Summarize and humanize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in EnglishJesse Marsch is ready to call a truce between Canada Soccer, Bayern Munich and Alphonso Davies’ agent Nedal Huoseh.With the Concacaf Gold Cup on the horizon, Canada’s head coach is moving on, but not before trying to close the book on a dramatic few days. Davies tore his ACL after playing for Canada’s men’s national team in March’s Nations League’s finals. There was no shortage of public feuding afterwards, with Huoseh telling various media outlets Davies should not have played in the third-place match against the U.S. and that Marsch himself should have handled Davies’ injury situation differently.“I think that some of (Huoseh’s) comments were misinterpreted and blown out of proportion. In the end, he was trying to protect Alphonso and support him in the situation,” Marsch told The Athletic in a phone interview on Friday. “For Alphonso, it’s his first real injury. When you’re a young player and you haven’t been through these things, it’s not always the easiest thing to understand how to handle every moment.”Marsch’s first public comments about the injury came after Huoseh’s blistering March 26 statement. Davies had suffered a knock in the Nations League semifinals vs. Mexico but subsequently played vs. the U.S. regardless. He was forced off after 12 minutes and, while it was believed the injury he suffered was not serious at the time, he was later diagnosed with the torn ACL. Bayern threatened Canada Soccer with legal action over the injury, yet Marsch projected calm over what could come next.“Luckily I know people at Bayern. (Bayern sporting director) Christoph Freund and I had an hour-plus conversation. And we talked a few times about the whole situation to create clarity and understanding between what it was like when Alphonso was with us and what has happened and what it’s been like when he’s been with them,” Marsch said.Marsch insinuated Canada Soccer should not be blamed for Davies’ hamstring injury.“(Davies) has been working with his hamstring since November, December of last year. We were aware of the fact that there were sensitivities to all of this,” Marsch said. “We’re all disappointed that (Davies) experienced this injury, but we’re incredibly focused on making sure that we’re going to all support him in the right way and we’re going to use the opportunity to get to know each other and be stronger with our communication and our conviction to make sure that (Davies) is always in a good place to perform and be at his best.”
Alphonso Davies’ return from injury is of keen interest to both Bayern Munich and Canada. (Michael Owens / Getty Images)Marsch is confident Davies can, and will, recover from his recent surgery.“(Davies) is the best athlete I’ve ever coached,” Marsch said. “I’ve never seen an athlete like him. He’s going to come back better and stronger. And he’s going to rebound from this injury better than anyone that I’ve coached that’s had these injuries before, just because his body is like a machine and his mentality to be at his best is so strong that he’ll be back and he’ll ready to go.”When Davies returns to Canada’s men’s national team later this year, it’s possible it will have added its first trophy since 2000. On Thursday, Concacaf held the draw for this summer’s Gold Cup. Canada, a seeded team, was placed in a group with Honduras, El Salvador and Curacao.“If you took the average FIFA ranking of our opponents, I’d think that we would have the toughest group,” Marsch said.The strength of Canada’s opponents isn’t going to deter Marsch from his objective, though.“We want to win. That’s the goal,” he said.In the past, the Gold Cup’s unenviable position in the summer meant the U.S., Mexico and Canada would send rosters far from full-strength. Each national team’s best players needed – and deserved – rest after their demanding club seasons.This summer’s Gold Cup feels different. The overlap with the Club World Cup will lead to some players not being available. Stephen Eustáquio, for instance, will participate with Porto (Davies would have been on assignment with Bayern were it not for his injury). But even still, that the Gold Cup is the last tournament for the three World Cup co-hosts before 2026 frames this summer in a compelling light. Players who might have pined for a summer break otherwise will be keen to stake their place. Being able to play tournament games in World Cup venues allows nations the preparation and familiarity that could benefit them in a year’s time.Marsch is planning on going full-tilt with his requests for players to feature in a Gold Cup they might have otherwise passed up in another year. That’s a change from how past Canada coaches have approached the tournament.“I’ve made it clear to the team that we’re not treating this as anything other than bringing in as many of our best players as we can,” Marsch said.He believes winning a tournament — even without the best player available — is vital for the confidence of his team ahead of the World Cup.“(The Gold Cup) is a part, a big part, of the continued preparation,” Marsch said. “And with only six windows before the World Cup, and this being clearly the longest one and the opportunity to achieve the most, much like Copa America was last year a chance for us to build a foundation, we can’t let this slip by as just a young player tournament.”He added that some of the players who could be in contention for the Club World Cup — there is possibility of Jonathan David being transferred to a team that will compete this summer, for example — have expressed an interest in coming directly to the Gold Cup from that tournament, depending on when their club commitments end.It’s not hard to assume, then, that Eustáquio could be part of the Gold Cup in some form.
Jonathan David’s uncertain club situation leaves his Gold Cup involvement in limbo. (Sameer Al-Doumy / AFP via Getty Images)By going all in on the Gold Cup with a stacked roster, Marsch is invariably placing a challenge at the feet of his team: if you want to compete in 2026, this is one of your last chances to prove it.“Every single one of (Canada’s players) from Alphonso Davies, our captain, down to (17-year-old) Shola Jimoh, their dream is to play in the 2026 World Cup at home. And none of them want to let it slip,” Marsch said.Still, this summer will be about striking a balance for Marsch. Playing both proven stars and unheralded younger players would be ideal.If Marsch has learned anything in his time as Canada coach, it’s that there are unproven players capable of grabbing international windows and not letting go.Jacob Shaffelburg made a name for himself at Copa America. In September, Ali Ahmed showed he has the potential to eventually play in Europe. During this last window, Tani Oluwaseyi’s first goal for Canada served as a reminder of the team’s forward depth and why Cyle Larin’s starting spot might not be so safe any more.A trophy would be welcomed for Marsch and Canada. But without the team’s 2026 leadership group including Davies, Eustaquio and, likely, Alistair Johnston, it remains to be seen how much winning the tournament could impact a full-strength team’s goal of winning games at the World Cup.“This is not in that vein for me,” Marsch said when asked about the Gold Cup being a place for young players to prove themselves.Instead, he sees the Gold Cup as another step for the team’s core — not their fringe players — to take towards winning World Cup games on home soil in 2026.“None of them want to show any lack of commitment, any lack of desire, any lack of understanding of what this is going to take,” Marsch said. “And that’s the demand that I’ve put on the entire experience we’ve had together.”(Top photo: Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
