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Canada's starting lineup against Peru at Copa America. (Photo: Canada Soccer)
Player Ratings: How CanMNT performed in 1-0 victory over Peru at Copa América
2024-06-26
by
Benedict Rhodes, CanPL.ca Contributor (@BTFR17)
Canada Soccer CanMNT

Canada picked up a historic win at the Copa América on Tuesday night, beating Peru 1-0 at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City in their second group stage match.

Jesse Marsch made one change to the lineup that lost 2-0 to Argentina on Thursday, dropping Tajon Buchanan to the bench and bringing in Richie Laryea. Laryea came in at left back, moving Alphonso Davies up to the left wing, and Liam Millar swapped sides to the right wing, taking Buchanan’s spot. After a scoreless first half, Canada got a boost in the second half when Miguel Araujo in the 59th minute. Jonathan David scored the game’s lone goal 15 minutes later, finishing off a quick counter-attack from Canada to win the match.

Here’s how the Canadian players performed on Tuesday night.

Starters

Maxime Crépeau – 8/10

Once again, Canada were kept in a game by their goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau, who put in another standout performance on Tuesday night. Crépeau was called upon on several occasions but turned away everything that came his way, including an incredible stop to deny Christian Cueva in stoppage time to keep Canada’s lead intact. Before this tournament there was still uncertainty about whether Canada’s starting goalkeeper would be him or Dayne St. Clair, but Crépeau is staking a very strong claim to the number one shirt.

Alistair Johnston– 7/10

Alistair Johnston was at the middle of a lot of the action on Tuesday night, putting in a strong defensive effort beside Moïse Bombito to shut down the left side of Peru’s attack, making three tackles and an interception. Johnston thought he drew a red card late in the first half when he was headbutted by Marcos López, but the referee inexplicably decided it wasn’t worthy of a sending off, even after consulting the VAR.

Moïse Bombito – 7/10

Moïse Bombito continues to grow into a very important role for the Canadian men’s national team, and has been one of Canada’s best players in the Jesse Marsch era thus far. During another 90-minute effort on Tuesday night, Bombito made five clearances and four tackles, winning five of his seven duels along the ground. For a young player who is still relatively inexperienced, it was another strong performance.

Derek Cornelius – 7/10

Derek Cornelius only saw 45 minutes of action in this match, replaced by Kamal Miller at the break, but in the time he was on the pitch he was effective. Cornelius made five clearances and blocked one shot in another impressive defensive effort. He won two of his three duels as well in his half of work, another solid showing for Cornelius, who is becoming a key part of Jesse Marsch’s first-choice starting eleven alongside Bombito.

Richie Laryea – 6.5/10

Richie Laryea is a player built for a tournament like Copa América — he never backs down from a challenge or a chance to mix things up with his opponents, and that’s exactly what he brought to Canada on Tuesday night. In a match that ended up being quite physical, Laryea was involved throughout, and was strong defensively for the most part. He spent time at both fullback positions in this game, making some of his trademark bombing runs up and down the flanks, most of which was spent playing behind Alphonso Davies, but none of them led to a goal in his 66 minute shift.

Alphonso Davies – 7/10

Davies ran his socks off in this match, looking gassed at the end of a 90-minute shift in the sweltering heat in Kansas City. Playing as a left winger instead of at left back, Davies created a handful of chances for his teammates with passes into the box, and used his speed to his advantage against an older Peruvian side with an average age of over 30. Defensively, he added a clearance and a tackle in a solid showing. There were times again in this match where Davies tried a little bit too hard to do things on his own, resulting in him losing possession a team-high 19 times, but overall it was another solid performance from the Canada skipper.

Ismaël Koné – 6/10

Before being taken off at halftime in favour of Jonathan Osorio, the first 45 minutes weren’t Koné’s sharpest in the middle of the park, as he struggled to play up to the level everyone knows he is capable of. On several occasions he gave the ball away in midfield with sloppy passes or letting the ball slip by him, losing possession seven times. He had a couple of positive moments going forward, but overall it wasn’t a performance to write home about.

Stephen Eustáquio – 7/10

Pulling the strings in midfield for Canada once again, Stephen Eustáquio helped create several chances for his teammates. Completing 37 of 44 passes, he created one big chance in the first half, and linked the lines well between the backline and the attackers. Defensively he made three clearances, four tackles, and one interception throughout the 90 minutes.

Liam Millar – 6/10

Playing on the right wing instead of the left wing he occupied last time out, Liam Millar wasn’t as involved as he was against Argentina. He completed all eight of his passes, including a cross that led to an opportunity to score, but for the most part wasn’t involved often enough in the first half to make a hugely significant impact on the match. Millar was subbed out at halftime as Jesse Marsch made a triple substitution, replaced by Jacob Shaffelburg.

Jonathan David – 8/10

Jonathan David put in another shift on both sides of the ball on Tuesday night, making five tackles and an interception while winning a team-high 10 duels. This match will be remembered best for his 74th-minute goal, however, as he scored the match-winner with a composed finish that struck the inside of the left post on its way into the back of the net. The goal capped off a great counter-attack from the Canadians, and was the clincher in a historic night for the team.

Cyle Larin – 7.5/10

It was another game without a goal for Cyle Larin on Tuesday night, but once again he played a crucial role in an impressive Canadian performance. Larin used his physicality and movement off the ball to cause problems for the Peruvian defenders all night, but his best moment of the match came in the leadup to Canada’s goal. It was a pass forward from Larin that found the charging Jacob Shaffelburg, before he played it back across to David, who found the back of the net. Larin will want to get onto the scoresheet sooner rather than later, but he has been indispensable so far under Jesse Marsch.

Substitutes

Jonathan Osorio – 6.5/10

Replacing Ismaël Koné at halftime, Jonathan Osorio made an impact in the second half, slotting in next to Stephen Eustáquio. Osorio completed 12 of his 16 passes and won three of five duels, adding three tackles and one clearance on the defensive end. Osorio combined well with Eustáquio in midfield, and got stuck in when the game got chippy after the break.

Jacob Shaffelburg – 7.5/10

For the second match in a row Jacob Shaffelburg was Canada’s super-sub, coming into the game at halftime and raising Canada’s level. A dangerous cross in the 72nd minute looked like a great opportunity to test the Peruvian goalkeeper, but nobody was able to get on the end of it. Shaffelburg got his assist two minutes later, playing an excellent pass to Jonathan David that led to the opening goal. The energy he brings to the team is infectious, and he is becoming one of Canada’s key players.

Kamal Miller – 7/10

Playing 45 minutes off the bench in place of Derek Cornelius, Kamal Miller made a game-high six clearances, shutting down the Peruvian attack in the second half. He added two tackles, slotting in nicely beside Moïse Bombito in the Canadian backline. Miller was burned for pace on a couple of occasions, but for the most part stood his ground in a solid performance.

Tajon Buchanan – 6.5/10

In 24 minutes off the bench in relief of Richie Laryea, there were some bright spots for Tajon Buchanan as he looks to re-find some good form after a difficult match against Argentina in Canada’s first game. On 12 touches of the ball, Buchanan completed six of seven passes and made a couple of runs up the right flank, but didn’t have a huge impact.

Tani Oluwaseyi – 5.5/10

Coming off the bench in the 82nd minute to replace Cyle Larin, Oluwaseyi showed off his speed in a brief cameo, and nearly doubled Canada’s lead in the 88th minute. Oluwaseyi chased down a pass up the pitch from Jacob Shaffelburg, picked off a Peruvian defender, and closed in on goal, but he wasn’t able to make the most of his chance.

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