VANCOUVER — Jesse Marsch confirmed he used Alphonso Davies “as a decoy” before Canada’s 2-1 FIFA World Cup loss to Switzerland at BC Place Vancouver.
Davies, Canada’s 25-year-old captain, was on the bench but did not play before a sold-out crowd of 52,497. Marsch had said Tuesday that he expected Davies could come into Wednesday’s match as a substitute, but after the loss he said the Bayern Munich wing back was not ready.
“Alphonso wasn’t ready yet, so I was using him a little bit as a decoy,” Marsch said. “He will be ready for the next match.”
Asked whether the tactic had worked, Marsch pointed to Switzerland’s preparation. He said he listened to the Swiss news conference and heard three questions about Davies, meaning Switzerland “at least had to prepare for that.”
Switzerland coach Murat Yakin said through an interpreter that teams always have to plan for a captain and consider different styles and substitutes. Yakin added that Switzerland had looked at Davies during the tournament but had not prepared only for individual players.
The Swiss led 2-0 before Canada responded through Promise David in the 76th minute. With Canada still trailing by a goal, Marsch used his final substitution on Jacob Shaffeburg.
The result left Canada second in Group B. Canada will play South Africa, the Group A runner-up, Sunday in Los Angeles.
Davies walked through the mixed zone after the match with a cellphone to his ear and did not stop for reporters. He has not played since early May, when he suffered a hamstring injury with Bayern Munich in a Champions League semifinal.
Davies also has not played for Canada since a ligament injury during Nations League play against the United States in March 2025. He joined the national squad in Edmonton at the end of May and followed return-to-play protocols, including warming up with teammates during Tuesday’s training session and running and passing balls.
He did not dress for Canada’s 1-1 World Cup-opening draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto on June 12. He was on the bench for Canada’s 6-0 win over Qatar on June 18 in Vancouver.
Davies has deep ties to Vancouver. He made his professional debut for the Vancouver Whitecaps at 15, entering in the 72nd minute of a Canadian Championship match against the Ottawa Fury on June 1, 2016. At 15 years and 212 days old, he became the youngest player to appear in a game for the Caps.
Born in a refugee camp in Ghana after his parents fled civil war in Liberia, Davies grew up in Edmonton and signed with the Whitecaps’ academy at 14. He signed his first professional contract in 2016, making him the youngest active player in MLS, and made his league debut the next day with 13 minutes against Orlando City.
Across parts of three MLS seasons, Davies made 65 appearances and scored eight goals. He earned his first Canada call-up in June 2017 after receiving Canadian citizenship and has 15 goals and 17 assists in 58 appearances for the national team.
Davies scored Canada’s first World Cup goal in a December 2022 group-stage match against Croatia. Bayern acquired him from Vancouver in July 2018 in a transfer worth up to US$22 million.
With Bayern, Davies has won six German Bundesliga titles, a UEFA Champions League title and a FIFA Club World Cup title. His current injury is his third since he returned Dec. 8 from a 260-day layoff caused by a torn cruciate ligament in his right knee; he was also sidelined from Feb. 22 to March 9 with a muscle fibre tear and from March 11 to April 2 with a right hamstring injury.