2025 Gold Cup Recap: Canada Dominates Honduras 6-0 in Vancouver
Tani Oluwaseyi scored a beauty, with Tajon Buchanan notching a brace in Canada‘s statement win to start the tournament.
Most people expected Honduras to be Canada’s most worthy opponent in the group stage. But Tuesday night, Canada demonstrated that Los Catrachos were no match for them, destroying Honduras 6-0 in a complete performance.
Canada did take some time to find their rhythm and adjust into the game. For the opening phase of play, Honduras held their own, playing physical and keeping Canada away from their goal.
In the 27th minute, it was Niko Sigur who got the party started for the Canadians. After picking up the ball, Sigur combined with Jonathan David in classic give and go fashion, finding himself in on goal. With composure, Sigur slotted the ball near post, scoring Canada’s first goal of the tournament. It was a special moment for the Hajduk Split man, whose last appearance in BC Place was as a ball boy for Canada back in 2019.
From that moment on, Canada turned on the jets, taking control of the game and putting Honduras’ backline under pressure. Jonathan David looked sharp, getting a good look at goal himself and then later setting up Tani Oluwaseyi on a cross, only to see Oluwaseyi get taken out by Honduras goalkeeper Edrick Menjivar. Menjivar struck Oluwaseyi in his attempt to punch the ball away, sending the Canadian striker to the floor. After a brief review no penalty was given, which was much to the confusion of Fox’s color analyst Stu Holden, who emphasized the over protection of goalkeepers in the modern game.
Thankfully for the Canadians, Oluwaseyi was able to make up for it several minutes later. Right before the half, Richie Laryea played a ball down the side of the box for Oluwaseyi, who unleashed a stunning one time finish into the roof of the net with his left foot as he fell backwards. In just his third ever start for the national team, the Minnesota United striker scored one of the better goals in recent Canada history, making a serious case for himself to permanently occupy the starting striker role alongside Jonathan David.
Canada wasted no time in their search for more goals. Just two minutes and fifty seconds after the break, Tajon Buchanan found the back of the net after Laryea set him up with a perfect pass across the box, making it 3-0 in the 48th minute.
Dayne St. Clair was called into action in the Canadian goal twice in two minutes for his only real involvement of the night. He made himself big for a spontaneous 1 on 1 stop against Honduras striker Choco Lozano, with Richie Laryea clearing the ball off the line twice afterwards, and then made a fantastic stretch to his right to deny a goal-bound strike following a corner kick.
For the remainder of the game, Canada truly broke free and dismantled Honduras’ back line. Buchanan pounced on a bouncing ball following a corner in the 65th minute, adding an easy fourth goal. Ten minutes later, the 23 year old substitute Promise David demonstrated master control in front of goal before dinking his shot off the post and in to make it 5-0. Then to put an exclamation point on it, Nathan Saliba ripped a rocket into the top of the net in the 90th minute following a Honduras giveaway, finishing off the Canadian win with style.
On the opening night of their Gold Cup campaign, Jesse Marsch’s side scored more goals than they did in the entire Copa America competition last summer. After such a dominant win and with a relatively easy remaining group stage schedule, it appears as though the skys the limit for the Canadians in this tournament. With arguably the strongest squad in the tournament performing like this, there’s no reason why Canada can’t dream of hoisting the Gold Cup come July 6.
Next up, Canada travels to Houston, where they will prepare to take on Curaçao this upcoming Saturday in their second match of group play.