“Explosive” and “relentless” – Meet Canadian star Jacob Shaffelburg

​

Copa América 

Tournaments are often the stage in which the world discovers players. In the case of the Copa América, several Canadian men’s national team players used the run to the semifinal to position themselves for bigger and greater things. One of those players is Nashville SC star Jacob Shaffelburg. The 24-year-old winger scored one goal and one assist in five games at the Copa América. But it hasn’t been just the goals that have made Shaffelburg one of the discoveries of the tournament. 

“He’s got a relentlessness and a fearlessness about him,” Canada head coach Jesse Marsch said in an interview with TSN. “I feel like for him, no moment is too big. He’s ready for whatever.” That relentlessness has certainly been on full display throughout the tournament. According to data released by Major League Soccer, Shaffelburg is the second fastest player with a top speed of 36.66km/h in the league behind his CanMNT teammate Moïse Bombito (37.27km/h) this season. 

Using that speed, Shaffelburg has created countless chances for Canada this tournament. According to Wyscout, Shaffelburg is second in the tournament with 17 crosses, first with 5.39 crosses per 90 minutes, and 11th with 41.18% accurate crosses. The Canadian also ranked 11th with 0.5 xG plus xA, a metric combining expected goals with expected assists. When it comes to two other metrics, Shaffelburg is in prominent company. The Canadian is second only to Liverpool star Darwin Núñez (25) at the Copa with 18 touches inside the penalty box and ranks second only behind Núñez’s Colombian club teammate Luis Díaz (six) with five key passes at the tournament. 

The downside of those numbers are that Canada has only scored twice in this tournament. Shaffelburg produced one of those goals against Venezuela. The other goal came in the 1-0 win over Peru in which Shaffelburg assisted Jonathan David. Indeed, the lack of scoring from open play, despite Shaffelburg’s efforts, has been concerning. Getting more out of Shaffelburg’s tenacity then will be a big concern for Marsch ahead of the final for third place on Saturday. 

Another aspect is Shaffelburg’s consistency. “I’m challenging him because at the 60th, 65th minute, he dies,” Marsch said. “We need him to be a 90-minute player. When you’re so explosive and have so many sprints and when you cause so much trouble for the opponent, it’s not so easy to last the whole 90. But we need that from him because he’s become a really important guy in the team.” A good example was the semifinal against Argentina, in which Shaffelburg had several good runs to start the match but got tired and was eventually brought off for Liam Millar. 

Being more consistent and impactful over the full 90 minutes then will be Shaffelburg’s next step. Then there is the fact that despite his runs and explosiveness, there are also some inefficiencies in his game. While Canada’s forward group could have done better at the Copa, Shaffelburg’s two goals and three assists in 20 games across all competitions for Nashville this season underline a lack of productivity. Despite that, scouts of European clubs are watching, and Shaffelburg has certainly used the Copa América as a platform that could make him a hot property in the summer transfer window.