The war of words over Alphonso Davies' knee injury cooled somewhat Thursday with a conciliatory communique from the Canada captain's agent.
In the wake of Bayern Munich's announcement Wednesday that Davies had torn his anterior cruciate ligament in Canada's 2-1 weekend win over the U.S. in the CONCACAF Nations League third-place game in Inglewood, Calif., agent Nedal Huoseh turned up the heat by saying Davies "was not 100 per cent after the Mexico game (last Thursday)" and was "pressured to start the (U.S.) game by the coach (Jesse Marsch)."
"Canada Soccer needs to do a better job managing these players," he concluded.
Paulo Senra, Canada Soccer's chief communications and content officer, disputed that statement later in the day, saying "Canada Soccer's coaches and experienced medical staff are true professionals and have always prioritized player safety and well-being."
"Anything suggesting otherwise is untrue," Senra said in a statement.
Huoseh offered a more diplomatic take in a social media post Thursday.
"Over the past 24 hours, I spoke with Jesse Marsch on several occasions," he wrote. "I have a lot of respect for him as a coach. We had positive and productive discussions and laid down the ground work to ensure we are all aligned and working together, to continue to protect the best interests of players. Moving forward everyone involved is focused on prioritizing Phonzie’s recovery."
Davies exited the game in the 12th minute at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, favouring his knee after seeming to fall awkwardly while challenging for the ball in the Canadian penalty box.
The injury comes some 15 months before the start of the 2026 World Cup, which Canada is co-hosting. If all goes well, he should be back in time to lead the 31st-ranked Canadian men.
Bayern, on its official website, did not provide a specific timeline for Davies' return other than to say he would be unavailable for "several months" and would be sidelined "for a lengthy period" after undergoing surgery to repair his right knee.
Canada is next in action in early June at the Canadian Shield tournament, a four-country competition in Toronto. Davies was not expected to be part of the CONCACAF Gold Cup that follows later in June given Bayern's participation in the FIFA Club World Cup.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 27, 2025.
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
