Canada Soccer Coach Marsch Proud of Team’s Impressive Performance at Copa America
Canada coach Jesse Marsch expressed his pride in his squad’s accomplishments at the Copa America, despite their semi-final loss to Argentina on July 9. Marsch praised the North American underdogs for outshining higher-ranked teams in their tournament debut.
Former Leeds United manager Marsch took charge just five weeks before the tournament began. Canada quickly adapted to his methods and outperformed CONCACAF counterparts Mexico and the U.S., who were eliminated in the group stage.
Although Canada gave Argentina a tough challenge in the semi-final, goals from Julian Alvarez and Lionel Messi secured a 2-0 victory for the defending champions. Argentina had also defeated Canada by the same score in the tournament opener.
After the match, Marsch told reporters, “I know that they’re very disappointed, but I’m very proud of them. We’ve put together some incredible performances, just starting our process. We need to expand our player pool and challenge our group to come together and perform in key moments.”
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Marsch reflected, “We’ve had a wonderful five-six weeks together and it’s gone way better than any of us could have expected. There’s still work to be done, but we’ve established a solid foundation.”
Canada’s semi-final appearance is their best showing at a major tournament outside the Gold Cup. They have a third-place playoff against Uruguay or Colombia on Saturday.
“I’m focused on developing every player in the squad to have a strong 26-man team in 2026,” Marsch emphasized. “Saturday’s match will be crucial in this process as we introduce new faces and test their abilities in high-pressure situations.”
