Cyle Larin silenced Canada's World Cup critics, now the pressure is on Jonathan David

There were plenty of reasons for Canadian fans to be in a celebratory mood from coast to coast to coast after their tournament opener. A first World Cup point, a third World Cup goal and a result that gave them a chance to win the group. But it was Larin, not David, with the decisive moment.

With captain and superstar Alphonso Davies on the sidelines as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury, public focus centered on David. The Juventus striker was supposed to be Canada's hero after scoring at an exceptional rate over five years with Lille before joining the Italian giants in the summer of 2025.

Yet as the ball fell to him in the box with the score level in the 17th minute, he flubbed it toward Nikola Vasilj. Other mistouches and missed chances ultimately forced Marsch to take him out of the match in the 61st minute.

It wasn't the performance David had dreamed of, and through four World Cup appearances, he does not have a goal to his name.

While he has thrived under the bright lights of the Champions League, his standout Canada moments have been few and far between in recent years, aside from the goal that helped Canada reach the semifinals of the 2024 Copa América.

"Jonny didn't have his best day," Marsch said after the Bosnia draw. "But make no mistake: He's an incredibly important player for us, and we will need him to be at his best in this tournament. Without him in top form, we are not the same team we have the potential to be."

While David begrudgingly walked out of the stadium after the first match, the Juventus man was back to all smiles as he hit the pitch for the first time in Vancouver, where Canada is setting up base camp and will play two matches, with the potential for four through the quarterfinals should they win Group B.

His finishing in training looked spectacular from the moment media were allowed to watch, as automatic as ever. He was joyous during warmups, joking with his teammates, including Larin. After the session, he had a long chat with an assistant coach before walking off.

In training, his form is impeccable. It's just a question of bringing that into games.

"I see a confident player, I see great movement, I see his talk, it's amazing, his backtracking, his stepping in with the ball, stepping in to win the ball, his pressing, he does so much work for us," said center back Joel Waterman about defending David in training. "He's our goal scorer too... so I have all the confidence in the world in our strikers right now. [His confidence] never wavers."

Even after his poor performance in the opener, it would be shocking not to see David start in Canada's second match against Qatar, a team the co-hosts hope to dominate and beat for the nation's first World Cup victory.

If Canada is to have any significant success at the World Cup, David will likely be a big part of it.

From being born in Brooklyn to growing up in Ottawa, David has been part of the Canadian program for almost a decade. He rose alongside Alphonso Davies through the youth national teams and eventually made his Canada debut in 2018 alongside Larin.

Since turning professional, David has played with Davies many times. The connection with Larin, though, blossomed on and off the pitch for most of their time together until the recent struggles in 2025.

Through 2023 and 2024, they co-hosted a podcast, "The Strikers' Corner," and before that had formed a potent partnership that propelled Canada through 2022 World Cup qualifying and into the country's first tournament in 36 years.

The two embody Canada Soccer's rise and its previous failures, with Canada ranked No. 110 when Larin debuted in 2014. Both have had to deal with judgments directed at them as Canadians in Europe and, as the game has grown, with public opinion at home. Through it all, their friendship has grown despite their competing for spots in the past.

Larin, a more physical striker with an eye for goal, and David, often lauded as one of the smartest players in the game, had grown to complement each other before changing roles in Marsch's 4-4-2 system, which brought defensive solidity but left their goals largely dry.

"The podcast was fun... life got too busy," David told OneSoccer in a dual interview with Larin in March. "It's been a long time that we've played together, so I think we're starting again to find each other a little bit more, but we just had that click before that, and it was just automatic."

Now it's about finding that connection again. Larin's resurgence could be the key, and despite their struggles to create alongside each other in 2025, they could partner again against Qatar, with hopes of David finding his first World Cup goal to spark Canada's momentum.

While David, Larin, Oluwaseyi and Promise David will all be in contention for starting roles, David will be a lock to start Canada's second match against Qatar and first in Vancouver. It's his opportunity, in front of what is expected to be a packed crowd of 52,497-plus, to do what Larin did in Toronto: shut everyone up.

Vancouver's crowd and the pressure around the game are likely to be more imposing. The bowl atmosphere at BC Place, with the roof closed, will generate intense noise, and securing a win against the lowest-ranked team is vital to any hopes of making memories in this tournament.

If David is able to deliver a 40th goal for the national team and add to his record, he could potentially create millions of memories that last a lifetime.