Fallout from Alphonso Davies’ injury an unnecessary mess with no winners

The Concacaf Nations League has threatened to derail the positive vibe surrounding the Canadian men’s national team heading into the summer. A disappointing loss to Mexico was a (perhaps needed) reality check, but thankfully the resounding victory over arch-rivals USA brought back a little of the feel-good factor … until news broke that Alphonso Davies had suffered a serious knee injury.

Let’s not overreact to Bayern Munich’s suggestion that they may seek legal action after Davies tore his ACL on international duty. The club-versus-country fights are as old as international soccer, and Bayern Munich have never been a club to keep its feelings contained within the walls of the Allianz Arena. They are furious and that is understandable as they have lost their first choice left-back for the Bundesliga run-in, not to mention a Champions League knock-out campaign that just so happens to have its final booked at the aforementioned stadium. 

Having said that, injuries are sadly part of football and the player himself needs to have agency. Here is what I know: Davies struggled with what is speculated to have been a hamstring strain following the Mexico match. On the eve of the third-place match against the US, the players were resigned to the fact that their captain would not be available on Sunday. Therefore, there was much surprise when Davies was named in the starting XI. 

Whether Davies declared himself fit on the morning of the match, or whether his agent’s insinuation through social media on Friday that he was coerced into playing by the coaching staff holds any water, is still unknown and just an accusation at this point. That said, I find it highly unlikely that the team’s most-prized asset would be put at risk for a glorified friendly match unless Davies himself had made himself available. Yes, I understand the USA narrative and head coach Jesse Marsch’s obvious motivation to lay another gut punch on the association that he feels wronged him, but surely not at the captain’s expense? 

It should also be noted that a torn ACL is not necessarily related to a strained hamstring. However, as I understand it, a strained hammy can cause instability in the knee. Remember, there are no letters after my name, and certainly not ‘Dr.’ before it, so take that all with a grain of salt.

Bayern Munich seem especially irritated: “Sending a clearly injured player with a damaged knee on a 12-hour intercontinental flight without a thorough medical assessment is, in our view, grossly negligent and a clear breach of medical duty of care,” the team said in a statement.

Would they have preferred Davies to return to Canada for assessment? To stay in the USA? Would they not have preferred to assess Davies themselves as quickly as possible?  Again, nothing but conjecture.

As it stands, Bayern Munich appear to be entitled to compensation through FIFA’s Club Protection Programme. As such they could claim as much as €7.5M to cover a portion of Davies’ salary during his absence.

At this juncture, all we know for sure is that this is all very difficult to stomach for everyone involved. Bayern and the Canadian men’s national team have lost a world class talent for months, which is just brutal.

Everyone I speak to has nothing but good things to say about the Canadian team’s medical staff. Mix in Friday’s extremely unhelpful comments on social media by Davies’ agent and this is a mess, but it should not overshadow the devastation Davies is feeling. Unless he speaks publicly, we have to assume he concurs with his agent’s comments. Despite an attempt on Saturday to calm the waters with another post by Nedal Huoseh, there will be continued speculation regarding the relationship between Davies and Canada Soccer. 

It all seems so unnecessary.

‘DOLAN’ OUT PRAISE FOR MAX

With four straight starts in goal, it does appear Dayne St. Clair has Marsch’s confidence and is Canada’s No. 1 keeper. The question is: how firm is his grip on the gloves? 

St. Clair was just fine in the Concacaf Nations League. Could he have organized his wall better for the Raul Jiminez free kick in the 2-0 loss to Mexico? Perhaps. Would he have expected himself to do better for the Patrick Agyemang goal vs. the US?  Sure. Overall, however, he certainly did not do himself any harm in the race to tend goal at next year’s World Cup. 

Nothing is set in stone, though. Max Crepeau is still very much in contention, but clearly needs to restore his confidence having lost his starting spot at his MLS club, Portland, to another Canadian hopeful, James Pantemis.

Crepeau does have strong support within the Canadian goalkeeping landscape. Paul Dolan, who played 53 times for Canada and has spent time as the national team’s goalkeeping coach, still believes in Crepeau.

“I have complete faith that Max can get back there having seen what he’s done before because of his determination to play in a World Cup,” Dolan said. “He’s in his prime, is technically very sound — the safest hands in MLS, in my opinion, and very good at coming for crosses and playing out of the back with either foot comfortably.

“While I like all of the tools Dayne brings — fantastic shot stopper, hugely confident and great command in the air — I feel he may be more prone to errors just through inexperience and he’s not as comfortable with the ball at his feet. His time will come and if Max doesn’t do what I think he will, which is regain his confidence, then perhaps Dayne will be Marsch’s choice but I really believe it hinges on whether Max can get himself mentally and physically right in time for 2026,” Dolan said.

The battle for the starting keeper role is something to watch, as there are still many matches between now and the summer of 2026.  It may well become more than St. Clair vs Crepeau. Pantemis has plenty to play for, as does Tom McGill, who is No. 2 at Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League. 

I think goalkeeping is still a strength for Canada, but with two of the top four goalkeepers available not starting at their clubs, it could open up some question marks.

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