VANCOUVER — Still buzzing from its historic win, Canada must now soldier on at the FIFA World Cup without one of its key midfield generals.
A 6-0 destruction of Qatar on Thursday marked a historic occasion for the Canadian’s men’s team, its first ever World Cup victory after going winless through seven previous games since making its tournament debut in 1986 in Mexico.
But as much as it was a landmark moment for the sport in this country, celebrations by the Canadian players and coaching staff were understandably and rightly muted.
Early in the second half, midfielder Ismaël Koné crashed to the ground in a heap under a horrendous tackle from behind by Qatar’s Assim Madibo just a few yards away from the Canadian bench. His leg ended up being broken and three of the top surgeons at Vancouver General Hospital ended up performing the surgery after seeing the incident on TV.
Madibo’s crude challenge on Koné wasn’t intentional, just reckless and ill-advised. But that doesn’t change the end result. Koné is ruled out for the rest of the World Cup — and beyond — robbing Canada of the services of one of its most influential figures.
There’s little room for sentimentality at the World Cup, especially for Canada ahead of its group-stage finale next week against Switzerland, needing only a draw in order to clinch first place and ensure its round of 32 match (and a potential round of 16 contest) would be staged in Vancouver.
And as incredibly insensitive as it is at a time like this, and with the horrific memory of Koné writhing in pain on the pitch still too raw and fresh, the question still needs to be asked: Who will take his place in Canada’s starting 11?
Whoever it is has some big shoes to fill. Since Jesse Marsch took over as coach in 2024, co-captain Stephen Eustáquio and Koné have been the twin engines that have driven Canada forward in central midfield, their partnership becoming one of the foundations upon which the team’s success has been built.
Replacing Koné won’t be easy, as there isn’t a like-for-like player on Canada’s roster. He’s a physical box-to-box midfielder who runs himself ragged for the Canadian cause, while also offering his country a touch of class in possession and while distributing the ball. His absence will be felt.
“From a talent and tactical perspective, it weakens us in the tournament,” Marsch admitted prior to Friday’s training session.
Regardless, Marsch is now forced to turn to one of several other central midfielders in the squad to fill in for Koné.
That someone has to step up in next week’s high-stakes affair against the Swiss which will become just the latest version of the “biggest game” in the history of the men’s team.
“Ismaël’s a bit of an X-factor for us, but those guys all bring their own qualities, and we’ll make the team different in different ways. But I still think we’ll be strong in that position, and whoever we turn to, I know will be ready to go,” Marsch stated.
It would appear Nathan Saliba has the inside track on the starting role.
When Koné was stretchered off the field, it was Saliba, a 22-year-old Quebec native, who Marsh turned to, subbing him into the game in place of his fallen comrade. Just seven minutes after stepping onto the pitch, Saliba repaid his coach’s faith in him by bending a sweet free kick from 20 yards out around Qatar’s defensive wall, off the crossbar and into the back of the net to make it 4-0. Saliba celebrated by holding up a jersey with Koné’s name as BC Place erupted into a state of delirium.
Full credit has to be given to Saliba, a close confidant of Koné’s, for the way he handled the emotion of the moment and for the way he made such a huge impact in a tough situation.
“It was very challenging. It’s not easy when your friend goes out like this, and then in a moment where everybody is saddened by what had just happened, you need to come in and be ready for your team. But I knew what I had to do … I had to be ready to deliver a good performance. I had to get through the emotions, and I was able to do what I did,” Saliba said after the game.
It was Saliba’s third goal in 16 national team appearances, all of which have come under Marsch’s watch.
Once a bright prospect in MLS for CF Montreal, the ultra-talented midfielder now plies his trade for RSC Anderlecht, one of the biggest clubs in Belgium, a sign of how far he’s come in such a short period of time under Marsch’s tutelage.
“Nathan brings physicality. He’s a strong player. He’s a really good passer, and he’s mobile. Ismaël is a guy that drives with the ball, and we don’t really have other midfielders that are comfortable with that aspect. So, it means that even if teams have a certain way of pressing us, Ismaël can have solutions because of the way he can move with the ball, so we’ll have to come up with solutions for that,” Marsch explained.
“But I think Nathan brings some different qualities. He’s more intensive in terms of the defensive responsibilities, which can still be really helpful for us against better opponents when we need to press more, when we need to be better and more secure defensively.”
Marsch also has other quality options at his disposal.
Youngster Niko Sigur is a jack-of-all-trades kind of player who can slot in at fullback as well as in the centre of the park. Mathieu Choinière is a classy midfielder with a genuine eye for splitting defences with pinpoint through balls. And Jonathan Osorio is a tireless workhorse with an eye for goal, and the most experienced member of Canada’s roster with 91 caps.
“Choinière brings a real work rate and intelligence in there, and Osorio brings great experience, and I think he’s been playing in a really intensive way. And then Niko brings a little bit of all of it, too. So, we have good options, and we just have to figure out which option is the best one for each particular situation,” Marsch said.
Editor’s note
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 27 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.