Jesse Marsch hailed his Canada side’s “commitment to try to learn” after they edged out Venezuela at the Copa America to line up another shot at defending champions Argentina.
Marsch was appointed less than two months ago but already has his side playing the high-press, high-tempo game for which he is renown.
It was again in evidence as Canada advanced to the semifinals at the Copa, although they required a nervy penalty shoot-out to see them through after a 1-1 draw – Maxime Crepeau saving Wilker Ángel’s effort before Ismael Kone scored the winning kick.
KONÉ ✅ pic.twitter.com/MqSyZdBIur
— Concacaf (@Concacaf) July 6, 2024
Marsch said: “It’s a very athletic team. It’s a very fast team. I’ve tried to build in the right kind of aggression for them to go after opponents, to go after big games and to believe in how we’re building this.
“Their commitment to try to learn, their belief in what I’m doing with them is very, very high. They’re capable because they’re athletic, because they’re strong, because they’re young.
“We’ve seen an incredibly fast learning curve, but it’s because they’re excited about playing this way, and they’re excited about what we’re trying to achieve together.”
Marsch now has to navigate a way past world champions Argentina in New Jersey on Tuesday. The sides met in the tournament opener on June 21 with Lionel Scaloni’s men winning 2-0 thanks to goals from Julian Álvarez and Lautaro Martinez.
Captain Alphonso Davies admitted it will be a difficult task. The Bayern Munich full-back said: “It’s going to take everything. We played them in the group stage. We played well but didn’t get the win we wanted.”
