Halford & Brough in the Morning - What A Win For Canada!

Episode Date: June 19, 2026

In hour one, Mike & Jason look back at the previous day in sports, they talk Canada's big 6-0 win over Qatar at the World Cup (3:00), plus they discuss what's next for Canada at the World Cup with OneSoccer lead commentator Gareth Wheeler (27:38).  This podcast is produced by Andy Cole and Greg Balloch. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

You're listening to Halford and Brough. Come in and sweep the series. Here's one of those lovable high schoolers from TV's Springfield Heights 90210.1. He's cool. He's sexy. He's 34 years old. Let's hear it for Darren. It's the most hated part of salad, which is the most hated part of dinner. Good morning, Vancouver, 601. on a Friday. Happy Friday, everybody, sweet, sweet Friday. It is Halford, it is Brough. It is Sportsnet 650.

We are coming to you live, not from the Kintech Studios today, but live on location at the showroom at Duicom Marine 400 Southeast Marine Drive in Vancouver. I'm Mike Halpert. Jason, good morning. Good morning, and I loved that Blue Jays highlights intro. I know everyone in the country was glued to the Blue Jays game yesterday. Well, friend. And there's only a certain amount of things that we can air. It was amazing.

First thing in the morning. Laddie is live on location with this. Laddie, good morning to you. Hi, I was watching the Blue Jockey. What are you saying? Adog and Zach are back in Mission Control. I'm not sure if they can hear us. We'll move along anyway.

We are listening to the Halford of Rough Show on Sportsnet 650. Halverdard and Rough the morning is brought to by Sands and Associates. They're open seven days a week and they're open late to help you get debt-free with no judgment or up front fees. Visit them today at sands dash trustee.com. We are in hour one of the program. Hour one is brought to by North Star Metal Recycling. Vancouver's Premier Metal Recycler pays the highest prices on scrap metal. North Star Metal Recycling, they recycle you get paid.

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The Dunbar Lumber Tech Line, 650, 650, trusted by contractors and DIY champions across Metro Vancouver for generations. Find them at three convenient locations or visit Dunbar Lumber online today. It is time now for our morning guest list. That is the Duick Morning Drive brought to by the Duick Auto Group. A reminder, it's the Duick Auto Group's 100th anniversary sale this Friday. at a through Sunday. We will begin the show today at 6.30 this morning.

Gareth Wheeler is going to join the program from one soccer. What an unforgettable Thursday it was for Canada at the World Cup. The country's first ever win, an emphatic blowout to boot, but also a horrific injury suffered. We'll look back on all that and look ahead to the Swiss match with Gareth Wheeler at 630 this morning. 7 o'clock, or sorry, 7.30, Luke Fox is going to join the program. NHL writer from Sportsnet. If you were wondering about that radish gag off the top here,

We originally booked Luke as a sort of NHL generalist to go around the league. But early this morning, the Toronto Maple Leafs fired the first big shot of the off season, pulling off a big sign and trade with Tampa Bay. We'll talk to Luke about that and more at 7.30. 8 o'clock, Rick Dollywall is going to join the program. Our intrepid Canucks reporter from Donnie and Dolly on Czech TV. We'll talk about Canucks high ranks, Canucks free agent targets, and more. Rick is back in his usual slot at 8 a.m. on a Friday.

Speaking of Fridays, we are still doing the 100. gift card to AJ's Pizza on East Broadway for the best ask us anything. As Jason mentioned earlier, Dunbar Lumber text line is 650, 650, 650. Get your AUAs in, hashtag at AUA, put a pizza emoji into the text, and you'll be entered into the grand prize contest. Best Ask Us Anything gets $100 to A.J's. Finally, finally, the last prizing and giveaway of the day. For the final time this week, we're giving away a pair of tickets to the outdoorsman

and conservation festival. It's going to be in Squamish next weekend, June 26 and 27th. Visit them online at OCFest.ca for more. Caller number 5 at 8 a.m. So right before Dollywall joins us, we'll win the tickets. The number is 604-280-0-650. That number again, 604-280-650. We got a lot to get to.

We got a big show ahead. So without further ado, Zach, let's tell everybody what happened. Hey, did you guys see the game last night? No. What happened? I missed all the action because I was... We know how busy your life can be. What happened is brought to you by ATS Traffic.

Safety is not a shortcut you want to take. From design to execution, ATS Traffic is your full-service traffic safety provider. Visit them online at aTSTraffic.ca. What a day it was yesterday, Jason. Jonathan David with the Hatrick. Canada won its first ever World Cup match. but in typical hard luck Canadian fashion, it always comes with an asterisk

because they lost his Malcone to a devastating injury. Where do you want to begin? Yeah, I want to begin with about how I felt yesterday during that match because, you know, we went into that match against Qatar and both of us, well, maybe me more so than you, were confident that Canada was going to dominate that match and Canada was going to do pretty well.

We knew in the back of our minds that Switzerland only got a draw off Qatar, but we were at least hoping that with the home crowd, with the nerves out of the way from the Canadian team, which I think they showed a bit of in Toronto in their draw with Bosnia, that certainly the odds were stacked in Canada's favor. And you could tell right from the start that this was going to be a match that was going to be played with Canada possessing the ball and Qatar mostly defending. And that's the way it started and that's the way it went the whole way.

