Can Canada 'Marsch' to Copa America Glory?
Thu, May 23, 2024
by
CapperTek
The appointment of Jesse Marsch as the Canada Men's national team head coach raised a few eyebrows, with many expecting him to pursue his coaching career in Europe.
The American returns to North America for the first time since leaving New York Red Bulls to join RB Leipzig as Ralf Rangnick's assistant in 2018. A switch to Red Bull Salzburg as head coach saw Marsch become the first American to live a title for a top-flight team in Europe.
He returned to RB Leipzig as manager before he replaced the legendary Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds United in the English Premiership. After saving the Yorkshire club from relegation, he was relieved of his duties after just under a year in charge.
His appointment has Canadian football fans excited as they look towards the Copa America tournament which starts on June 21st. With expectations high, the teams' odds of around 100/1 offered by many sportsbooks in Canada will be tempting.
Betting expert Neil Roarty explains how sports betting has enjoyed great popularity, and fans have a great choice of betting operators to explore for the best prices.
Despite being seen as outsiders by bookmakers, Canada has a few great players that could help them surprise a lot of people. The team's star player is Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies. At just 23, the versatile left-sided player has racked up well over 100 appearances for the Bundesliga club, and he is also approaching 50 caps for his country.
Davies is known for his speed and ability, something that Inter Milan's Tajon Buchanan also shares with him. While Davies operates on the left, Buchanan is typically deployed on the right, with both able to fill full-back, midfield, and winger positions.
Buchanan is likely to play further forward, with reliable right-back Alistair Johnston slotting in behind him. The defender currently plays in Scotland with Celtic and is a fixture of the national team.
Canada has several other good players currently playing in Europe, including Porto's Stephen Eustaquio, Watford's Ismaël Koné, Jonathan David of Lille, and Cyle Larin who is currently at Mallorca.
Jonathan David has been prolific for Lille, recording around one goal every two games. He also has a similar goalscoring record for Canada.
Canada will feature in the opening game against current World Champions Argentina. While this will be a daunting task, all the pressure will be on the South Americans to perform.
Bookmakers currently have Canada at around 17/2 to beat Argentina, but consumers will be able to browse operators and casinos with sportsbooks for a range of markets here. Handicap and stat betting offer a great betting experience for soccer fans.
The other teams that Canada will face in Group A are Peru and Chile who are also seen as long shots with odds of 66/1 and 33/1 respectively.
If Marsch can drill his tactics into his players and create a good team spirit, there are enough talented individuals to create problems for any team they could face in the tournament including Argentina who is the current favorite.