‘Gruesome’ injury brings back stomach-churning World Cup memory for Canadian men

Reunited for the first time since this summer’s World Cup, the Canadian men’s soccer team endured a stomach-churning moment of deja vu when defender Derek Cornelius suffered a dislocated hip at training Wednesday.

“It was a bit of a gruesome injury, just the way that it happened,” Canada coach Jesse Marsch told a news conference Friday. ”We all could see and hear right away that Derek was severely injured.

“With the nature of how it happened – which was non-contact, he just got stuck in the grass a little bit – we were all worried. And you could see even on Derek’s face, he was worried.”

The incident brought back ugly memories of Ismaël Koné’s broken leg suffered June 18 in Canada’s 6-0 win over Qatar in Vancouver in Group B play at the World Cup.

The good news is Cornelius’s injury was not as bad as feared after hospital scans.

“It will take some time with the injury but it looks, at it stands right now, like it’s something that he should be able to recover from fully relatively quickly,” Marsch said.

Both Cornelius and Koné will be cheering the team on Saturday when the 30th-ranked Canadian men return to action against No. 49 Chile at Toronto’s BMO Field. It’s the first outing for the Canadians since July 4 when they exited the World Cup courtesy of a 3-0 loss to No. 6 Morocco in Houston.

World Cup breakthrough prompts Canadian men to target new heights

The Chile contest is the first of three outings in the September-October international window with games against No. 50 Peru, on Oct. 3 in Montreal, and the 16th-ranked U.S., on Oct. 6 in St. Paul, Minn., to follow.

Canada Soccer reports over 21,000 tickets sold for Toronto and over 16,000 for Montreal.

Cornelius joins fellow defenders Moïse Bombito, Alistair Johnston, Joel Waterman and Alfie Jones on the injured list. Midfielders Ali Ahmed and Jeevan Badwal are also sidelined.

Veteran goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau wasn’t called up owing to an unspecified personal matter.

The absences are another echo of the World Cup given Marsch had nine players who were injury question-marks the month before the tournament started.

On the plus side, vice-captain Stephen Eustáquio returned to camp Thursday just two days after getting married in Portugal.

“I checked in on him before our first meeting [this week] and he sent me a photo of him getting ready. He said, ‘I’m getting married in two hours,’ and he had his tux on and he looked pretty sharp,” said Marsch.

Eustáquio, who drives Canada’s midfield engine, will be available off the bench Saturday, according to the coach.

Eustáquio’s commitment to the cause poses an interesting contrast to honeymooning captain Alphonso Davies, who was not called into camp. His soccer action during the international break has been limited to dribbling on a beach, as shown by a recent social-media video.

“Alphonso’s got to have a life too,” Marsch said in defence of the Bayern Munich star.

“I want them to have personal lives,” he said of his players. “I want them to feel fulfilled in every area, so that when they do come here, they really enjoy it and they’re ready to work really hard.”

Canada’s Promise David is confident he can thrive in his new life in England

Luc de Fougerolles, who turns 21 next month, is expected to anchor the Canadian backline Saturday with 24-year-old Ralph Priso getting his chance alongside him.

Veteran Junior Hoilett, a native of nearby Brampton, will be honoured at the Toronto game. The 36-year attacking midfielder, who won the first of his 69 career caps back in October, 2015, is currently without a club team.

Veteran CF Montreal midfielder Sam Piette will be celebrated at the Montreal game. The 31-year-old from Le Gardeur, Que., has earned 45 caps, dating back to his debut in June, 2012.

Marsch, while fondly recalling Canada’s run to the round of 16 at the World Cup, is ready to turn the page on the tournament.

“Now it’s time to get back to work,” he said. “I think it was a great moment in history for this country and for this team. We all want to continue to use that experience to catapult us to … making new history and setting new standards.”

Canada played both Chile and Peru at the 2024 Copa America, edging Peru 1-0 and drawing Chile 0-0.

The Canadian men are 1-2-2 against Chile and are winless in their last three meetings since a 1-0 victory, thanks to a 90th-minute Ian Bridge goal, in Toronto in May, 1998.