'Proud' Marsch Sets Sights On 2026 World Cup Following Canada's Copa Performance
Jesse Marsch expressed immense pride in his Canada team despite their 2-0 defeat to Argentina in the Copa America semi-finals. The debutants finished second in Group A and overcame Venezuela on penalties in the quarter-finals. Their impressive run ended on Tuesday in New Jersey against Argentina.
Canada will co-host the next World Cup with the United States and Mexico, a goal now firmly in Marsch's sights. "What I said to the team afterwards is I know that they're very disappointed, but I'm very proud of them," Marsch told reporters. "We've put together some incredible performances and we're just starting our process."
Marsch emphasised the need to expand Canada's player pool and challenge the group to perform in crucial moments. He noted, "We need to find a way to expand our player pool. We need to continue to challenge our group to come together and be able to perform in moments like this."
Despite only taking over as head coach two months ago, Marsch's style was evident throughout the tournament. Canada now faces a third-place play-off against either Colombia or Uruguay on Saturday, where Marsch plans to make changes.
"I'm trying to really build and develop every single player in this pool so that we can have a real 26-man squad when it comes to 2026," he said. "So the match on Saturday will also be vital for that because we'll make some changes. We'll get some new faces on the pitch and challenge them."
Canada started strongly against Argentina at MetLife Stadium but missed early chances before Julian Alvarez scored in the 22nd minute. Lionel Messi added a second goal early in the second half, sealing Argentina's victory.
Reflecting on Performance
Midfielder Stephen Eustaquio reflected on Canada's performance, saying, "They're the best team in the world, but we had our chances in the beginning of the game." He added, "If we scored one of our chances, the story of the game would probably have been different."
Marsch acknowledged that there is still much work ahead but praised his team's efforts over the past weeks. "In general, we've had a wonderful five-six weeks together and it's gone way better than any of us could have scripted," he said. "There's still a lot of work to do, but we've built a really good foundation."
The Canadian team can take pride in reaching the last four of Copa America, marking a significant achievement for their football programme.
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