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Co-hosts' historic win over Qatar could be a water...

ESPN · Jun 19, 2026, 4:59 AM · Also reported by 1 other source

Key takeaways

  • That was the message from Canada head coach Jesse Marsch on the eve of Thursday's World Cup clash with Qatar -- widely billed as the biggest match in the history of the men's national team.
  • "Jonathan has scored a heck of a lot of goals, right?" Marsch said.
  • Less than 24 hours later, those words became a self-fulfilling prophecy as David netted a hat trick in a 6-0 victory that could prove to be a watershed moment for Canadian soccer.

Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.

That was the message from Canada head coach Jesse Marsch on the eve of Thursday's World Cup clash with Qatar -- widely billed as the biggest match in the history of the men's national team.

The 52-year-old's instruction came in response to a question on the form of star striker Jonathan David, whose underwhelming debut domestic season at Juventus was followed up by an unconvincing display in Canada's opening match of the tournament against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

"Jonathan has scored a heck of a lot of goals, right?" Marsch said. "Of course, in the biggest games we want him to score and he will, and he has, and he won't stop. He's not done scoring, people."

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