But none of us really predicted it would go particularly like that. You know, I thought Canada was going to win and probably going to win by multiple goals. But after the Switzerland match against Bosnia, where it became clear that Canada was going to have to win by at least four goals, in order, this is confusing, in order to only need a draw against Switzerland to win the group, I was kind of like, oh, I don't know if they're going to do that. I think they can win by two or three, but asking them win, to buy four was a little much.

So as the match started, they get the, they get the two-nil lead. I'm feeling pretty good about it, obviously pretty good. And then Qatar goes down to 10 men, and I'm like, okay, they're going to do that. So I went into the halftime, Canada's up 3-0. Jonathan David has scored. BC Place is buzzing. I'm feeling serious jealousy for not being at BC Place. and all my friends that are texting me saying like,

this is amazing. I've never been to an event like that. I'm like, shut up. Just shut up. Let's just enjoy it for Canada. And then you go into the second half and Kona gets hurt. Yeah. And I could not enjoy the second half.

I don't think the Canadian players could either. I couldn't enjoy it. And I'm kind of like, I was actually thinking. Okay, on the show tomorrow, don't be too down about Kone, because this is still a very exciting time for Canada. This is awesome, and they go on to win 6-0, which guarantees them, you know, this match against Switzerland, which had been my expectations. Going into this World Cup, I was like, okay, here are my expectations, all right? I want Canada to be able to play Switzerland for the group. in their final match.

And they are. And not only are they doing that, they don't even have to win. They have to draw, which we'll discuss later. But we never expected to go exactly the way it is. And honestly, like, the back of my mind,

I was kind of like, this game was definitely in Vancouver because in Vancouver, we can never have anything 100% nice. Yeah, that's right? But I'm still... But appropriate way to look at it. So I'm still very,

very excited and I'm very proud of that of that Canadian team and I'm proud of how they responded after the injury and I'm proud of of of of coney because he was so courageous going off the field and you know by all accounts you know I've seen some pictures of him even in the hospital he's got a smile on his face and there might be an element of shock with that because it was such a horrific injury I'm very proud and I'm very very excited about the Switzerland game in whatever could be coming after that. But it's kind of like a tax on that happiness. Sure.

You know, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the coney injury. And I just feel, I feel awful for him. And, um, I'm a little bit worried about how they're going to replace him. Okay. Well, let's go right into that conversation then, because I think everyone understands that the win was massive, both in terms of the lopsided score line. And it's the fact that Canada's first ever win at a World Cup. That almost got overshadowed, honestly.

And I think part of it had to do with what you were saying that everyone expected them to beat Qatar. Mm-hmm. I also want to add, by the way, that this Qatari team in the previous World Cup, and then the first game of this World Cup was by, they weren't a pushover at any of their match. Like, the last World Cup, they didn't win. But the scores were 2-0 to Ecuador, 3-1 to Senegal, 2-0 to the Netherlands. There wasn't one of those, like, lopsided scores that got hung on them. Part of it had to do with the fact that they weren't reduced to nine men,

but also had to do with the fact that they defended stoutly, like they did in the first game against the Swiss. Canada scored what? Two goals against 11. They were two to the good before the red card starts. it happened. Think of it that way. They were pretty dominant before the Red started to happen. I think there was a combination of two things there. One, the Qataris

weren't ready to deal with the pace of Canada, and especially, honestly, the inclusion of Ali Ahmed, even though he was kind of lousy on set pieces, he was very dynamic going at them. And Buchanan... Buchanan was incredible in the first half. This is crazy to say because Jonathan David had a hat trick, but I thought

from match over match, I think Tejohn Buchanan raised his game more in the second match, and Jonathan David did in the second match. John, they even got Atrick. Just to put this in perspective. Buchanan was feeling it. He was kind of unstoppable at times.

And there was no one on the Katari team that could stop him. So the pace was one thing they couldn't deal with. Very clearly, the other thing they couldn't deal with was the atmosphere. And the intensity and the ferociousness of the crowd and the energy that the Canadian team got from that, that first match against Switzerland, where they managed to get a draw, it was largely a pro-Swiss crowd, but it was very much a neutral. Right. It was, there was, you know, I know there was probably more Swiss fans there than Qatari fans, but it was played in a quote unquote neutral location for both. This was going into the Lions den, going up against the lion in Canada being that in this instance.

You know, the Qatari manager, Yolen Lopitegi, he said afterwards, like, it just all became unraveled for us. Like, sometimes in football, everything goes against you. And this one, it was we weren't ready to deal with the pace of the opponent. We weren't ready to deal with the crowd. and then we started getting the red cards and it just became completely unglued and that's how you got the 6-0. So let's put that aside for a sec.

Ismail Kone. You could make the argument right now that Canada is currently without its three best players. That's with Bombito coming back in and not starting. They're starting 11 could theoretically not have Bombito, Kone, and Davies and you could say those are their three best players.

It is damaging to put it mildly. Yeah, people are texting in and saying like, I'm a hockey fan. I don't really know soccer. Can you put this in the hockey terms, the depth chart where Kone would be and maybe talk about his replacement, a name I like. Saliba.

