Canada holds off Chile to advance to Copa America quarterfinals (2024)

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The last time Copa America was hosted in the United States, Chile found glory in a penalty shootout victory against Argentina. But eight years on, Chile limped to an early exit after failing to score a goal in three group-stage games. In fact, it was the first time since 1917 that La Roja failed to score throughout an entire tournament.

This was instead Canada’s night, with new head coach Jesse Marsch leading his side into the next round in the country’s first Copa America appearance.

Joshua Kloke and Melanie Anzidei discuss the key talking points…

What’s next for Canada?

The team will face the winner of Group B — likely Venezuela, although Mexico and Ecuador are not out of it yet — on Friday, July 5 at 9:00 p.m. ET (AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX).

What does this result mean for Canada?

For the first time since this young Canadian core of Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David and others came together, Canada showed they could play game after game with genuine composure and maturity. The draw against Chile showed their grinding, at times ugly, 1-0 win over Peru wasn’t a fluke. In fact, it was almost equally as ugly. But that’s tournament soccer.

Moving forward, Canada can play aggressive soccer when they need to and rely on each other to keep their cool when the temperature rises, both literally and figuratively. One goal in three matches is a concern, however, that borders on major. Especially when there is dangerous attacking talent with a history of finding the back of the net at their disposal.

WE’RE THROUGH. WE’RE THROUGH. WE ARE THROUUUUUUUGH TO THE KNOCKOUT STAGES OF COPA AMÉRICA!!!!#CANMNT #NoFearAllFight pic.twitter.com/Cj2rYeBzmM

— CANMNT (@CANMNT_Official) June 30, 2024

Ultimately, this result means that Canada has grown up in a short amount of time under Marsch. This Canadian core wilted in past games when they were tested. Doesn’t their capitulation in the second half against Haiti of the 2019 feel like a lifetime ago? Canada should feel better about their ability to read games as they develop and adapt to the opposition.

What was the impact of Chile’s early red card?

The night started off with two yellow cards issued by the 11th minute for both sides. First for Canada’s Moïse Bombito and then for Chile’s Gabriel Suazo. That certainly set the pace for a very physical night. A second yellow for Suazo in the 27th minute resulted in a red, forcing Chile to pay the rest of this important game one man down. The team needed a win, while Canada could make it through to the next stage with a draw.

Knowing this, Chile quickly reacted with a change in the 30th minute: midfielder Dario Osorio was out, and defender Thomas Galdames was in. This gave Chile a more solid backline against a Canadian side with one leg up. While this kept the game balanced, it also was a thorn in Chile’s side as they needed a goal to advance and now had to do this with a less intact front line. The team had already struggled with finding the back of the net this tournament.

It proved to be a fatal blow to Chile’s chances at another Copa America title, as they failed to make it out of the group stage after a scoreless three games.

What was the crowd like?

Tonight was very much a home game for Chile in Orlando. Inter & Co Stadium was a sea of Chileans dressed in red, with few Canadians sprinkled in between. Fans even had a mini banderazo before the match, letting off fireworks in a nearby lot. When fans began trickling into the stadium, the chants soon started. Fans singing the anthem shook the stadium, as they went full a cappella once the song track that was being played inside the stadium ended.

With every glimmer of hope that Chile would secure a lead, the crowd roared. It felt like Chile thrived off this energy, even when playing most of the game with a 10-man squad.

While Chile failed to make it out of the group stage, this felt like a fitting send-off for a team with so much history in this tournament. If only they had reached their potential.

How did Canada’s late subs do?

Canada’s substitutions were impactful: Liam Millar created some decent link-up play with teammates and looked intent on challenging Chile. Tajon Buchanan rebounded from an up-and-down first game against Argentina to showcase his best qualities: his pace and interest on constantly getting towards the goal. Even Tani Oluwaseyi scored before being called offside.

This was a game that understandably took a lot out of Canada physically. There were points when Canada’s starters slowed in the second half. But the substitutions proved too much for Chile’s equally tired defenders. The smart moves from Marsch ultimately tilted the field in their favour, even if they didn’t produce a goal. That, on the day, was enough.

What did the managers say?

Canada head coach Jesse Marsch: “I knew (the players) were going to play well. They trained really well. This week, their confidence has grown a ton. … We could have made life so much easier on ourselves by finding a way to finish a play off, but we knew Argentina scored at the beginning of the second half and then we knew that the key was not to give anything away. And then we were through. So, I tried to encourage them to stay stable, to stay balanced to search and probe for the goal, but to do it in a way where we never exposed ourselves and for the most part I thought we did that pretty well.”

Chile assistant coach Sergio Santín: “We believe in the group that came to participate in this Copa América. A very detailed analysis was done so that the best players were in this Copa América call-up, and they were. We respect all opinions whether they agree or not, but we continue to affirm our confidence in this group of players who came to represent Chile and in the group of players and in everyone, that is, we are all representing to Chile. This result, of course, hurts us all and we understand, of course. We all always want to win. Wherever Chile is going to play, we want to win.”

Required reading

• Why Jonathan David appears destined for the Premier League: ‘A unique mentality to never stop’
• Canada’s ‘Maritime Messi’ Jacob Shaffelburg – ‘I feel I’ve been overlooked my whole life’
• Copa America 2024 bracket: Who has qualified for knockout stage – and who is out?
• Marseille agree deal in principle with Watford for Canada midfielder Ismael Kone
• Inside Jesse Marsch’s vision for Ismael Kone: Canada’s next star

(Top photo: Getty Images)