Kanada Hadapi Afrika Selatan di Los Angeles

Tim nasional Kanada dijadwalkan bertanding melawan Afrika Selatan pada babak 32 besar Piala Dunia 2026 di Stadion Los Angeles, Amerika Serikat, pada Senin, 29 Juni 2026, pukul 02.00 WIB.

Pertandingan ini menjadi momen bersejarah sejak Piala Dunia 2002 karena mempertemukan dua tim yang sama-sama baru pertama kali lolos ke fase gugur, dengan layanan siaran langsung yang tersedia melalui TVRI, Folaplay, dan Maxstream.

Pelatih kepala Kanada, Jesse Marsch, mengonfirmasi kembalinya bek kiri Bayern Munich, Alphonso Davies, yang sebelumnya absen dalam tiga pertandingan fase grup akibat cedera hamstring untuk memperkuat lini belakang bersama Moise Bombito.

"Now that we have Alphonso back and healthy and ready to perform, I think it's a big moment for the team and a big boost for the team," kata Jesse Marsch, pelatih tim nasional Kanada.

Marsch menjelaskan bahwa mayoritas pemain yang sempat mengalami cedera ringan saat memasuki pemusatan latihan kini sudah mendekati kondisi kebugaran penuh untuk tampil di level tertinggi.

"I think in general, all the players that came into camp with little injuries are now close to 100% and ready to perform at the highest level and be at our best in these matches," tutur Jesse Marsch.

Ia juga menegaskan tidak ingin terburu-buru memaksakan pemulihan Davies demi menjaga karier jangka panjang sang pemain, meskipun keputusan memarkirnya di fase grup terasa berat.

"For me to go tell our best player, and a guy that is a huge piece of everything that we do, that we have to wait, was also painful," tambah Jesse Marsch.

Keputusan tersebut diambil agar Davies bisa berada dalam kondisi puncak saat Kanada mengarungi babak sistem gugur setelah mereka kehilangan status tuan rumah di laga ini akibat kekalahan dari Swiss.

"But we've done this in the best interests of Alphonso and his career and his health, so it's nice now that we can have a plan that leads to him being back on the pitch," jelas Jesse Marsch.

Di sisi lain, Alphonso Davies mengapresiasi pendekatan emosional yang dilakukan sang pelatih terhadap penanganan cederanya, walaupun ia sempat merasa frustrasi hanya menonton dari pinggir lapangan.

"Obviously, it was painful. The only thing you want to do is play football. That's what I'm really passionate about," ujar Alphonso Davies, bek tim nasional Kanada.

Davies mengaku hasratnya untuk turun ke lapangan terus meningkat sejak pertandingan pertama hingga laga ketiga fase grup bergulir.

"The first game, watching it, I was eager to be on the pitch. Second game, even more so," ucap Alphonso Davies.

Ia bahkan sempat meminta waktu bermain kepada Marsch sebelum pertandingan ketiga grup dimulai.

"The third game, I went to him before the game and asked him, 'Do you think I can get a couple of minutes?'," ungkap Alphonso Davies.

Pemain Bayern Munich itu menyadari bahwa keputusan Marsch untuk menahannya adalah bentuk kepedulian terhadap kondisi fisik dan masa depannya.

"He could have said, 'Yeah, we'll just throw you in there,' but obviously he cares about me and the team as human beings as well, so he sat me down, and I thought about it, and I said, 'He's right.' It was kind of hard to hear," kata Alphonso Davies.

Pertandingan ini menjadi momen emosional bagi Davies karena ia sempat menderita cedera lutut parah di stadion yang sama pada Maret 2025 dalam ajang CONCACAF Nations League.

"I really enjoy playing in this stadium. The first time, it was beautiful. It was cut short, but that happens. It's football," tutup Alphonso Davies.

"Could have happened anywhere. Coming back to the stadium, I get to finish something I started a year ago in March," pungkah Alphonso Davies.

Dilansir dari CNN Indonesia, Kanada yang kehilangan Ismael Kone akibat cedera serius akan mengandalkan ketajaman Jonathan David di lini depan, sementara Afrika Selatan asuhan Hugo Broos mengandalkan kedisiplinan pertahanan yang dikawal kiper Ronwen Williams dan gelandang Teboho Mokoena.