One of the biggest surprises during Canada’s Round of 16 match against Morocco was the absence of Alphonso Davies in Houston. Fans were wondering what really happened.
Many expected the Bayern Munich star to play a significant role after returning to action in the Round of 32 against South Africa, where he came off the bench and looked increasingly comfortable. Instead, Davies did not feature at all in Canada’s 3-0 defeat.
Following the match, head coach Jesse Marsch revealed that Davies experienced discomfort during training and that the medical staff ultimately decided not to take any unnecessary risks.
Why Alphonso Davies didn’t play for Canada vs Morocco
After the match, Jesse Marsch detailed the sequence of events that led to the decision. In the end, Alphonso Davies had a setback during practice and that left him out of the game.
“With Alphonso, he didn’t feel right yesterday in training and we got an MRI. It was clear. So, the good news was that there was no injury, but his hamstring didn’t feel right. We were hoping that by the time this morning he woke up that he would feel better, but he didn’t. So, we wanted to be cautious and make sure that we weren’t risking anything. We weren’t able to have him healthy and it killed him more than anyone, but I think it was the right decision to preserve him and his career.”
According to Marsch, medical examinations showed no new injury, but the coaching staff believed the safest course of action was to leave Davies out completely rather than risk aggravating his hamstring.
What is Alphonso Davies’ injury?
Jesse Marsch also explained that Alphonso Davies had been following a disciplined recovery plan after suffering the hamstring injury that initially placed his World Cup participation in doubt. That injury came in May during the Champions League semifinal between Bayern Munich and PSG.
“He had a hamstring injury that he was recovering from. He was on a very linear path up until two days ago. Then, he felt a little something. It turned out that it wasn’t anything significant, but he didn’t feel right and we didn’t want to stress it. But other than that, the progression and the routine that we put him through in his return to play was really good and disciplined.”
