Canada walks the walk after shutting out Romania

It’s one thing to have all the right remarks, the upbeat pressers and the bullish feedback from training. It’s quite another thing to step out into Arena Nationala, to defy the tens of thousands of yellow-clad supporters and back it all up on the pitch.

But that’s exactly what Canada’s men’s soccer team did in Bucharest on Friday when it dropped a money-where-your-mouth-is performance against Romania.

Next up is Wales, and following their 3-0 win the Canadians will have been further emboldened in their swagger to Swansea ahead of Tuesday’s match in Landore (1:45 p.m., TSN4).

Going into the Romania showdown it was hard to keep the eyes from rolling back amidst the overwhelming positivity. Here was manager Jesse Marsch and his best ever practices with the national team. There was midfielder Stephen Eustaquio and his elevated leadership role. Look left, look right — smiles all around.

It was a thorough emotional rebound from the disappointment of the summer’s Gold Cup. That quarterfinal loss to Guatemala, as well as a group stage draw with Curaçao, would have signalled a downward trajectory had Canada lost or drawn in Bucharest — and not long out from a home World Cup, no less.

In that frame, it looks mighty impressive that the Canadian players and coaching staff were able to go, “TA-DA!”, and act as if the Gold Cup was just a blip. It’s even more so that they could follow through and drub an opponent barely a year removed from the Euro knock-outs.

The immediate takeaway is that Canada might actually be what it’s cracking itself up to be.

Take squad depth, for example. Marsch is navigating this international break without three of his preferred four defenders. Right-back Alistair Johnston, out with a hamstring injury, was previously a vital piece of most matchday squads. But his replacement, Niko Sigur, scored against Romania and has made himself undroppable.

Playmaking winger Jacob Shaffelburg was also absent on Friday (through suspension), but Ali Ahmed showed himself to be a more than capable deputy. His delivery in the 11th minute assisted a rare Canadian set-piece tally — converted by Jonathan David — and in the 22nd he pressed the opposing goalkeeper to give up possession, which he turned into a goal.

If we’re leaning into the optimism, it could also be pointed out that Friday’s was Canada’s 14th game in the last 12 months — the most in a quarter-century.

Next month the national team will host Australia in Montreal and face Colombia in Harrison, N.J. In November, Ecuador will visit Toronto. All three teams have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup.

But here’s the thing — the reality, if you will.

Including the upcoming Wales match, these are four opportunities to turn Friday’s triumph into the blip. That’s how delicately things are balanced.

Shortly after his appointment as manager, Marsch took Canada to the semifinals of the Copa America. It seemed the sky was the limit for a group of players that had given Argentina two tough games. Instead, it all sort of levelled off.

Remember the Nations League Finals back in the spring? Canada was talking a big game then, too, and promptly lost to Mexico. Then it hyped itself up as a Gold Cup favourite. We know how that turned out.

This is a team that hasn’t got a whole lot better in 14 months. In fact, on balance that year-and-a-bit was quite disappointing. At least, that’s the outside view.

Inside the squad, it seems to be a different story entirely. Past failures are exactly that. Confidence comes quickly, and gets rebuilt just as fast. It’s high-fives and fist-pumps — everyone’s a leader and these are the best practices ever.

Which is fine, so long as they can walk the walk.

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