By Frank Pingue
TORONTO, June 11 (Reuters) – Jesse Marsch has a simple message for anyone wondering whether his Canada side are ready for the weight of a home World Cup: they are not just ready for it, they want it.
Canada will arrive at Toronto Stadium on Friday for their first World Cup game on home soil carrying the weight of a nation after a build-up that has been defined as much by the treatment room as the training pitch, but Marsch is undaunted.
“If you do this for a living, this is where you want to be,” Marsch said on Thursday ahead of the Group B opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“I came to Canada to be the coach because I liked these guys and I believed they could fit the way I wanted to play, but I came here to lead them in the World Cup — in the home World Cup. I wanted this responsibility.”
MARSCH HOPEFUL CAPTAIN DAVIES CAN CONTRIBUTE SOON
The biggest injury concern remains captain Alphonso Davies, who will miss Friday’s match with a hamstring injury suffered during Bayern Munich’s Champions League semi-final last month. But Marsch said an MRI on Wednesday brought encouraging signs.
“We’re getting ready to ramp things up,” the American said.
“He will not be available for tomorrow, but he’s showing, like he always has, a real good ability to recover from muscle injuries. We’re really hopeful that over the next days and weeks we can accelerate things and give him a chance to contribute here soon.”
Midfielder Ismael Kone sent a scare through the camp when he left training early on Wednesday before it had even properly begun, but Marsch was quick to put those fears to rest — with a touch of exasperation.
“He just felt a little sick, so we sent him home because we were doing nothing on the day, and it was like a five-star red alert,” Marsch said. “Ismael trained today, he’s totally fine, he’s ready to go.”
Even defender Moise Bombito, whose recovery from a broken leg appeared to stall after lasting just 30 minutes in a warm-up match against Uzbekistan, will be ready if called upon.
“He’s not fully at 100%, but he’s reached his top speed,” Marsch said. “I don’t see any reason that a week from now he’s not ready to even be considered as a starter.”
‘READY TO MAKE OUR COUNTRY PROUD’
Discipline will also be on Marsch’s mind. Canada have collected a handful of red cards in their last 11 games, and with the adrenaline of a home opener in the air, Marsch was clear-eyed about the risk.
“Certainly one of the best ways to derail a tournament for any team is red cards,” he said.
“We do need to be aggressive and play our way with speed and power, but we also need to make sure that we keep our heads and don’t have any reckless tackles, extracurricular situations, or emotional reactions that get us in any kind of trouble with cards.”
Canada have made significant strides since Marsch took over in 2024, notably reaching the Copa America semi-finals that year. This is also the first time Canada have appeared at back-to-back World Cups, and they are still searching for their maiden point after six defeats across the 1986 and 2022 tournaments.
Marsch declared his team ready. “We are ready to play some big games,” said Marsch. “We are ready to make our country proud, make our fans proud. We are ready to go after this.”
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in TorontoEditing by Christian Radnedge)
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