Natanz Saliba. Okay, so Kone's importance to the squad. Him and Eustaccio were the two center midfielders and a 4-4-2. Call it the engine room. They make everything go. Box to box. Midfielers, I guess you would call them in hockey parlons centers, right? They do a lot of the heavy lifting.

They have a lot of touches. A lot of touches and a lot of responsibilities both in attack and both in defending. Kone has a lot of different tools in his toolbag. He's an incredibly athletic guy is one thing. And there's certain things that he can do that other guys on the pitch can't do because he's got great power, great pace. He's got the ability to go 1v1. He can finish.

We've seen it before he scored at the national team level, some pretty impressive goals. He's a very do-it-all player. And they relied on him extensively to the point where we said, well, they can survive the Davies loss and they can survive the Bombito loss because they've got Conan Eustaccio in the middle of the park.

And they were going to play 90 every match. Now, losing him, you don't really replicate what he brings. He plays in one of the top leagues in the world in Sariawa, Sasuolo. He's very talented. They are fortunate because Saliba is a very talented player.

Also playing in Europe. He plays in Belgium for Anderlach, which is one of the power clubs there. And we've seen lots of Canadian guys use Belgium as a stepping stone to bigger clubs before. like Jonathan David. Saliba does not have the ceiling that Kone has.

Let's just get that out there right now. Coney's got the ability to do things at a very high level that I don't think anyone else on the team. Maybe outside of Davies physically and Bombito they're able to do. Saliba's probably going to be a little bit more consistent in terms of he doesn't have the highs and lows. You heard Jesse Marsh talking about. Coney's saying he's an imperfect player.

That's a good way to describe him because sometimes he can lose his head a little bit. Silibe is only 22 He doesn't have a ton Of big match And professional experience Like four years ago He was still playing in Montreal For the Impact

Then Impact now CF Montreal And he's playing with a reserve squad Four years ago So from there he's gone To the first team in Montreal To Europe And now Welcome to the

You're the starting midfielder For Canada In a crucial World Cup match A lot of Canadians On this team Have taken that jump though Similar jumps And he

The one thing that's cool is that he has a similar profile to some of these guys that have taken the big leaps and thrived with him. His first year in Belgium, he's done exceptionally well. And Stefan Eustacchio was talking after the match

and he's like, look, we got a lot of faith in Saliba because he's a guy that we saw go to Europe, take on the challenge, and really thrive, not like some of the Canadian guys who have a hard time adjusting to a new league. So I'm optimistic for it, but I'm also realistic. You can't just replace Conan.

Okay. I want to go pretty fast on this. because we've got so much to get to after that incredible day at BC Place. Is this going to force Alfonso Davies into action? I'm not saying he's a replacement for Coney, but, you know, you got this match. This is now going to become the biggest match in Canadian men's national team history against Switzerland. and, you know, he was available for the Qatar match. I don't think any of us really expected him to come in.

Maybe if they needed a goal late and they wanted to bring in someone, he would have played. But does this make it more likely that he plays against Switzerland? See, I think Bombito coming in as a sub was the tell that these guys were ready to go. They wanted to get Bombito minutes. So they brought him in for about 30 yesterday. I think you could see something similar with Davies in the Swiss match, him coming off the bench and giving that jolt.

Okay. Because right now, they are going to be thriving on vibes a little bit, Canada. They're going to use this Kone thing as a rallying cry. Jesse Marsh, there might not be a gaffer in the world more equipped to deal with the adversity and using it as a rally and cry. He loves that stuff. I'm not saying he loves the injury, obviously, but he loves these moments where he can try and galvanize the team.

And I think having Davies, even just as a presence in that match, would do that. And again, I think Bombito was the top. I think getting him in, having been cleared earlier, and now Davies got cleared midweek. He doesn't play for guitar, but it kind of sets itself up that the captain is going to make this return in a match

where there's all to play for, but also you've got the safety of going through to the round of 32. Okay, so we've talked about Buchanan, we've talked about Saliba, Jonathan David. Gets a hat trick. What more can you say?

I mean, and they're like, the last player to score a hat trick as the host country was Jeff Hurst in 1966. And I was like, oh, was that a big game? I remember that one. I don't remember that one. I wasn't born. You were. You were 23 years old. I mean, that was the game where England won the World Cup at Wembley.

And Jeff Hurst forever immortalized is like an English hero after that. Right. So what did you see from him that was different? different than the Jonathan David that got subbed off in the, what, 60th minute? Against Bosnia. First match against Bosnia had a chance, fall to him early in the first half, scuffed the shot, put it into the keeper's arms on a dive. He gets a chance.

One falls to him in the box similarly against guitar on the volley. Smashes it home. Didn't scuff it. That's what I saw. I saw a guy that was... Yeah, even his first chance that was stopped. Like, it was like a half volley. I saw a guy that was much more ruthless in front of goal.

even the one where Laren headed down and the keeper made a save and David was very opportunistic on the rebound. Those are strikers instincts and sometimes it's just a matter of I hate talking like a 16-year-old going to high school, but like locking in. You just become supremely focused on when there's a chance I have to make this good. It's not like there's going to be another one coming.

