Canada enters the World Cup Round of 32 at SoFi Stadium with coach Jesse Marsch saying Alphonso Davies is healthy and available after a hamstring ordeal that repeatedly sidelined him. Marsch also acknowledged Davies was effectively used as a decoy during group
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Alphonso Davies is available for Canada when the World Cup knockout rounds begin, coach Jesse Marsch said Saturday.
At SoFi Stadium. with Canada set to travel and face South Africa on Sunday to open the Round of 32. Marsch’s tone carried more certainty than it did during group play. This time. he made it sound like the plan isn’t just about keeping Davies protected from further harm—it’s about getting him back to doing what he does for Canada.
Marsch admitted that this week he used his captain and Bayern Munich star as a decoy during group play, leaning into gamesmanship to force opponents to plan for someone who, at the time, wasn’t actually ready to return from his hamstring injury. Now, he said the dynamic has shifted.
“Now that we have Alphonso back and healthy and ready to perform. I think it’s a big moment for the team and a big boost for the team. ” Marsch said. “I think in general. all the players that came into camp with little injuries are now really close to 100 per cent and ready to perform at the highest level and be at our best in these matches.”.
The hamstring injury has been persistent. Marsch and Davies decided the left back wouldn’t rush through return protocols to suit up after Davies injured his hamstring three times in the past four months, including in the Champions League semifinals last month.
Marsch still maintained Davies was available for Canada’s two most recent games during group play—even though, as Marsch puts it, this “soft deception” is something he doesn’t need to use anymore.
“For me to go tell our best player. and a guy that is a huge piece of everything that we do. that we have to wait. was also painful. ” Marsch said. “But we’ve done this in the best interests of Alphonso and his career and his health. so it’s nice now that we can have a plan that leads to him being back on the pitch.”.
Davies knows exactly how long this wait has been. He scored Canada’s first World Cup goal in Qatar four years ago, and he has been anticipating his nation’s chance to host the tournament for even longer. The injury forced him to miss all three of Canada’s home games in Toronto and Vancouver.
And even with the setback already in motion, he tried to change Marsch’s mind for Canada’s group-deciding loss to Switzerland last Wednesday. Davies said he went to his coach before the match asking for minutes.
“Obviously, it was painful,” Davies said. “The only thing you want to do is play football. That’s what I’m really passionate about. The first game, watching it, I was eager to be on the pitch. Second game, even more so. The third game. I went to him before the game and asked him. ‘Do you think I can get a couple of minutes?’ He could have said. ‘Yeah. we’ll just throw you in there. ‘ but obviously he cares about me and the team as human beings as well. so he sat me down … and I thought about it, and I said, ‘He’s right.’ It was kind of hard to hear.”.
Marsch did not confirm whether Davies will start. how many minutes he might play. or what position he could take against South Africa. when Canada is chasing its first knockout-round victory. Canada is making its third appearance at the World Cup. and while it had the chance to stay in Vancouver for this round. the loss to Switzerland sent the team to the Los Angeles area.
SoFi Stadium has already held a key chapter in Davies’ recent story. Canada played the third-place match of the CONCACAF Nations League tournament there in March 2025, beating the U.S. 2-1. But in the same window, Davies tore a knee ligament and was sidelined until December.
Now he’s back at the same venue with the same goal that’s been driving him for months.
Davies said he has no fear about stepping onto the field again, even as he acknowledges the injury setbacks are part of football’s harsh reality.
“Could have happened anywhere,” Davies said. “Coming back to the stadium, I get to finish something I started a year ago in March. I really enjoy playing in this stadium. The first time, it was beautiful. It was cut short, but that happens. It’s football.”
Alphonso Davies Canada World Cup Round of 32 South Africa Jesse Marsch Bayern Munich hamstring injury SoFi Stadium Qatar 2022 CONCACAF Nations League
So he’s healthy now… cool I guess.
Hamstring three times in four months is kinda wild. Also “decoy”?? Like so they were playing games with injuries? I’m confused but whatever if it works.
Decoy or not, South Africa still gotta deal with him right? I feel like if he was a decoy then he wasn’t even playing which means Canada got lucky in group play. But then again Marsch says he was available so… who knows.
Round of 32 at SoFi Stadium sounds expensive just to risk a guy who already keeps re-injuring himself. They say he’s 100% but hamstrings don’t just magically reset like that. And the whole “we used him as a decoy” thing feels like coaching-speak, like they’re trying to justify sitting him. I’ll believe it when he actually plays the whole match without pulling something again.