Canada forward Jacob Shaffelburg (14) acknowledges head coach Jesse Marsch, right, while leaving the field after receiving a red card during the first half of a CONCACAF Gold Cup quarter-final match against Guatemala on Sunday, June 29, 2025, in Minneapolis.Abbie Parr/The Associated Press
Canada coach Jesse Marsch will hold a 10-day January camp in California for North American-based players, ahead of a friendly against Guatemala.
The camp will run Jan. 8-18 in Irvine, Calif., with the game against No. 94 Guatemala on Jan. 17 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
With European-based players tied up with domestic club competition, the camp is for out-of-season North American players.
The Guatemala game will be classified as a Tier 1 international fixture and count toward FIFA men’s world rankings, according to Canada Soccer.
The Canadian men have a score to settle with Guatemala, after exiting the Gold Cup in June in a 6-5 penalty shootout quarter-final loss in Minneapolis. The game finished knotted at 1-1 after 90 minutes, with Canada reduced to 10 men after winger Jacob Shaffelburg was sent off in first-half stoppage time.
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Tied 5-5 after six rounds of the shootout, teenage Canadian defender Luc de Fougerolles hit the crossbar. Jose Morales stepped up and beat Dayne St. Clair to send Guatemala into the semi-final.
Canada’s all-time record against Guatemala is 10-2-3 (including the recent Gold Cup draw that turned into a loss). The Canadian men’s previous losses to the Central Americans were both in World Cup qualifying play – 2-0 in August, 2004 in Burnaby, B.C. and 1-0 in October, 1998 in Guatemala City.
With just two FIFA international windows – March 23-31 and June 1-9 – before the World Cup kicks off June 11, the January camp is another chance for Marsch to spend time with at least some of his players.
“This camp provides a valuable opportunity for a group of our North America-based players to come together, spend time within our environment, and continue their development as we prepare for an important year ahead,” Marsch said in a statement. “The match against Guatemala adds an important competitive component and supports players in building and maintaining match fitness ahead of their respective pre-seasons.”
The 27th-ranked Canadian men open the World Cup on June 12 at Toronto’s BMO Field against the winner of a European playoff.