If Canada hopes to get that first goal, 41 million Canadians are hoping it comes from Jonathan David. The Juventus striker is the first of those millions who want it to happen.
He wasn’t good in the opening match, missing a clear chance in the first half and struggling to create while also enduring difficult moments in front of goal. While he scored twice from the penalty spot in a friendly against Iceland in March, he hasn’t scored an open-play goal for the country since September.
Yet, even as noise grew around his poor form this week, he looked exceptionally calm in training sessions, and his finishing in low-pressure drills was automatic, barely missing a shot.
On Monday, he appeared calm. On Tuesday, he was the center of attention, smiling as he went through the early and late stages of the sessions.
“With a guy like Johnny, people get too hung up on the goals and assists. For me, at the end of the day, he’s just a really talented footballer,” Johnston said. “When he’s at his best, it’s not necessarily contributing to the goal … The spaces that he picks up, how he sees the game, and how he feels the game are unique to anyone in our nation, to be honest.”
Looking at the positive side of his performance against Bosnia and Herzegovina, he at least got chances in a way he hasn’t for months. That’s a good sign and an example of why Oluwaseyi could be a better starting fit than Larin, given how he opens up spaces for David to exploit. If the Juventus man gets those chances, though, he’ll have to score, or things could become even more difficult for the Canadian attack.
His teammates are still confident in him, and he remains Canada’s most consistent and historic goal threat. The question now is whether this Qatar match could be the spark that gets him going, potentially setting Canada up for a deeper run.
