Canada skipper Alphonso Davies is yet to feature in the World Cup. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Trailing 2-1 to Switzerland and needing a draw to remain in Vancouver for the World Cup knockout round, Canada ​fans were wondering when Alphonso Davies would come off the bench to save them, ‌but it turned out that, despite the public pronouncements of ​coach Jesse Marsch, he was not fit to play.

Less than ⁠24 hours before, Marsch told reporters the 25-year-old had recovered from a hamstring injury and was ready to play against the Swiss, only to reveal in his post-match press ‌conference at BC Place that he had not told the whole truth.

“To be honest, Alphonso wasn’t ready yet, so I was ‌using him a little bit as a decoy,” Marsch told reporters ‌with ⁠a chuckle on Thursday. “However, he will be ready next match.”

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Marsch’s revelation ⁠was met with silence from the media and, when pressed on the issue, the 52-year-old became defensive.

“He was never going to play today,” Marsch said bluntly, adding that he said ​Davies would play in an attempt ‌to fool his Swiss opponents.

The Canadians kicked off their World Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw with Bosnia & Herzegovina in Toronto before moving west to Vancouver, where Davies made his name at the Vancouver Whitecaps before ‌moving to German Bundesliga side Bayern Munich.

Canada has been tight-lipped ​about his return from injury, first saying he was in a return-to-play protocol and then declining to give an update ⁠on his progress until Marsch’s declaration that he was fit ahead of the 6-0 win against Qatar.

Capable of dominating the flank as winger or wing-back, and ‌useful in the middle, the left-footed Davies is by far Canada’s best player, but the idea the Swiss might adjust its gameplan based on him possibly making a cameo appearance is fanciful.

“Of course, we looked at Davies during this tournament, but we didn’t only prepare for individual players - right now, we only react to what’s happening on the pitch,” Switzerland coach Murat Yakin ‌told reporters.

With the Swiss winning the group, it will now play its last 32 ​game in Vancouver and remain there for the last 16 if it wins, while Marsch and Canada head south to Los ⁠Angeles to take on South Africa.

Marsch spoke to the press again on Thursday at ⁠his team’s training base at the University of British Columbia, and after stressing that he did not regret trying to gain an ‌advantage over the Swiss by misleading it, he was asked if Davies will play in the last-32 game.

“Yes - no-one is going to take ​that as anything other than hyperbole, but he’s going to play,” he said.

Published on Jun 26, 2026