Canadian soccer star, and Bayern Munich defender, Alphonso Davies suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during Canada’s bronze medal match against the U.S. in the Concacaf Nations League game on Sunday.
The injury will sideline Davies for several months, causing him to miss the remainder of the Bundesliga season. “Unfortunately, during international breaks there’s always the risk that players will return injured — this time it’s hit us particularly hard,” Bayern’s director of sport Max Eberl said in a statement.
Bayern Munich currently hold a 6 point lead over second place Bayer Leverkusen through 26 matches.
While Davies’ club team took a more pragmatic approach to the injury, that did not however stop the 24 year old’s agent from taking several pointed shots at Canada Soccer in the aftermath of the injury.
Nedal Huoseh didn’t mince his words in speaking with German soccer reporter Philipp Kessler on Wednesday stating “He shouldn’t have played in the USA friendly third-place match. I was surprised that he started because he had communicated he wasn’t good to start. A source within [the Canadian Soccer Association] told me Friday night Alphonso wouldn’t start but might get a few minutes. I told them he shouldn’t play at all.”
“In my opinion he should have managed the situation better, this could have been 100 per cent preventable. Prior to Canada, Jesse [Marsch] has coached professional at the highest level and should know very well not to take risks with players when they tell you they can’t play. The national team shouldn’t make emotional decisions based on individual success. I know it was a match against the USA and there was a lot of motivation to win, but players’ health should come first.”
Canada Soccer was quick to release a statement of their own in support of both Davies and Marsch on Wednesday. “We want to express our full support for our Men’s Team captain, Alphonso Davies, as he recovers from this unfortunate injury. Phonzie’s strength and resilience matches his world-class talent, and we all look forward to fully supporting him during his recovery. Canada Soccer’s coaches and experienced medical staff are true professionals and have always prioritized player safety and wellbeing. Anything suggesting otherwise is untrue.”
The injury is a major blow to both the Canadian squad and Bayern Munich alike. The Canadian SMNT is next scheduled to take part in the Canadian Shield tournament in June, followed by the Concacaf Gold Cup. That being said, even if healthy, Davies wasn’t expected to take part in either event due to commitments with his club team.
The silver lining, if there is one, in all of this is that the injury occurred far enough out that it shouldn’t affect Davies’ ability to compete in the 2026 World Cup. Soccer’s biggest tournament is slated to take place between June 11th and July 19th 2026 across various venues in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.
Photo: Sven Mandel. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.