ANALYSIS: Canada's men's national team takes Panama at home

Canada’s men’s national soccer team took down Panama on Tuesday in what was head coach Jesse Marsch’s first home match in Toronto.

It was a chippy affair, with Panama looking to disrupt any momentum from Canada as both sides looked to play quick and direct offensively.

It was Canada who was the better side in the first half of play, but it took until the 44th minute to find the opener.

A good bit of pressing by Stephen Eustaquio and Jonathan David forced Panama captain Anibal Godoy into a mistake at the top of his 18-yard box, as Canada winger Ali Ahmed pounced on the loose ball and squared it to a wide-open Cyle Larin, who made no mistake on the finish.

The goal was Larin’s first in 10 games under Marsch, and his 30th all-time for the national team.

Despite Canada’s strong first half, Panama was the better team coming out of halftime.

Panama substitute midfielder Christian Martinez made a real difference, disrupting play and creating many positive passes.

After Canada turned the ball over in midfield, the ball made its way to Martinez’s feet.

He strode forward and played a perfect ball in behind Canada’s back line to striker Jose Fajardo, who coolly chipped Canada goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, equalizing the game and silencing the crowd at BMO Field.

With the score knotted at 1-1, the onus was on Canada to create a moment of magic.

And Jonathan David was the one to provide it in the 87th minute of play.

The Lille striker, who has already scored eight times for his French Ligue 1 club in 13 games this season, took the ball and turned brilliantly after Canada centre-back Derek Cornelius won a header at the halfway line.

David then found substitute winger Liam Millar out wide before continuing his run into the box, where Millar returned the ball to his path as David deposited his finish into the bottom right corner, leaving Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera no chance.

“The ‘Iceman’ did his job today,” Canada captain Alphonso Davies said post-game about David. “We’re happy to have him, and we’re happy that he’s scoring frequently at the club level and he brings the form here at the international level.”

Davies is spot on about David scoring frequently. The Canadian striker has the fifth most goals for club and country among players playing in Europe’s top five leagues.

This isn’t even to mention the rest of David’s game. The Ottawa native is adept at dropping in and linking play, he’s an elite defensive forward and he turns up in big moments.

David scored his penalty for Lille in the Champions League against Real Madrid, giving his club side a historic win over the European giants. 

There’s good reason that top European clubs are reportedly hoping to sign him when his contract expires this summer.

But David might not have been the best player on the pitch on Tuesday.

Centre-back Moïse Bombito, who’s been on a meteoric rise in the past couple of years, was absolutely dominant.

Bombito completed 86 per cent of his passes, won 75 per cent of his duels and was a huge presence in the middle of Canada’s back line, using his elite speed and defensive ability to stop Panama’s attacks throughout the match.

Bombito broke the Major League Soccer (MLS) transfer record for centre-backs this summer when he left Colorado Rapids for OGC Nice in France’s top division.

That move came just 18 months after he was drafted third overall in the MLS SuperDraft out of the University of New Hampshire. 

After making his debut for Canada at last summer’s Gold Cup, Bombito burst onto the scene after Jesse Marsch was hired, immediately being thrust into the starting role for Copa America.

Marsch gave the young defender high praise after the match. 

“His talent is among the best in the world at that position,” the Canada manager said.

Bombito has emerged as possibly the best centre-back in the CONCACAF region over the past six months as Canada continues to impress.

The men’s national team is back in action in November when they face Suriname in a two-legged CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal, starting on Nov. 14 in South America before returning to BMO Field on Nov. 18.