In a surprising turn of events, Canada`s run in the Concacaf Gold Cup ended in the quarterfinals on Sunday. They were eliminated by Guatemala following a 1-1 draw where they were arguably outplayed, ultimately losing in a dramatic penalty shootout.
Jesse Marsch`s team initially took the lead around the 30-minute mark with a penalty converted by Jonathan David. However, the momentum shifted towards Guatemala just before halftime when Jacob Shaffelburg received a red card during first-half stoppage time. This was Shaffelburg`s second yellow card, shown after a collision with Stheven Robles, resulting in the Canadian player`s dismissal right before the interval.
Guatemala leveled the score in the 69th minute through Rubio Rubin. Notably, Rubin had previously played seven times for the U.S. national team before switching allegiance to Guatemala. The goal came from a precise cross delivered by Oscar Santis from the left wing, finding Rubin relatively unmarked near the six-yard box. Rubin finished clinically with a header, securing a deserved equalizer for Guatemala.
The game proceeded directly to a penalty shootout, which Guatemala won 6-5 in a tense finish. The initial seven penalties were all successful. Canada`s Cyle Larin then missed, but Guatemala`s Jose Carlos Pinto also failed to convert his kick. Another miss from Luc de Fougerolles for Canada was followed by Jose Morales scoring the decisive penalty, sending Guatemala into the last four.
This victory marks Guatemala`s first appearance in a Gold Cup semifinal since 1969, a significant achievement that contrasts sharply with Canada`s unexpectedly early departure.
As a co-host for the upcoming World Cup, Canada under Jesse Marsch has positioned itself as a burgeoning force in North American soccer, having reached the Copa America semifinals previously and secured two wins against the USMNT recently. The squad also features global stars like Bayern Munich`s dynamic left wing-back Alphonso Davies, although he was absent from the Gold Cup due to an ACL injury sustained in the Concacaf Nations League third-place game against the USMNT in March.
Despite starting the tournament convincingly with a dominant 6-0 victory over Honduras, Canada`s path to the quarterfinals wasn`t smooth. They drew 1-1 against Curacao, considered a lesser regional opponent, and were aided by a red card incident in their 2-0 win against El Salvador.
