![\"Davies](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/davies-canada-training-scaled-e1781216776849.jpg\")
<\/p>\nVANCOUVER \u2014 Ahead of the biggest game in their history, Canada\u2019s men\u2019s soccer team received a video message from Canadian NBA great Steve Nash.<\/p>\n
Head coach Jesse Marsch said at a press conference Tuesday that the message focused on \u201cthe combination of tension and freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe tension is about the discipline and the focus and the concentration to stick to the plan and to know what makes us who we are and what we are,\u201d Marsch said of the message from Nash. \u201cAnd the freedom was to go out and play and believe in ourselves and to go after the game and always show confidence and self-belief.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI really love the message,\u201d Marsch added.<\/p>\n
Nash is a two-time NBA MVP, a Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and arguably the best Canadian NBA player ever and one of the most accomplished athletes his country has ever produced. The former point guard is also a minority owner of MLS\u2019s Vancouver Whitecaps.<\/p>\n
The Canadian team watched the message in a recent video meeting before a training session, ahead of playing their final group-stage game against Switzerland on Wednesday in Vancouver. Marsch said star left-back Alphonso Davies will be available but will not start against Switzerland.<\/p>\n
Canada \u2018going to be us\u2019 against toughest group-stage opponent<\/p>\n
Marsch said he asked Nash, among other notable Canadians, to deliver the message.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a very thoughtful message, and a very thoughtful video,\u201d Marsch said. \u201cAnd I think it hit the nail on the head with our team. I want them to understand exactly what their roles are and understand what the match plan is, why the match plan is important and how it will help us gain an advantage in the match.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marsch and Canada will look to utilize that combination of tension and freedom against Switzerland. Those feelings are borne out of the circumstances around the result: a win or a draw from Canada would be enough to see them top Group B and stay in Vancouver for their round-of-32 game, which is one of the team\u2019s most important priorities. A loss would likely send them into second place and a date with the second-place team from Group A, likely South Korea, in the Los Angeles area.<\/p>\n
\u201cStaying here in Vancouver is our No. 1 goal,\u201d Marsch said.<\/p>\n
The possibility of Canada finishing third is remarkably slim. Canada would need to lose and either Bosnia and Herzegovina or Qatar would need to win their game and overcome Canada\u2019s goal differential. Canada currently have a +6 goal differential, while Bosnia sits at -3 and Qatar is at -6.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n Davies is set to make his 2026 World Cup debut against Switzerland. (Reuters \/ Bernadett Szabo)<\/p>\n
Canada are coming off the biggest win in the program\u2019s history: a thrilling 6-0 demolition of Qatar.<\/p>\n
Despite only needing a draw while Switzerland will require a win to top Group B and stay in Vancouver, Marsch was clear: against a Swiss side that like to have possession of the ball, Canada will not be reverting from their high-tempo, aggressive style.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to be us,\u201d Marsch affirmed. \u201cOne of the best parts of this team is who we are is pretty well built-in. Even if, let\u2019s say, I showed up and said, \u2018OK, guys, we are going to play a different kind of match than what we normally would,\u2019 they would all look at me like, \u2018Coach, what are we doing?\u2019 We will have subtle adjustments that we make like we always do for the match plan, for what the opponent brings, but we are going to play to who we are. We\u2019re going to play to our strengths, and we\u2019re going to try to impose ourselves on the opponent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Davies set for first World Cup minutes<\/p>\n
To do that, Canada could have one of their best players to call on.<\/p>\n
\u201cI expect him to play,\u201d Marsch said of Bayern Munich\u2019s Davies, who has not yet played in the World Cup.<\/p>\n
Eight players on Switzerland\u2019s team play in the German Bundesliga. That makes Davies\u2019 intelligence about the opponents, as well as his pace and creativity, valuable against Switzerland.<\/p>\n
Davies last played for Canada in March 2025, having suffered a variety of injuries since.<\/p>\n
The 25-year-old suffered a hamstring injury during the second leg of Bayern Munich\u2019s Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain on May 6. The left-back\u2019s timeline for recovery was expected to be 4-6 weeks. Davies has been out for nearly seven weeks since his injury.<\/p>\n
Davies\u2019 availability has continued to be a topic of discussion after arriving in Canada camp on June 1. Davies has trained both with the team and on his own with Matthias Blankenburg, an independent specialist trainer, as part of an arrangement between Bayern, Davies and Canada Soccer.<\/p>\n