You have to make good on those. I liked his hatcher at goal. He's like, actually, I'll take this shot. That was... Who shot it? Saliba. Saliba shot in and saw it. Like, let me just stop this.

and I'm going to put it in. And at that point... And it was the right play. Well, if you look at the Qatari backline at that point, like, they are stretched all over the place. Like, they all turned for an off side. And then the guy that turned for an off side was like, I am the one keeping Jonathan David on side right now.

What's that mean? That was me. Yeah, like, they were in such disarray. But it was the first goal that was the most important for David. He was fantastic. And one final guy I want to talk about is Alistair Johnston, because I think he's a favorite of yours. Love Alistair Johnson.

Did a great job yesterday playing for as much as he did on a yellow. We kept yelling at each other, because Martinago and I did the pre-match show. We're like, it's like 5-0 get Justin out, right? Why is he still on there? Because he can run hot sometimes, and that match was running a little bit hot. I thought him and Larea not getting cautioned in that game

was a minor victory, to be honest, because they were running on. They were both running hot. And I understood how controlled and composed Alistair Johnson really is by getting through that match without picking up a second deal, so he's now eligible to play in the final match against the Swiss. I thought, look, there were a lot of guys that put in a shift yesterday.

I kind of look at the matches, like, what did they do in the first 25 and around that first hydration break? Because that was a real snapshot of what the match should have looked like. Once Qatar went down to 10, and once they went down to 9, it's hard to really analyze it. Like, when they were down to 9, I thought it was hard to analyze it. But, you know, Keith, the water guy texted in earlier. He's like, I thought they should have done more when they were 11 v9. And I was like, Keith, there's a lot of extenuating circumstances there. They just lost one of their brothers to a broken leg.

They're up four or five nil. They're trying to put the pedal down, but they've also already put it down a lot. So I don't really think there was much. You can tell Buchanan wanted to score, though. He did, for sure. He wanted to score. He's like, I'm going to take this chance. I'm going to take this chance.

So there wasn't much to read from the match. And when we get into the Bosnian-Swiss match, if we ever, like, it was tough to gauge that match, too. Because it was scoreless for 73 minutes, and then it opened up. And then when Bosnia took the right, it really opened up. Okay, we're going to have, we're going to continue this conversation with, with Gareth Wheeler. So I just want to tell you that yesterday after the match, I did a little dreaming. And dare we dream about a potential path for Canada if they manage to draw Switzerland or beat Switzerland and then they win the group. Do you want, is it, are we getting ahead of ourselves?

It doesn't matter. Not at all. Okay. Let's get nuts and do this. Yeah. Okay. Now, the round of 32 match at BC place could still be pretty tough, even though it's against a third place team from groups EFG, I, or J. That could be- This is a July 2nd match too, right?

Yeah. Yeah, okay. I'm actually not 100% sure. I think it is. If you win the group, you go to July 2nd. If you finish 2nd, you don't get as long of a break. But, you know, I mean, that could be anyone right now. So it's, you know, like I was looking at teams like, maybe it's Ecuador.

I don't know. Maybe it's not. There's a million permutations. Yeah, right. Okay, but being able to stay in Vancouver and get the home field advantage could be massive. Look at yesterday. Because they've been in Vancouver, obviously, for a few days now. They get to stay in Vancouver because they're going to play Switzerland at B.C.

Place. And then just not having to travel, you train, the excitement in the city builds. And, you know, I think that's a huge advantage for, because some other team that they're going to play is going to have to. come in here from another group, another part of North America, and get used to Vancouver really quickly. Now, the round of 16 match, which if Canada wins that round of 32 match, is again at BC Place. Now, that round of 16 match originally looked like it would be Portugal, would get there.

That was the favorite team to get there. And it still could be. But Portugal have work to do now, because they drew the Democratic Republic of Congo. Dr. Congo. Dr. Congo. Right now, Colombia is in first place in the group. So obviously the Columbia Portugal game is going to be crazy.

Now, let's say they win that one. Dare to dream, buddy. I mean, we've seen host countries go on these crazy runs. Dare to dream. I think about Korea when they hosted alongside Johnson. Japan. With my best friends forever, I think, according to history. So let's get crazy and imagine that Canada wins both the knockout stages, games at BC Place.

That would have them heading to Kansas City where they could, could face the defending champs from Argentina. So this is all obviously crazy excitement talk. Let's, you know, we're just, you know, we're allowed to do this. We're not on the team. We don't have to stay focused. By the way, if they lose to Switzerland, and that is a possibility. Switzerland came in as the favorite to win this group. They obviously did not play well against Qatar,

but we saw yesterday what they could do, and they beat Bosnia 4 to 1. If they lose to Switzerland, Canada, they will likely be headed to Los Angeles, where they'd play the runner-up from Group A, and right now that looks like probably Korea. Yeah. that was a couple of buddies threw that out there yesterday.

It was after Korea lost last night to Mexico. Yes. And that clinches the group for Mexico. And that puts Korea in the, I guess it's a dog fight to finish who finishes second or third in the group. So there's still lots to play for in that group. But it's not outrageous to do what you're doing right now. Because as of today, Canada is tops in the group. They have the Swiss on goal differential.

