Larin proves clutch, David's slump reaches worrying levels

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Canada finally have their first men’s World Cup point, but after Cyle Larin’s late rescue act against Bosnia and Herzegovina, GOAL picks winners and losers from a tense opener.

TORONTO -- Like veins running toward the heart, the streets of Toronto pulsed with red and blue on Friday as Canadian and Bosnia and Herzegovina fans made their way toward Toronto Stadium for the first men’s World Cup match held in Canada.

Canada’s march to the match was massive, filled with smoke, flares and the kind of energy more often associated with their Bosnian counterparts.

Toronto isn’t known for soccer marches, and Toronto FC’s supporter scene has quieted as the club has struggled over the past five seasons. Yet for Canada’s first World Cup game on home soil, fans took over, carrying that energy through the city and toward the stadium.

Canadian striker Promise David, who told GOAL that the morning before the World Cup would be “same shit, different day,” stood in the center circle before the match, headphones on, eyes fixed on his phone as he blocked out the noise. But this was the moment when it became clear: this was not just a different day.

That energy had been building for hours. More than 43,000 fans packed into the stadium, many arriving early, with Bosnia and Herzegovina supporters forming a strong block in the upper tier. Still, there was no doubt this was Canada’s home match. The buzz was loud enough to rattle eardrums, with Canadian cheers and jeers cutting through the night.

The home side had chances in the first half but struggled to finish. For much of the match, it looked like a familiar Canada performance from the past year: competitive, organized and dangerous in moments, but undone by poor finishing and one costly set-piece lapse.

Then came Cyle Larin.

Dropped from the starting lineup in favor of Tani Oluwaseyi’s speed and tenacity, Larin provided the match-saving moment off the bench, entering in the 76th minute before scoring the equalizer to earn Canada its first-ever World Cup point.

With the draw, Canada now faces real pressure heading into the second and third games of Group B, with Qatar up next on June 18 before a group-stage finale against heavily favored Switzerland on June 24. There is hope within the team that this point can set them up to advance for the first time in the country’s history.

Here, GOAL picks out the winners and losers from the match as Canada finally earned the first point in its men’s World Cup history, moving to 0-1-6 all time in the tournament.

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WINNER: Cyle Larin

Larin hadn’t scored for Canada since 2024. Maligned and in bad form for the national team, Marsch dropped him from the starting lineup despite starting the two lead-up friendlies against Uzbekistan and Ireland. When he came in, though, it took him less than two minutes to make a key difference. 

After a quick two-pass sequence at the top of the box, the hulking forward - who made his Canada debut when the team was ranked 110th in the FIFA Rankings in May 2014 - forced himself past a defender, before his smashing right-footed finish nestled into the side netting. Goal drought over, doubters silenced. 

In January, Larin leaned on Marsch to help him find a new club situation after struggling on loan at Feyenoord, following a falling out of favor with RCD Mallorca. Marsch helped arrange a loan to Southampton, where Larin quickly became a fan favourite, scoring nine goals in 22 matches and earning the moniker from Saints supporters as “The Brampton Bagsman.”

“It was an amazing feeling, just to score a goal at home and I haven't scored in a while, but I knew it was coming, and I've always known I can come up,” he told reporters after the game. “[There are people] who say I shouldn't be in [the lineup], but I've always proved them wrong, so I did it again, and hopefully now they can shut up.”

Just a 20-minute drive away from Brampton, he scored the most important goal of his career, helping Canada claim a first-ever men’s World Cup point and creating another late chance. There’s also the potential that he has now reclaimed his starting role for the second match against Qatar. 

“I knew Cyle wasn't happy about not starting, and we had a brief conversation about that. I said to him, ‘Look, you have had a great year with Southampton, whether you start or come off the bench, you had an impact in every game, and now you have to wrap your head around that,’” Marsch said. 

“He did. Even when I didn’t put him in the first group, and I waited to put him in later, he was ready. I just said, ‘Make sure you are getting yourself in the box.’ Get chances and score a goal. So he did that right away.”

Canada v Bosnia and Herzegovina: Group B - FIFA World Cup 2026

LOSER: Jonathan David

Marsch has been preparing to coach Canada in a World Cup from the moment he took the job in May of 2024. For the first time, he showed no mercy, even to the core players who had led to so much success. Jonathan David, who has played among the most minutes under Marsch, came out in the 61st minute, after a poor performance. 

