The Canadian men’s soccer team can win its first trophy in a generation

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Stars Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David scored stunning goals as Canada defeated Panama 2-0 in the CONCACAF Nations League semi-final in Las Vegas last night. After their first World Cup appearance in 36 years, the Canadian men now have a chance to win their first trophy in 23 years when they meet the United States in the final at 8:30 PM ET on Sunday.

This is Canada’s first trip to the finals of an international men’s tournament since its surprise victory in the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the championship for North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The CONCACAF Nations League is less prestigious than the Gold Cup and much newer. This is only the second edition since its inception in 2021, when Canada failed to progress to the final four after finishing second to eventual champions United States in their group.

This time, the Canadians’ improved world ranking after their successful World Cup qualifying campaign made for an easier draw, and they topped Honduras and Curaçao to win their group in March. That set up last night’s win at the Las Vegas Raiders stadium, where David converted a precise pass from Kamal Miller in the 25th minute before Davies dispatched Panama with a top-shelf blast in the 70th. Davies, returning from a hamstring injury that saw him miss the end of his club season with Bayern Munich, entered the game a few minutes early.

LOOK | Canada beats Panama to advance to CONCACAF Nations League final:

In Sunday’s final, Canada will take on a US team missing two starters due to automatic suspensions following last night’s nasty 3-0 win over arch-rival Mexico. Midfielder Weston McKennie and defender Sergiño Dest both received red cards in second-half skirmishes that also resulted in two Mexican players being sent off. Fans littered the pitch with rubbish before the referee called an end to the game with a few minutes left in stoppage time due to persistent anti-gay chants from the crowd. In the past, Mexico has been fined and forced to play home matches in empty stadiums because of such chants from its fans.

Sunday’s final probably won’t be as heated as the US-Mexico battle. But the rivalry between Canada and the US is growing after the Canadians beat the US to tie the game en route to their surprise first-place finish in CONCACAF’s World Cup qualifiers. The American to watch is Christian Pulisic, the 24-year-old Chelsea midfielder who scored twice last night.

This could be the most important game of the year for both teams. There is a Gold Cup starting later this month, but Davies and Pulisic are both skipping it as Canada and the US plan not to send teams at full strength. Instead, teams are expected to give less-tried players some experience as they pursue invitations to the Copa America – the intensely competitive South American championship hosted by the United States next year.

Six places in the Copa America will be awarded to CONCACAF teams, based on the 2023-24 Nations League results. Canada has bid farewell to the quarter-finals in November, where a win will see them find themselves in a Copa America field that includes World Cup champions Argentina and perennial power Brazil. That would be an excellent preparation for the 2026 World Cup, which Canada is organizing together with the US and Mexico.

Meanwhile, the Canadian women’s team is preparing for the World Cup this summer in Australia and New Zealand. The reigning Olympic champions, seventh in the world rankings, will open their pool on July 20 vs. No. 40 Nigeria before taking on No. 22 Ireland on July 26 and No. 10 Australia on July 31.