HOUSTON — Canadian soccer coach Jesse Marsch is calling on his players to stay sharp and aggressive when they take on Morocco in the World Cup round of 16 this Saturday, warning that the African nation presents virtually no exploitable flaws heading into the Houston showdown.
Marsch described Morocco as a side with a dangerous, free-flowing midfield that thrives on movement and creativity — a combination that could spell trouble for Canada if even one player strays from the game plan.
“This is where we expect to be and this is where we want to be, and we know that Morocco is going to challenge every single thing we do and this is a team that has literally zero weaknesses,” Marsch said on the eve of the match.
“We have to try to be good at the things that we care about and that we are good at, and we have to see if that can hold up against an opponent like this.”
Canada’s run at this World Cup has already etched the team into the nation’s sporting history books, but Marsch made clear his squad has more work to do when they face the 2022 semi-finalists. He also dismissed the idea that revenge would serve as any kind of motivator, despite Morocco handing Canada a 2-1 defeat during the group stage of the 2022 World Cup.
“There’s not a ton of motivation for anyone in our camp to say that we lost last World Cup to Morocco and now we need to right that wrong,” he said.
“This is a different time. They’re a different team. We’re a different team. This is a very different moment and we just want to do everything we can to find a way to get the result.”
Canada has already made history during this tournament by recording their first-ever World Cup point and victory. Marsch acknowledged that Morocco carries themselves with a confident swagger, making the challenge even greater for his side.
One bright spot for Canada is the expected availability of star player Alphonso Davies, who made his first appearance of the tournament as a substitute in the 75th minute during Canada’s round-of-32 win over South Africa. Marsch confirmed Davies would be available for Saturday’s match.
“They know how big a moment this is,” Marsch said. “I expect their best performance of the tournament and it would be foolish to expect anything else.”