And again, I'm having a really hard time getting a proper read on the Swiss team because they went 160 plus minutes. without scoring a goal from open play. Remember, the penalty against Qatar was the only time they found the back of the net. And that was it. And they went 73 minutes against the Boszians without scoring as well. So I still have a tough time getting a read

on exactly where the Swiss performance is at. We can talk about this more as we go on in the show, but we have to go to break. And before we go to break, I need to remind you that the NHL draft is just a week away. A week today, Friday, June 26th. NHL draft coverage on Sportsnet 650 is brought to by the Vancouver Giants.

Don't miss your chance to secure your 2026, 2027 season tickets. They're on sale now. Visit Vancouver Giants.com. The future is now coming up. Gareth Wheeler from One Soccer is going to join us more, or are going to join us to talk more about Canada Qatar yesterday and look ahead to the Canada Swiss match coming up next week. You're listening to the Halford & Brough Show on SportsNet 650.

It's Canucks Central on SportsNet 650. From exclusive interviews to insider scoops and post-game breakdowns, we've got it all. Tune in weekdays 4 to 6 p.m. on radio and on demand through your favorite podcast app. X32 on a Friday. Happy Friday. Happy Friday. It is Halford. It is rough. It is Sportsnet 650. Still an hour one of the program here. Gareth Wheeler is going to join us in just a moment from one soccer. A couple things to get to before we get to Gareth.

I need to remind you this show. This show is brought to you by Sands and Associates. They're ready to give you the financial fresh start you deserve. With no judgment or upfront fees, visiting today it's Sands. D.com. This hour of the program is brought to you by North Star Metal Recycling. Vancouver's premier metal recycler pays the highest prices on scrap metal. North Star Metal Recycling, they recycle you get paid. Visit them at 1170 Powell Street in Vancouver. If the show sounds a little different today, that's because we are live on location

from the showroom at Duick on Marine Drive. Duick Auto Group's 100th anniversary sale is on now, this Friday through Sunday. Every new and used... A hundred years? 100 years. It's right behind you. Established in 1926. Nobody's beating a Duick deal since no, but 1926 either. Was Duick like, all right, there are cars now.

Let's get into this. Hey, should we sell these? And they did. And now they created this great showroom. Every new and used vehicle has been individually marked down. So stop by 400 Southeast Marine Drive in Vancouver, Halford & Brough, live on location, at Adduick on Marine. Okay, let's go now to the Able Auctions hotline. Our next guest joins us from One Soccer.

Gareth Wheeler here on the Halford & Brough show on Sportsnet 650. Good morning. How are you? Boys, you sound great this morning. I'm shocked that you're up and nodded after what looked to be an epic party night in Vancouver. The scenes were incredible. It was pretty awesome. I didn't get downtown. We did a live-on-location show pre-match prior to, so I stuck around our location. AJ's Pizza on East Broadway and kind of took in the atmosphere from there. But you're right, the party atmosphere has completely swept the city. And like with good reason. This was, I want to use the word unforgettable because I think it's the right one because it was amazing and historic, but it also came with the Ismail Kone injury. Have you had a hard time trying to properly process everything that happened yesterday? Because there's about eight different storylines all vying for Top Spot right now.

Yeah, I mean, it's record setting. It's historic. It's significant because it's the first World Cup win ever. 14,627 days after Canada made their World Cup debut against France in 86. Like, this is 40 years in the making. But the entire game seems surreal. Like, it didn't feel like a real game, did it? Because one, Qatar's not very good.

Two, Canada were so dominant. Three, the two players sent off, which completely just made the game a no contest. And then there was the Kone injury. Then there was the fact it was the first Canada game in Vancouver. There was just so many elements to do with it. It's going to go down. I think that's the right word that you're using is unforgettable. It's a memory that everyone will take with them forever.

But the twist and turns in just the way that it played out, it didn't feel like a real World Cup game, if that makes sense. No, that's fair. There was so much going on that, you know, you look at some of the other low event matches of this World Cup, and you're like, everything happened for Canada in the span of 90 minutes, and a lot happened for Canada, and I want to try and break it down into its constituent parts here.

I'm trying to read as much as I can from the first 25 to 35 minutes, basically around the hydration break where it was still 11 v. 11 and Canada scored twice. What did you see from Canada when the playing field was even, and we got up to that first hydration break? The best part about this Canada team, and it's like superpower, is the intensity and speed that it plays at. And I just think that there's few teams in the world that want to play this way or can play this way. And when Canada are on the front foot and they're playing quickly and there's a level of intensity to it all, they're really difficult to play against.

I don't think they're the best football playing side in the world, but that's what they do better than most in the world. And they just completely put a blanket on Qatar. Like they just couldn't hang. It's kind of a product of a 48 team World Cup as well. And look, Qatar is one of the worst teams in this tournament. There's no doubt about that. And they simply just couldn't keep up with the pace, especially when outside influences like weather,

like hot weather in certain cities across North America right now. I mean, it's mitigated playing inside B.C. place, you know, with a roof on it, Vancouver. It's much more tempered anyways. So it just plays to Canada's strengths. And Qatar, where they had their level of success against Switzerland. One, Switzerland couldn't finish their breakfast, lunch, or dinner. they should have put that game away. But beyond that, it was played midday in San Francisco,

