Fans to honour Koné ahead of Canada-Switzerland match in Vancouver

Canada fans will honour injured midfielder Ismaël Koné ahead of today’s crucial World Cup match against Switzerland at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, where captain Alphonso Davies is expected to make his tournament debut.

There’s much on the line for fans today, including whether Canada gets to enjoy a home-turf advantage in Vancouver again in the knockout rounds.

While Canada is all but certain of reaching the knockout phase after its 6-0 rout of Qatar last week, a win or draw against Switzerland would keep the team on top of the group and bring them back to Vancouver on July 2.

The Voyageurs fan group says they’ll be waving thousands of Koné’s No. 8 at their march to the stadium in tribute to the player who suffered a broken leg in the Qatar match.

Their march will set off at 10 a.m. from the intersection of Quebec and Central streets.

Head coach Jesse Marsch has said he expects to bring Davies on at some stage today, after he was absent from Canada’s first two group-stage matches due to a hamstring injury.

Prime Minister Mark Carney, who attended the Qatar game, is scheduled to attend today’s match too.

It’s the fourth match at BC Place, with the next game involving New Zealand and Belgium on Friday, before the round-of-32 knockout match on July 2, then a round-of-16 knockout on July 7.