VANCOUVER, BC–Canada’s Men’s National Team returned to the pitch at BC Place to begin Concacaf Nations League play against Curacao and buoyed by the return of Alphonso Davies, went out 4-0 winners. Davies would score twice in the match–once from the penalty spot–in his first match for Canada in over seven months recovering from a COVID-related heart issue. Steven Vitoria and Lucas Cavallini also scored for Canada on the evening.
This was Canada’s first match after a friendly warm-up match against Panama in Vancouver on Sunday but the game was called off at the last minute when players refused to take the field due to heated contract talks with Canada Soccer, the sport’s national governing body.
The players issued a statement on Sunday saying they wanted more transparency from the organization, an equitable compensation structure for both the men’s and women’s national teams, and World Cup compensation that includes 40 per cent of prize money and a “comprehensive friends and family package” for the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
Negotiation are ongoing while Canada continue to preparations for the World Cup in November where they will be in a group with Belgium, Morocco, and Croatia. Canada’s next match in Nations League play will be on Monday at Honduras.
Gerrit te Hennepe was on hand to take photos of the match. You can view his photos below:
