Canada defeated by Switzerland - What does it mean for the rest of the World Cup?

2-1 at BC Place 

VANCOUVER -- The Canadian men’s national team's journey at BC Place has come to an end. Canada lost their final group stage match in front of 52,497 spectators at BC Place 2-1 to Switzerland, thanks to goals by Rubén Vargas (46’) and Johan Manzambi (57’) to finish second in Group B. Promise David (76’) scored the only goal for Canada. The result means that Canada will now play the runner-up of Group B. “There was a bit of disappointment in the room,” Alistair Johnston said. “But it shows how far this program has come that we can push a very good Swiss team until the end.”

Ultimately, the result was deserved. Even before taking the lead in the second half, Switzerland controlled much of the game. Canada sat deep and tried to counterattack the Swiss. A strategy that was difficult to execute, as Canadian players often struggled with their first touch, and Switzerland seemed more than comfortable to meet their opponent’s speed. Indeed, Canada had just one-half chance in the first half. They only really started to press in the second half after Switzerland took a 2-0 lead. After David’s goal, it felt like an equalizer could still be in the cards, but ultimately it never came.

The Swiss were far more efficient. Indeed, they scored with their first true chance as Vargas beat Maxime Crépeau with a shot to the far post. Manzambi was the provider here. Shortly after, the Swiss wonderkid would provide what would turn out to be the winner. Luc de Fougerolles was beaten inside the box by Breel Embolo. Embolo spotted Manzambi, and his shot slipped under Crépeau’s body. It was a bitter moment for the Orlando City goalkeeper, as that goal would decide the match's outcome. They then happily absorbed all the pressure Canada threw at them. “I don’t know why we didn’t start this way,” Liam Millar said. “We will have to probably look back and understand the reason why, it is hard to understand right after the game.”

Canada defeated by Switzerland – What happens next?

So, what happens next for Canada? Although this is the first time Canada have advanced from the group stage, the second-place finish will hurt. Winning Group B would have meant Canada would have faced one of the teams that finished third place in Group E/F/G/I/J at BC Place. Canada will now face whoever finishes second in Group A at SoFi Stadium in LA. That could potentially turn out to be South Korea, which will have close to a home game in Los Angeles due to the large South Korean population there.

If they advance from there, Canada would then play at the NRG Stadium in Houston in the round of 16. But even worse than playing a tougher opponent is that Canada will now have to take their circus on the road. It will mean more travel, less preparation time, and no longer the guaranteed support of almost 53,000 fans at BC Place. “The crowd was a big advantage for us,” Millar said.

Promise David, though, tried to put an optimistic spin on it. “It just means we must get on a flight,” he said when asked whether finishing second would complicate things. Indeed, it means getting on a flight quickly, Canada will play again in four days and must be on location in two days. It will complicate things, without a doubt. But even then, the team still believes that it won’t be the end of the road. “We go down to LA now,” Johnston said. “We are at the knockout stages, which is the bare minimum of what we wanted. It’s the knockout, everything can happen.”

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