The road only gets tougher for Canada as it prepares for Tuesday’s semifinal against Argentina at Copa América, but for many, these games are just a bonus.
Canada’s run at Copa América has galvanized the country and is slowly earning the team respect from the outside.
However, head coach Jesse Marsch understands why others aren’t ready to throw their complete support behind his squad.
“We probably don’t,” Marsch told reporters in regard to whether Canada should be getting more respect. “That will take time. I think respect comes in many different ways, but the best way to earn respect is to play well and win matches.”
This is just the third time a Concacaf team has qualified for the semifinals of this tournament in its debut appearance (Honduras and Mexico), and the first time a team from the region has made it this far since the USA in 2016.
Safe to say not everyone was getting on the Canada bandwagon during their run.
After Canada advanced out of their group while the United States had an early exit after finishing third in the table, FOX Sports analysts Carli Llyod and Alexi Lalas weren’t ready to give out compliments.
“The reality is (the U.S.) didn’t get it done,” Lloyd said. “When you look at a team like Canada, who actually got out of their group scoring one goal, it is a failure. We do not want to see Canada getting out of the group in a Copa America tournament.”
Lalas echoed Lloyd’s disappointment, saying watching Canada advance after the U.S. couldn’t get the job done was tough.
“I gotta see Canada do this?” Lalas said. “I’ll step aside and say congratulations to Canada, but from a U.S. perspective… this hurts. Anybody but Canada!”
Ahead of their matchup against a powerhouse Argentinian squad that has an undefeated run of 10 matches, Canada will once again be viewed as underdogs and rightfully so.
Here is a look at what is currently being said about the team ahead of the match.
Copa América: Are Canada now the best team in North America | The Guardian
Going into this tournament, not many could have predicted Canada as the sole survivor among the teams from North and Central America.
It’s begged the question as to whether Canada should be considered the top nation in North America, as Joseph Lowery wrote in The Guardian.
“With a set of top-tier players and clear belief in Marsch’s combative tactical approach, Canada can’t be overlooked any more. In the absence of their regional rivals, they get to soak up the full Concacaf spotlight at this stage of the tournament. Argentina are up next. Pull off the upset, and we can start to seriously contemplate whether the North American baton has been passed as the Canadians plan for a home World Cup in 2026.”
The “Canadian Messi” Leading His Country to Copa America Semifinals | beIN SPORTS
One of the emerging players from the tournament has been Jacob Shaffelburg, who came off the bench against Peru and hasn’t looked back since.
His performance has earned some praise, with many giving him the nickname “Maritime Messi” or by some pundits down south that aren’t familiar with the Maritimes, “Canadian Messi.”
“Jacob Shaffelburg, the ‘[Maritime] Messi’ of Canada, has become a key player for Jesse Marsch’s lineup after starting the Copa América on the bench. Instrumental in securing his team’s place in the semifinals against Venezuela, he is now set to face the real Lionel Messi for a spot in the final,” beIN SPORTS writes.
“Living up to his nickname, the ‘[Maritime] Messi’ has been a guiding light for a Canadian team struggling with goal-scoring issues.”
Canada’s Copa América run sparks redemption arc for Marsch | ESPN
It wasn’t long ago that Marsch was a candidate to be the head coach for the United States but was denied that opportunity. He has since found his home with Canada.
That doesn’t mean Marsch hasn’t been keeping his eye on what the U.S. squad has done but, at the same time, making it known what they are missing.
“It has been a magnificent couple of weeks for Marsch and the Canadian national team. In their first opportunity, they did something Venezuela have done only once in 20 tries — reach a semifinal — and they didn’t have to play their absolute best ball to do it,” Bill Connelly of ESPN.com writes.
“Marsch’s team has bought into the style he wants to implement, and at worst, Canada will match the United States’ best Copa América performance. No matter how “disappointed” he might be about his home country’s recent performances, he’s probably not losing much sleep about it at the moment.”
Can Canada upset Lionel Messi, Argentina in Copa América rematch? | FOX Sports
With Canada already facing Argentina in the group stage, is there a chance it can learn from the loss?
FOX Sports analysts Jimmy Conrad, Melissa Ortiz and Wes Morgan provided their thoughts.
“Your first game in a Copa América is against the best team in the world — that’s hard,” Ortiz said. “And [Canada] didn’t get their butts kicked, they held on. Yes, they lost, but they clearly grew from that game. And once they were able to perform and gain confidence and grow more into the tournament, you just see them really being able to get this win [vs. Venezuela] and deserve this win, too.”
Conrad looked at what Argentina would have learned from watching Canada.
“When I think about Jesse Marsch, his methodology … it’s all gas, no brakes,” Conrad said. “If you play a team a second time so quickly, especially a team as high calibre as Argentina, you have to make some adjustments. You can’t just be like, ‘Let’s go 100 miles an hour again, guys, and see what happens.’ That just feels foolish and naive that you wouldn’t take some learnings from game one and apply them to game two.”
Morgan believes Marsch will have to make some serious adjustments to his tactics instead of trying a game plan similar to prior matches.
“I can’t see Jesse doing that,” Morgan said. “I think he understands the calibre of the opponent. The approach he went for in the Venezuela game, surely he won’t go for the same approach with Argentina. You have to respect Argentina’s best players. He won’t take them for granted. But at the same time, I’m sure he wants to impose himself on the game, not sit back and absorb pressure and hope to nick something. Today was a good example of what they’re capable of going forward, the first half in particular.
“You’ve got to favour Argentina to edge that one out, but this is football. Anything can happen.”