Marsch: Canada 'not satisfied' yet after making Copa quarters
Jesse Marsch won't let Canada rest on its laurels.
The men's national team coach said he and his players aren't content with just a quarterfinal berth after reaching the knockout stage of the Copa America with a goalless draw against Chile on Saturday night.
Canada, making its tournament debut, finished second in Group A behind Argentina, recovering from a loss to the reigning champion in the tournament opener to beat Peru 1-0. Canada then held off the veteran Chileans in the group finale, finishing with four points.
Marsch wants more, though.
"We are not satisfied. The group is not satisfied. They want to keep going," the bench boss told reporters following the historic result against Chile, according to Alex Kirkland of ESPN. "They know, no matter who our next opponent is, it will be a difficult match. But they believe in themselves. We're excited for this next challenge."
Marsch added: "I'm challenging them to grow and get better, to be more savvy professionals, more mature players. I've been incredibly impressed by them, from the first training session. I'm enjoying being their coach. I'm proud of this accomplishment. But again, we're not satisfied."
Canada will take on the winner of Group B in the quarterfinals. Venezuela currently leads that quartet, but Ecuador and Mexico are both still in contention to grab top spot.
Despite scoring only one goal in five games since Marsch took the helm, Canada, long viewed as being shaky defensively, is riding a solid backline - and goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau - to success at this summer's tournament, keeping clean sheets against both Peru and Chile.
"There was a lot of talk about defensive frailties, and no one was sure how the team would be able to defend. But the entire team has been tactically very organized, disciplined. We've looked athletic and strong in every match," Marsch said.
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