was really hot and warm, and the game slowed down to a walking pace, which suited Qatar. I mean, they simply couldn't hang with the Canadians. That's the thing that stood out first and foremost. And that's something that Canada, as long as they're going to be in Vancouver, need to fully take advantage of, whether it's Switzerland, whether it's around a 32 game, whether it's around a 16 game. That's going to be the one element that will absolutely play in Canada,

his favor no matter what happens as long as they stay in Vancouver. Well, since we're talking about style of play for Canada, how should Canada approach the Swiss match, which they only have to draw in order to win the group? Do they play aggressively like they did yesterday against Qatar and just try to win the thing? Or should they play a little more conservatively and try to counterattack a Swiss side that knows it has to win the game in order to win the group? I don't think they can afford to sit back and play that way. Like Canada plays one way. I mean, Jesse Marsh has said it like he has plan B, C, this is the way they play. This is the way that Canada play and play their best football. And I worry if they get into a tactical

chess match against Switzerland, they're going to be played off the field to a certain degree. Like those are the two easiest games that Canada will play at this World Cup against Bosnia, who are an average side, you know, resilient. But man, as the game got, longer, both in Toronto and when Bosnia was playing Switzerland yesterday, they just completely lost, like, not just one step, they lost like three. And Canada took advantage in that opening match. And guitar, like I said, like they have no reason to be in a World Cup from where I said. They're just nowhere near good enough.

So they're going to have to step up in competition, and they're going to have to rely on making things feel uncomfortable for their opponent. I think that's just the way forward, test the Swiss, put all kinds of pressure on them. and make it more like a scrap to a certain degree than a football match. I think that's the way forward for this candidate team. We're speaking to Gareth Wheeler from One Soccer here on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. With Kone now out for the tournament, all eyes turn to Natanzibah in the middle of the park. One, is he locked on 100% going to be the plug and play replacement?

And if so, the second question, how can he or can he adequately replace what Kony brought to the table? I don't think there's any like-for-like replacement. placement for Ismail Kone. And that's it, I mean, whether you're in a Stanley Cup final or you're in a Super Bowl

or an NBA player, like players get hurt. Like, it's just the reality of sport. It's really unfortunate. And just the shock on Coney's face when that, when he realized his leg was snapped in half, it was,

it was crazy because it was just such a fluke injury. I don't think anyone just saw that coming. So they, they, whether the, storm in terms of the difficult moment of making sure that they stayed focused and immediately turned their attention back to the game. And the fact that Saliba came in and scored the first

direct free kick goal of this World Cup shows you the mentality of this group. And I think that that bodes well. But there's no one like Kone, just from a technical perspective, a size perspective. Canada do play a little bit risky, playing a two-man midfield. They're going to miss his legs and everything he brings to the table. Saliba, just like everyone else on Canada, whether it's Alfonso Davies not playing for the last 18 months or whoever's being out for this team, it's the next man-up mentality. And this

team doesn't win by individual performances. They win playing as a collective. And that's going to have to be the case again this time around. Quite frankly, Canada will not be as strong of a team without Ismail Kone in it, but that doesn't mean that all is lost here. It's just about

Saliba, whether it's Chuanier, whether it's Tesoro, whoever plugs in place in that role is going to take a collective and it's going to really force everyone else to step up as well. But would your choice be Saliba right now? Yeah. I mean, I mean, I think Azorio's had a really good season with TFC, but he just not, he can't cover the ground that Coney does.

Sean here, an honest player, decent enough at set pieces, but same thing, just limited in, in comparison to Ismao Coney. I think it has to be Saliba. He's a player that I pointed out like three and a half years ago after the World Cup. like look out this could be the next player a silly about a really strong season that ended in Belgium again he's not the player that

Kone is he's I don't think he doesn't have the experience or the skill set or the talent but he's certainly serviceable and it's just about how quickly you can get on the same page with with Stephanie Saskio and what else Marsh might have up his sleeve

remember like Canada's attack like they were playing or candid defensively I should say we're playing against no one against against guitar. Like, boys bombito came in. It wasn't even a training session.

Like, I don't even know what that was. And Blonsie, they really didn't, Demerovich is okay, but like, next round, the next game against Switzerland,

they're playing Breel and Bolo, Dan and Doi, like some real top attacking players. It's going to be a much bigger test and much more indicative of where this group stands. So whether it's Sleva, whether it's someone else,

it's just about the collective. I think the centerbacks are in for a much bigger challenge in future matches as well. Okay, so Jesse Marsh wakes up this morning and he looks outside. It's a beautiful day and he goes, well, that was a pretty emotional day yesterday. What's on his to-do list ahead of Wednesday's match against Switzerland and is one of them lets everyone calm down and focus on this task because it is going to be a tough task? I hope so.

I feel like Jesse Marsh operates at one speed, and that's like foot down on the pedal, just all the time. Like, he worked for the Red Bull organization. He's a guy that just seems to be a crack a Red Bull in the morning and, like, just try to capture the day. But I'm with you. Like, I think you mentioned over the first, like, 25 minutes of that game, I think they're much more detail-oriented. And I think, like, with the home crowd and with the emotion, like these Canadian players and the effort they put it on the field

it's never going to be questioned it's never an issue it's just focus on the other little things in order to maximize their opponents so I don't think they need to be like the Kool-Aid man and burst through a wall here I think that the energy is going to be like naturally naturally flowing

it's just in terms of the game plan how do you approach playing against a really good Swiss side that's going to be patient it's just going to be a completely different match so you know Jesse got it out of his system hopefully like with the holding up the six fingers after the game, wrapping up the crowd. Like, look, the entire country is excited right now.

