Canada loses to Switzerland, cedes home World Cup edge
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- Canada lost to Switzerland at BC Stadium on Wednesday, conceding two quick second-half goals from Rubén Vargas and Johan Manzambi, with Promise David pulling one back in the 76th minute.
- Jesse Marsch said he was disappointed to surrender home advantage, noting that a draw would have kept Canada in Vancouver through the round of 16; instead the team now travels to SoFi Stadium outside Los Angeles for Sunday's round-of-32 match.
- Canada will face the Group A runner-up — likely South Korea — and Marsch acknowledged the large Korean community in LA would make it feel like an away game for the co-hosts.
- Marsch admitted a tactical error, saying he should have switched to five at the back at halftime because Canada was "too passive" after the break, with players "getting a little bit tighter" in the moment.
- Alphonso Davies was held out with a hamstring injury but used as a "decoy" on the bench; Marsch confirmed the Bayern Munich star will be fit for the knockout match.
- Canada still advances to the knockout stages of a men's World Cup for the first time, joining fellow co-hosts the United States and Mexico, who both won their groups.
Why it matters: As co-hosts, Canada traded a Vancouver home crowd for a likely pro-Korean crowd in Los Angeles — a meaningful swing for a team Marsch himself called "exactly where we want to be" but now facing a tougher path with Davies returning from injury to lead the knockout push.
