“(Jesse) obviously said it happens, you know, it’s football,” said the 20-year old centre-back. “But I think as soon as it happens, Niko and I both knew we should have done better. I should have cut the cross out before it even got to Niko. I think there was one moment again today where it came in again and he cleared it straight out. I think we definitely learned from our mistakes and are definitely better players for it.”

Sigur’s redemption was complete.

Canada have only conceded one goal across their last four friendlies. As a squad, they’ve clearly found their groove in terms of nullifying attacking threats from World Cup calibre competition and Sigur has been a big part of that.

But where will he fit in once players like Johnston, Alphonso Davies and Moïse Bombito are back? Sigur’s certainly shown he’s got the ability, not to mention the potential to improve, as one of Canada’s full-backs. However, with minutes at a premium, he’s also competing with the likes of Toronto FC’s Richie Laryea for a spot as the clock winds down to the World Cup.

Right now, it remains to be seen if Sigur’s done enough to beat out any of the above names despite some strong performances since joining the program.

“Richie can do that same performance at right-back. I think Richie, if you look at his last phase of our team, including the Gold Cup, even in the March window, he’s probably been our best player overall,” said Marsch.

“All I can say right now is Richie’s making an incredible case for himself to make sure he’s a starter at the World Cup.”

A starting spot is something every player on the Canada squad covets. And Sigur made it known in June there’s steps he can take towards upping his game as he heads towards the most important tournament in Canada Soccer’s history. A move from Hajduk Split in Croatia, where he’s spent the last three years, could propel him to a higher level of competition.

“I’m open to it, honestly,” Sigur told reporters in Halifax. “If something comes up, then of course, I’m ready. But it has to make sense.”

Such is the balance for players as they navigate their clubs to set themselves up to be in the best form for the tournament's start on June 11. There’s roughly eight months until the world lands on Canadian soil. But if Sigur’s first year under Marsch is any indication, he’ll continue his impressive rise and find himself in contention for an important role.