Marsch claims – Jesse Marsch said he used Alphonso Davies “as a decoy” despite the captain being sidelined with injury for Canada’s 2-1 defeat to Switzerland in Vancouver. Davies stayed on the bench, Canada scored through Promise David in the 76th minute, and the loss sent Ca
VANCOUVER — Alphonso Davies watched from the bench as Canada chased a game it needed to stay alive. Then, when the final whistle landed on a sold-out BC Place crowd of 52,497, Jesse Marsch offered a surprising detail from the plan.
Davies, sidelined with an injury, was not used in Canada’s 2-1 loss to Switzerland on Wednesday. Marsch said afterward that he intentionally treated his captain differently. “Alphonso wasn’t ready yet, so I was using him a little bit as a decoy,” Marsch said. “He will be ready for the next match.”
The timing mattered. Switzerland struck first and took a 2-0 lead before Canada fought back with a goal from Promise David in the 76th minute. With the clock shrinking and the deficit trimmed to one, Marsch made his final change, bringing on Jacob Shaffeburg with his final substitute.
Asked whether the tactic worked, Marsch pointed to the way Switzerland prepared. “I listened to their news conference (and they) had three questions about Alphonso Davies, so they at least had to prepare for that,” Marsch said.
Switzerland head coach Murat Yakin was asked what he thought about the decision to use Davies in that way. “You always have to plan with the captain,” Yakin said through an interpreter. “You have to look at different games and different styles. You have a sense of the substitutes too.
“Of course, we looked at Davies during this tournament but we didn’t only prepare for individual players. Right now, we only react to what’s happening on the pitch.”
There was still confidence from Marsch going into what comes next. On Tuesday, he sounded certain Davies could enter as a substitute if needed. “We will evaluate what we need of him in the game,” Marsch said. “I would like to get him into the match, for sure. And I think that he can have a big impact. both on us physically and football wise. but also mentally. psychologically. to have our captain back. our best player back in the team. I think this is a big factor.”.
Canada’s defeat reshaped the tournament picture. The loss meant Canada finished second in Group B and will play Group A’s runner-up Sunday in Los Angeles.
Davies did not engage with the media after the game. He walked through the mixed zone with a cellphone pressed to his ear and did not stop to talk to reporters.
The setback adds another chapter to a season shaped by injuries. The 25-year-old wing back has not played since early May. when he suffered a hamstring injury playing for Bayern Munich in a Champions League semifinal. He hasn’t appeared for Canada since a ligament injury during Nations League play against the United States in March 2025.
He joined the national squad in Edmonton at the end of May and followed return-to-play protocols. including warming up with teammates during Tuesday’s training session and running and passing balls. Even so, he didn’t dress for Canada’s 1-1 opening World Cup draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto on June 12. Davies was on the bench for Canada’s 6-0 win over Qatar on June 18 in Vancouver.
For Vancouver, Davies is more than a star in a match program. He has a connection to the city dating back to his youth: he made his professional debut with Major League Soccer’s Vancouver Whitecaps at age 15. Born in a refugee camp in Ghana after his parents fled civil war in Liberia, he grew up in Edmonton. He was 14 when he signed with the Whitecaps’ academy.
His professional debut came June 1. 2016. when he entered in the 72nd minute of a Canadian Championship game against the Ottawa Fury. At 15 years and 212 days old, he became the youngest player to appear for the ‘Caps. Davies signed his first professional contract in July 2016—a multi-year deal with Vancouver that made him the youngest active player in MLS—and then played his first league game the next day. seeing 13 minutes of action against Orlando City.
Across parts of three MLS seasons, Davies made 65 appearances and scored eight goals. He earned his first call-up with the national team in June 2017, shortly after receiving his Canadian citizenship. For Canada overall, he has scored 15 goals and had 17 assists in 58 appearances.
He also made history on the biggest stage: Davies scored the country’s first-ever World Cup goal in a December 2022 group-stage match against Croatia.
The leap from Vancouver to Europe came in July 2018, when Bayern acquired him in a record-breaking transfer worth up to US$22 million. With Bayern, he helped the club win six league titles, a UEFA Champions League title and a FIFA Club World Cup title.
Still, health has been the constant obstacle. His latest injury was his third since he returned Dec. 8 from a 260-day layoff from a torn cruciate ligament in his right knee. He was sidelined Feb. 22 to March 9 with a muscle fibre tear, then from March 11 to April 2 with a right hamstring injury.
Now, after Wednesday’s result and Marsch’s insistence that Davies wasn’t ready yet, the question shifts to the next match—whether the captain’s absence was just one tactical moment or simply another reminder of how quickly a World Cup campaign can be defined by timing.
Jesse Marsch Alphonso Davies Canada vs Switzerland Promise David Jacob Shaffeburg FIFA World Cup Group B BC Place Murat Yakin Vancouver