Toronto/CMEDIA: Canada’s men’s soccer team reportedly advances to the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup for the first time
Canada’s loss to Switzerland in group stage action at Vancouver’s B.C. Place on Wed — meaning Canada finished second in Group B behind the Swiss — has made Canada’s path in the knockout stage more challenging.
As second-place finishers, Canada now heads to Los Angeles to take on South Africa on Sunday.
The Group B winner is scheduled to play in Vancouver, BC. on July 2. will now feature Switzerland against a third-place finisher from one of five groups.
Following Wednesday’s game, Canada coach Jesse Marsch acknowledged that matches like the one against the Swiss are often a “matter of fine margins.”
Marsch acknowledged that his team has a long road ahead, but believes his players are up for the challenge.
“We wanted to be here in Vancouver, but we still have a massive opportunity ahead of us to find a way to still electrify the nation, even though it’ll be from Los Angeles,” Marsch said.
In the event of Canada winning its Round of 32 match in Los Angeles, it will advance to a Round of 16 game in Houston on July 4.
A win there would send the team to a quarterfinal in Boston on July 9. Getting a win in Boston would advance Canada to a July 14 semifinal match in Dallas.
