Canada coach Marsch pledges aggressive start against South Africa on Sunday

Some battles ar settled at the terminate of them, in the title rounds. Others ar won and missed in the opening moments.

Canada’s Round of 32 match against South Africa on Sunday — the first World Cup elimination game for both countries — feels destined to be decided quickly.

Alphonso Davies confirmed to play Sunday for Canada, but will-he-or-won't-he saga still raises questions

“I think we’re going to be very aggressive,” head coach Jesse Marsch said in Los Angeles on Saturday. “From the first second, we have to be going after the game.”

When Canada has struggled, it has struggled early.

Its opening draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto, perhaps not surprisingly given the atmosphere and the stakes, began tentatively, with too many soft passes, too much unrealized finesse. Canada’s men played better when they played bigger, more like monsters than the people who run from them. 

The same was true in their loss against Switzerland. The first half was nervy and tight, almost unbearably so; the Swiss broke through that tension to start the second half and scored twice, and the Canadians didn’t remember what they were capable of until it was too late.

Only in their game against Qatar, a 6-0 demolition, did they play at their ferocious best. 

That’s the sort of performance they will need against the South Africans. 

“We’re expecting South Africa to be very intensive, to have a fast start, to be excited and spirited for this match,” Marsch said. “It’s a big moment for their federation and their team. We are very clear on what to expect. It’s also a moment for us, where we want to be at our best.”

South Africa upsets South Korea to set up Round of 32 matchup with Canada

Like Canada, the South Africans have had a chaotic, uneven World Cup. They lost their opening match against Mexico 2-0, as well as two players to red cards. Their tournament seemed doomed to end early, and perhaps a little violently.

A draw against Czechia gave them surprise hopes of advancing, but they still needed a win over heavily favoured Korea.

They got it, winning 1-0, by conceding possession but mustering twice as many shots and shots on target. It was a remarkable result, and they earned it through counterpunches. 

Truth be told, Sunday’s game is a matchup between underdogs, a fight to determine who will refuse to be overlooked. The winner will face either the Netherlands or Morocco, a much more compelling game for neutrals, in Houston on July 4.

A full-strength Canada would, on most nights, like its chances against South Africa, ranked 54th in the world. But Marsch’s preferred starting lineup has been made impossible by injury.

Alphonso Davies, who missed the entire group stage while recovering from a series of muscle and hamstring strains, is allegedly ready for some minutes, as is Moise Bombito. Their attacking dynamism could prove a huge boost from the back.

The midfield will remain weakened, however. Ismaël Koné suffered a horrific broken leg in the group stage against Qatar, and Stephen Eustáquio was unable to start against Switzerland. Nathan Saliba and Mathieu Choinière served mostly admirably in their places — Saliba’s assist on Promise David’s goal was magnificent — but they are a step down offensively.

Ali Ahmed, Liam Millar, and Tajon Buchanan have also struggled on the wing. Rather than lose Richie Laryea, who has been a menace at left back, Marsch could choose to push Davies higher up if the game demands it. 

On Saturday, Marsch refused to consider the fallout of defeat — the difference by history’s measures between a Round of 16 appearance and an early, even inglorious departure against a team Canada should beat.

“In all these moments, as a competitor, whether you’re a player or coach, you never allow negativity,” he said. “You visualize positivity. You visualize what you want the game to look like.”

He will want Canada to look disciplined but creative, smart but frenzied, clean but aggressive, calm but relentless. He will want his team to play its high-flying best, absent fear, absent doubt, absent uncertainty. 

“I live for these moments,” Marsch said. “You live for the moments where you’re tested, and you can show how good you are. I think our team is ready for that.”

And they will need to be ready from the opening whistle, as though they were answering the sound of a bell.

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