I just don't, I don't think you need any more of that. You need more of kind of, okay, let's reset, refocus, and try to figure out the best game plan from a tactical perspective possible in order to get the most of this next game where they only need to come away from a draw. It's imperative. I just feel like it's imperative that they win the group, Stan Vancouver, for not just maybe one more game, but two. That's how Canada gives themselves the best chances.

of doing the unthinkable in this tournament. Well, tell us a bit about the Swiss side because I think you have to remember that, I don't know, definitely over 90% of Canadian sports fans could not tell you a player on Switzerland. Like, we do have some good soccer fans in this country, but, you know, the ins and outs of the World Cup tournament are not front and center in most Canadian sports knowledge.

Yeah, 100%. There's no Lino Messi or Christiano Ronaldo or Killing him on Boppe or Harry Kane on this team, but they're a very good outfit. Like, over the last five major competitions that they've been in, only them in France, in terms of European nations, have made it through the group stage of each and one of every one of the last five competitions. That doesn't happen. That's not a fluke.

They've gone and beat France in the knockout round in a euro. Like, this is a very, it's a very accomplished side. They have a lot of experience in the team, but it mixes with some really good young talent. There's a 20-year-old midfielder's scored a brace yesterday in a 401 win over Bosnia. He came out the bench. He was Joe Hammond, Zambi. We in one soccer do coverage of the Bundes League every weekend. He's something special.

He's like an emerging talent in the midfield. And he plays in the midfield, by the way, with Grenad Jacka, who played for a long time for Arsenal. It was part of the Bayer Leverkus inside that went undefeated two seasons ago. like they have some very experienced players and and breel and bollo is a handful he's a center forward he's just he's built like a like a you know what these are accomplished players like and they're not going to blow you away in terms of like the pace that they play at or or or maybe the star power in terms of the back of the name on the kit but they're just a just a really good

disciplined team and they're there are significant favor the bookmakers have them at plus 30 heading into this game against Canada. That's all you need to know. Taking into consideration, they're going to be playing a way fixture, really, against Canada here. So Switzerland will be the favorite. I think that might actually play into Canada's strengths. And the fact that they're already through to the round of 32,

it's a real opportunity for Canada to continue to put their foot down and see what they can do. And the fact they got Jonathan David going, the fact they got Paige O'Doncanon going in the last game. All of these things provide a positive context heading into the next game. So it's kind of a free hit for Canada, really. Like the world doesn't expect them to win. I think now some people within our country expect them to win,

but the rest of the world isn't looking at Canada that way. I'm having a hard time getting a real handle on the Swiss form. I know it's only been two matches. You mentioned there's a lot of extenuating circumstances with where they played and how they played. But, I mean, it was, I think, 160 plus minutes without a single goal from open play, because the goal against Qatar came on a penalty. And then I know that they had the lion's share of possession yesterday against Bosnia, but it wasn't until Menzambi scored in the 73rd that they were able to actually translate any of that.

And they didn't have a ton of attempts on goal either prior to that. And I know, you know, the Swiss gaffirs said that he strategically used the second hydration break for the timing of those subs, men zombie included, so that he could give them a real boost. And it worked out brilliantly. Like, they really turned the screw after that second hydration break.

But collectively over the two matches, one of the big stories has to be that this Swiss team went long stretches without being able to find the back of the net. Yeah, I kind of feel like a lot of the better nations have kind of eased their way into this World Cup. That's fair. That's fair.

Match day two brings to the table with the travel change after a long season. season and the lack of jeopardy as well. Like, I don't think that they felt like they were never going to qualify for the group with, you know, three teams from eight groups, you know, moving on to the next round of the competition. The Qatar game was a funny one because you're right, they scored on a penalty, but they did XG closer to four.

They just couldn't have finished. They should have put that game away. But it was played midday in San Francisco in the heat. Like, it was really hot. And the game slowed down to like almost like a walking pace. like Switzerland are patient, but they were maybe a little bit too patient, and it played it to Qatar strength. Sure.

They just kind of like hung around. There was a lack of urgency. I think the conditions kind of made it that way as well. Controlled in Vancouver, Switzerland can press a little bit more and show a little bit more urgency and try to, I don't think they necessarily want to play at the pace that Canada will want to play at, but I just think based upon the climate-controlled conditions, that they'll be in an okay spot.

So, and the definitive, two definitive matchups on the field, it's going to be how the Fusiole and Cornelius deal with Enduro and some much more talented attackers. But it's also a three-man midfield takes on a two-man Canada midfield with Ismail Koneo. Like, it's going to be a really difficult battle. And that's why a lot of people, including myself, have just wondered why Jesse Marsh, the buildup to this tournament, didn't try playing more with three players in the midfield. because you're going to need it in some games at some point. And you just hope that those numerical advantages and maybe an advantage just in terms of quality in terms of Switzerland's experience

and personnel in that area of the field, that concerns me to a certain degree. But, I mean, this is looking at it. I feel like people are still basking in the glow of what happened last night. They don't necessarily want to hear about this because it was such an important historic victory. But that's the reality of this competition.