The Brooklyn-born striker struggled throughout his first season with Juventus, but is Canada’s all-time leading goalscorer. Yet, he looked more like the striker who scored just six goals in 35 games with the Italian giants, than the one who stood out as one of Europe’s best attacking talents through a half-decade in France with Lille. 

Marsch began the match with David lining up with Oluwaseyi, but struggled throughout. Early on, Liam Millar set him up open in the box, only for David to fire a weak-footed shot into the goalkeeper’s arms. Later on, he failed to control a ball sent over the top. 

“Johnny didn't have his best day. It's normal that a player doesn't always play at his peak, but he's an incredibly important player for us,” Marsch said. “We'll need him in this tournament to be at his best and find a way to use this experience to be better for the next one, because without him in top form, we're not the same team that we have potential to be.”

This was the first time that Marsch showed no mercy or favouritism to David, and it was needed. Whether he starts Canada’s next match now stands as a key question.

Canada v Bosnia and Herzegovina: Group B - FIFA World Cup 2026

WINNER: Ismaël Koné

Few players are as mercurial as Ismaël Koné can be. After the first friendly of the summer, a 2-0 win over Uzbekistan, Marsch took him aside and had a blunt conversation about his focus and efforts in possession. Yet, when the Sassuolo midfielder is on form, he’s one of the most influential in the Canadian player pool - and he was exactly that on Friday. 

Roaming the midfield, he attacked open spaces between the Bosnia midfielders, driving in possession through gaps, while also seeking perfectly-weighted passes through small channels in the backline. While he wasn’t able to connect on all of them, he was able to control the pace of play through the center of the park and finished the day with a game-high 51 passes. 

Outside of his distribution, Koné is simply calm and smooth in possession when he’s at his best. Friday, he was vital and did so after missing Wednesday’s training session due to a fever. 

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LOSER: Tajon Buchanan

If Canada could outline exactly what they want from Tajon Buchanan, they would pull up a video from the 2020 CONCACAF Olympic qualifiers. Then, a youngster with the New England Revolution in MLS, he played directly and showed fearlessness in his approach and final third actions. Now, while he has stepovers, better off-ball habits, and straight-line speed, he wasn’t able to make things happen in the final third. 

Part of his issue comes down to playing with Alistair Johnston down the right again, with a system that involved the Celtic fullback pushing ahead and forcing Buchanan to drop on the overlapping run. Due to that factor, and how tight Bosnia and Herzegovina defended, he wasn’t afforded spaces to exploit in the backline. 

Buchanan’s dribbling struggled, finishing with no successful runs on three attempts, making him a clear candidate to take off just after the hour mark. 

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WINNER: Canada’s Bench 

Whether it was Marsch’s doing or simply the depth of the Canadian team in 2026, the energy changed when the subs entered the game. Marsch made brave moves to make drastic adjustments, but it paid off. 

Larin will get the spotlight for his goal, but Ali Ahmed was just as influential, adding a dynamic aspect to the wide area after replacing Millar, who had a largely pedestrian performance. Ahmed, making his way back from injury, used his change of pace and quick dribbling to expose Bosnia’s defenders and played a key part in creating the late flurry of chances. 

Promise David also found himself in scoring positions and offered a sizeable threat against the physically-imposing Bosnia defense, while Jacob Shaffelburg’s return to the international scene brought exhausting straight-line speed. 

This Canadian group is deep, but faced doubts that they had already pushed the limit on the depth. Friday proved they can go deeper and have different characteristics to change the outlook on a game. 

Canada v Bosnia and Herzegovina: Group B - FIFA World Cup 2026

LOSER: Canada’s Hopes of Winning the Group

The winner of Group B will get the honor of playing the Round of 32 and potential Round of 16 match at Vancouver’s BC Place. Canada, with the missed chances, will face a tougher task to earn that opportunity, now likely having to get a result against a highly-touted Switzerland, in the final game of the group stage. 

Every team in the group is expected to beat 2022 hosts Qatar, while many see Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina battling for the second spot. A draw helps both teams in their hopes of advancing as a No. 2 or No. 3 finisher, but it is a gut-punch to their hopes of winning the group. 

Regardless, the team is eager to head to Vancouver after a promising showing. For Ahmed, who left the Vancouver Whitecaps after the 2025 MLS Cup final to join Norwich City, it’s a return to familiar surroundings, where they still believe good things await them with six more points up for grabs. 

“We'll take that point,” Ahmed said. “I’m super excited to get to Vancouver and be back at the UBC facility,  that's my home, BC Place, that's my home too.... I know what BC Place is like when its packed.”