By: Daniel Feuerstein | Guatemala City, GT | November 13th, 2026 |
The Canadian Men’s National Team traveled down to Central America to face Guatemala in their first-leg matchup of the CONCACAF Nations League Quarterfinals in League A. A rough and tough matchup at the Estadio Manuel Felipe Carrera, where everyone in the country was looking to see if their home nation side could knock off or give a game to the Canadians, who were looking to play their game and take the advantage. After the full 90 minutes were up, Canada held off the plucky Guatemalans with a final score of three goals to two, taking a one-goal advantage in the aggregate.
Canada Scores Three in the First Half
Canada was on the front foot from the opening whistle till the end of the first half. Jesse Marsch’s side were firing on all cylinders as they were ready to take this Nations League match by the horns. The opening goal was a huge moment: Jonathan David on the near side sent a quick pass into the middle of the park. Picking up the ball, Tani Oluwaseyi attacked the far post and fired a quick shot past the keeper in the 18th minute.
The second goal started from just a throw-in along the far side touchline. As Canada worked the ball towards the Guatemala area, some quick passing by Jonathan David and Liam Miller. When the ball came back to Jonathan David, his shot hit the far post and left a juicy rebound for Liam Miller to pick it up and smash it home in the 28th minute for a two-goal lead, and Canada was feeling great about themselves.
As the first half entered first-half stoppage time, Canada was looking to get that third goal and head to the locker room for their halftime conversation. As the fourth official posted five minutes on his board, Canada went to work. Tajon Buchanan held the ball along the near side and went down the pitch. When he got close to the area, he made a pass towards the middle, and Jonathan David made the run, and he scored inside the near post in the second minute of five in first-half stoppage time. Jonathan David scored his 44th international goal.
Guatemala Pulls One Back
Canada was looking to keep on going and add more goals, but Guatemala had their own conversation in their locker room as they wanted to get back into the match. It all started with a long ball from Matt Evans as he was crossing it all the way down the near side of the pitch when Oscar Santis got underneath it. As soon as Santis leaped for the ball with his head, he caught Canadian goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau off his line, rainbowed over his head, then landed behind Crepeau, and it bounced off the inside of the far post and into the net in the 54th minute.
Jesse Marsch is Sent Off
As the second half was rolling along, a strange and confusing moment happened on the pitch. Canadian Men’s National Team Head Coach Jesse Marsch was trying to have a conversation with the fourth official and wasn’t paying attention to referee Ivan Barton. Then, all of a sudden, the camera shot of Barton showed him making a gesture and using his finger, pointing at his own head, and making the circling motion of someone who is not right in the head while running towards Marsch and the fourth official, having his red card in hand and issuing it to Marsch in the 64th minute, sending him off and suspending him for the second leg in Canada.
Law 12 of IFAB (International Football Association Board) stipulates a violation of the law when referees are not allowed to make taunting or mocking gestures at players and/or coaches. FIFA, CONCACAF, and the match assessor can review and impose punishment on the referee. While the referee was unprofessional, the gesture alone will not rescind the red card. The governing bodies can remove the one-match ban but not the red card and potentially suspend or overturn the suspension. The referee, after review of the match footage, can be issued an internal reprimand, downgraded in rating, or removed from future tournament assignments.
Own Goal Pulls a Second Back for Guatemala
Guatemala kept attacking and attacking to get that elusive second goal. But the match was entering second-half stoppage time, as the fourth official posted four extra minutes on his board. A long ball once again was sent toward the Canadian area, and Matt Evans was looking to put the ball into the net. As he took the shot, defender Luc DeFougerolles stood in his way, and the ball took a deflection off the left side of his chest and went past Crepeau and curled into the net in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time. But after that, the final whistle blew, and Canada survived the match with three away goals and a one-goal advantage on the aggregate.
Canada will now move back home to BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, as they will look to finish the job and move on to the semi-finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, in the March International Window of 2027. But at the moment, they won’t have Marsch inside the technical area at BMO Field.
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