As soon as, you know, you kind of react to what happened yesterday, we're already on to the next game. It's like, oh, the Americans play today. It's just, it's serious. It's the world cup, man. The nature of this competition. Yeah, exactly. So, although it was a special moment,

I still don't think that it can be deemed a successful World Cup. If Canada doesn't go out and do something in these next two games, that's just kind of the way that it is. We'll always have that moment, that's Thursday night in Vancouver, but a lot more rides on how Canada builds and performs from here on in. Gareth, you were mentioning that stadium in San Francisco. Francisco. It's actually, actually in Santa Clara. Mike and I went to

watch a game there once because we were down in San Jose when the sharks were in the Stanley Cup final and the Americans were playing Columbia in the Copa America. And I now call that stadium Sunburn Stadium because there is

no cover in that stadium and it's not Bay Area. It's not in the Bay, right? Because that can actually get quite chilly and cold. It is just pure exposure and I actually felt for those players during the Qatar Switzerland

game I'm like those guys must be so hot because I remember what it was like it's I think it's going to be like you point out I think it's going to be a very different experience for Switzerland when it comes to their energy levels at BC place. Bingo and one thing for your

fans I'd like to put in some bets on World Cup games what we've seen in these early stages of the tournament is games that are indoors, like climate control environments, like the goal scoring is through the roof, like the overs are hitting. But the unders are playing when you're outside in really hot, difficult conditions. So that's a clear early tournament trend that we should be tracking because I do think it matters just in terms of style of play. And, you know, what sort of

environments or conditions might play to the strengths of some teams rather than another is, like, I don't think that Canada can go outdoors and play in a really hot condition and play that way, which doesn't play to their strength. That's why I just think it's so important to potentially go out and win the group, stay in Vancouver, you mitigate travel, that sea of red. Like, you know, fans will travel to see Canada play, but nothing like that. Like, nothing like what we experienced last night. Like, that's just like another level and just being inside so they can just run for days.

like it just suits Canada to a T. It's incredibly important. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens when Scotland plays in Miami against Brazil because that's going to be. Yeah, that's tough one. That's Sunburn Stadium. That Sunbursts. Gareth, one more before we let you go.

Do you expect to see Alfonso Davies against the Swiss? I didn't expect him to play last night. I wasn't kind of, but I think it was important to have him like on the bench and be part of it. It was kind of weird, like him not uniform for that first game. you really self-firm in that moment. I was told before the tournament started, it was unlikely, it was very unlikely that Alfonso Davies would play during the group stage.

I think it's positive news that things seem to be heading down the right path, but I wouldn't hold my breath. I just think that if he's going to play any kind of role at this World Cup, he's not going to be a focal point. He's going to kind of be an X-factor, maybe the cherry on top. I just look it's not just about his fitness having not played since May 6th it's the recurrence of the injury just got to be really careful at this point returning from an ACL redoing your hamstring three times

it's clearly an issue of significant concern what were five weeks out from that injury they think it was they believed there would be four to six weeks initially I there's just no part of me that would want to force him into a situation that could potentially lead to other issues. And I think that the national team is intentionally being coy about it. Like, Jesse Marsh loves to speak at these press conferences. He's very performative. But what he mentioned, that Davies was available, he just kept it short and sweet.

And I think he's doing that intentionally. So I wouldn't expect him to play. Go in and not expecting him to play. And if he is able to play a role and provide something that for me at this point is a bonus. And right now, for me, guys, I don't know how you guys feel. The two best players for Canada being their two best fullbacks through the first two games.

John's the of Larea. Both guys have been fantastic. And like, I don't know, you could take Lorea out of the team anyways. So it's not a problem area for Canada. It's actually a position of strength. So whatever you can get from Davies from here on out is just a bonus from where I said. Gareth, this was awesome, man. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

We really appreciate it. Boys, I'm entirely jealous. I'm not out there. I love a good party. It looks absolutely unreal. So enjoy every minute of it. Despite the high cost and the headaches of hosting a World Cup, this is what it's all about. So I hope you and your listeners, you're just taking fully advantage of this really truly once-in-a-lifetime experience. Thank you, buddy. Appreciate it. Have a good one. Cheers, boys.

Gareth Wheeler from On Soccer here on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. We've got to go to break. But before we do, I need to remind you that the Doick Auto Group is the official automotive sponsor of Halifold. Alfred and we're here live on location 400 Southeast Marine Drive in Vancouver at the Duick Showroom. Find out why nobody beats a Duick deal and why nobody has since 1926. Visit Duick Jam on Marine Drive. Visit them downtown. Visit them in Richmond and visit them online at the duik auto group.com.

Okay. So Luke Fox is coming up at 730 and we can get into the Darren Radish talk then for everyone Jones and for some hockey talk. We can do that then. We've got an open segment on the other side. So send in your access anything's into the Dunbar Lumber. text inbox. We are going to talk a little more World Cup. We'll talk a little hockey on the other side. Whatever you want to talk about, because it is Ask Us Anything Friday on the Halford-Abrough show on Sportsnet 650.