Canada faces tough test in young Venezuela squad – Sportsnet.ca

Can Canada continue its surprising run at the Copa América?

The Canadians have impressed in their first appearance at this major international tournament by advancing to the quarterfinals from a first-round group that included Lionel Messi and World Cup champions Argentina. 

Canada’s performance at the Copa América is all the more impressive considering new coach Jesse Marsch was only hired on May 13 and he didn’t have a lot of time to work with his team ahead of this competition. 

Here’s what you need to know about Canada’s quarterfinal encounter vs. Venezuela.  

QUICK HITS  

• Canada vs. Venezuela kicks off Friday at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.  

• Canada suffered a 2-0 loss to World Cup holders Argentina in its opening match in Atlanta before rebounding with a 1-0 win over Peru in Kansas City and 0-0 draw vs. Chile in Orlando to finish second place in Group A and advance to the knockout round. 

• Venezuela was one of three teams (alongside Argentina and Uruguay) to go a perfect 3-0-0 in the first round. The Venezuelans came from behind to beat Ecuador 2-1 in Santa Clara, Calif., in its Group B opener before dusting off Mexico 1-0 in Los Angeles and Jamaica 3-0 in Austin, Texas. 

• The winner of Friday’s match advances to the semifinals on July 9 in East Rutherford, New Jersey where it will face the winner of Thursday’s quarterfinal between Argentina and Ecuador. 

• Canada is No. 48 in the current FIFA world rankings. Venezuela is 54th. 

IS CANADA FOR REAL AT THE COPA? 

Canada’s progress through the Copa América has been one of the more interesting storylines of the tournament. Rather than the United States and Mexico, it’s been Canada and Panama who have led the charge for the Concacaf region at the South American championship, and all eyes are now firmly on the Canadians to see if they are indeed for real. 

Newly-installed coach Jesse Marsch has done a good job of shaping the Canadian team into a solid, well-organized defensive unit in such a short period of time. Canada has been a tough team for opponents to break down at the Copa América thanks in large part to the new centre back pairing of Moïse Bombito and Derek Cornelius. When opposing teams do get in behind the Canadian back line, they’ve run into goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau who has been sensational in posting two clean sheets across three group stage games.  

Canada has shown great resilience at this tournament and an unflappability that has allowed them to overcome some tough situations and grind out the results they have needed. It hasn’t been pretty from Canada, but it’s been effective. And in tournament football, that’s all that matters at the end of the day. 

Still, there are serious questions surrounding Canada ahead of Friday’s game. For starters, the Canadians have only scored one goal in this tournament, courtesy of Jonathan David, and have been shut out in four of the five games they’ve played since Marsch took over in May. Canada had the benefit of playing with the man advantage for the majority of its matches against Chile and Peru, yet it still struggled to create much on the offensive end. 

And it also has to be said that Chile and Peru are spent forces in South American football who are clearly in decline and have relied on aging players who are past their prime. Venezuela is a young side that is on the rise, playing with a lot of intensity, and attacks with fearlessness. They’re a completely different proposition compared to Canada’s last two opponents, so Marsch’s men can expect a much tougher test this time around. 

BUCHANAN INJURY A BIG BLOW FOR CANADA 

Canada’s Tajon Buchanan is ruled out for the rest of the Copa América after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured tibia on Wednesday. The Inter Milan player suffered the injury the previous day in practice in Texas. The training session was cancelled after Buchanan was taken away in an ambulance to a local hospital. 

Buchanan, 25, has four goals and six assists in 40 caps (31 starts) for Canada since making his international debut in 2021. The native of Brampton, Ont., started for Canada against Argentina before coming off the bench in the last two games. 

This is a big blow for Canada as Buchanan is regarded as one of the team’s most dynamic and quickest attackers, so it’ll be interesting to see how Jesse March adjusts. One change he might make is to move Alphonso Davies up to left wingback from his normal fullback position and shift Liam Millar from the left wingback position over to the right. Or he mighty simply start Richie Laryea at the right wingback position that Buchanan would normally take up.

CANADA SHOULD BE LEERY OF VENEZUELA 

Venezuela has long been one of the weakest nations in South American soccer. It has never qualified for the World Cup and its best showing at the Copa América came in 2011 when it reached the semifinals (it’s only appearance in the final four). Prior to that, the Venezuelans bowed out in the group stage in each of the 12 tournaments from 1975 to 2004. 

But La Vinotinto (The Wine-Red) have been on the rise in recent times thanks to a “golden generation” of players, including Yangel Herrera who helped Girona finish third in Spain’s La Liga this season. Venezuela is also off to a strong start to World Cup qualifying, sitting in fourth place after six rounds.  

Manager Fernando Batista’s side has been one of the best and most entertaining teams to watch at this tournament thus far. A balanced attack and solid back line saw Venezuela score six goals and post three wins (two clean sheets) in the group stage to book its spot in the quarterfinals for only the fifth time in its history.  

Veteran striker Salomón Rondón, 34, and winger Eduard Bello each have two goals at this tournament, while a sturdy back line anchored by the centre back pairing of Yordan Osorio and Nahuel Ferraresi has only conceded a single goal. 

This is clearly not the same Venezuelan team that South American powerhouses such as Argentina and Brazil have long used as a doormat to wipe off their feet. It’s a youthful side with a touch of veteran experience that has come of age in recent years and it hardly comes as a surprise they’ve made it this far in the tournament. Canada better be aware of the danger that Venezuela poses.  

PREVIOUS MEETINGS 

Canada and Venezuela have only previously met twice and both nations are looking for their first win in the series. 

The teams played to a 2-2 draw on June 1, 2007 in an international friendly in Maracaibo, Venezuela where Dwayne De Rosario and Ali Gerba scored for Canada. 

Another friendly on May 29, 2010 in Mérida, Venezuela ended in a 1-1 draw after Gavin McCallum scored an equalizer for Canada in injury time in his one and only cap for his country. McCallum scored on a header off an Issey Nakajima-Farran free kick.

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUPS  

Canada (4-4-2)  

Crépeau – Johnston, Bombito, Cornelius, Laryea – Davies, Koné, Osorio, Millar – David, Larin.  

Venezuela (4-2-3-1)  

Romo – Navarro, Osorio, Ferraresi, Aramburu – Herrera, Herrera – Bello, Savarino, Soteldo – Rondón

John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 20 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. TFC Republic can be found here.