Alphonso Davies' Uncertain Role Looms Over Canada's World Cup Return

Alphonso Davies' uncertain role looms over Canada's World Cup return, with the team's biggest star facing an uncertain start in their first-ever knockout match.

Canada have reached uncharted territory, and Davies' uncertain role looms over everything as Jesse Marsch manages his return with knockout stakes and questions rising. In recent weeks, the most enigmatic figure around Canadian soccer might not be Davies at all, but the man standing beside him: Matthias Blankenburg.

Davies is available for Canada's World Cup knockout match, but that does not mean his role is clear. He addressed the media pre-match but scoffed when asked about starting, and even though he is in the picture, there is still no certainty that he will actually come off the bench.

Canada should have enough quality to beat South Africa without him, but having the team's most electrifying player would be a major boost, and Davies could become critical against the Netherlands or Morocco in the round of 16, should Canada advance. "The only thing I want to do is play football. That's what I'm really passionate about," Davies said. "It will mean a lot. I remember myself, a 17-year-old kid, going to Russia to speak to the FIFA Congress about bringing the World Cup here, and then seeing it come through is something special."

As Canada's players make their way onto the pitch for training sessions, so too does the hulking German trainer, whom few seem to know much about. He wears a Canada Soccer shirt, one that barely fits over an upper body that has clearly spent ample time on a bench press, and black cleats, standing out among a group of players who almost all wear pink boots.

On his website, Blankenburg describes himself as an "expert who works at the highest level," but provides few details. In the past, he has worked with Bayern Munich stars David Alaba, Jerome Boateng, Malik Tillman, and Franck Ribery, and now Davies, though he is not an official member of Bayern's staff. For Davies, once an easygoing and energetic leader within the Canadian group, Blankenburg has been a watchful presence.

The trainer appears to operate independently, and Canada have offered few public details about his exact setup within camp. He became part of the plan after Davies, Canada Soccer, and Bayern Munich sat down to determine the best path forward, and he is expected to continue working with Davies for the foreseeable future.

Over the past several weeks, as Marsch and Davies have spoken to the media, Blankenburg has often stood within earshot, his presence a constant reminder of the uncertainty surrounding Davies' role. "When Alphonso had mentioned that he wanted to bring a personal trainer to help in his rehabilitation, I was fully supportive of it, and I think it's really important, especially when you're the level of athlete that Alphonso is, to have somebody who knows specifically what the demands of your body are, and I think he's been a huge help," Canada coach Jesse Marsch said.

"With the highest-level athletes, you have to treat them like they're Ferraris. You have to really maintain them and make sure that you're hitting all the benchmarks before you let them really go and be free."

category: player_focus