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Canada's historic run to the Copa América semifinals can be a turning point for soccer in the country as it prepares to co-host the 2026 World Cup, coach Jesse Marsch said on Wednesday.
Canada's storybook run to the semifinals marked their deepest run at a major tournament outside the Gold Cup, an experience that Marsch said he hopes will inspire a love of soccer in the hockey-mad nation.
"We want to inspire the nation," Marsch said a day after Canada's 2-0 loss to Argentina in New Jersey. "We want to develop the sport in the country.
"We want people to remember this as a moment in time that changed the trajectory of what this sport is in Canada."
However, Marsch said they still have much to do to compete with the world's top teams, including developing more Canadian-born talent at a younger age and encouraging current players to be more vocal leaders on and off the pitch.
Jesse Marsch led Canada to the semifinals in their first appearance at the Copa América. Stephen Nadler/ISI Photos/Getty Images
"We're establishing things at some high levels. But in order to be a real team that can hold up to the biggest moments and biggest matches, there's more work to be done," said Marsch, who took over just five weeks ahead of the Copa America tournament.
"Physically, mentally, intellectually, we've got to find a way to develop players faster."
"When you play Argentina, when you play France, and you can see the speed of play and the power at which the best players play, that's where we need to go.
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"We actually have the athletes in this country. We need to now develop them in a way where they understand high-level football."
With an eye on Saturday's third-place match against Uruguay or Colombia, Marsch ran a training session on Wednesday morning with players that did not start Tuesday's semifinal.
He is still evaluating who will start that game, but he said some non-starters have clearly earned the honour and would benefit from playing elite opponents.
Marsch said Alphonso Davies's x-rays were "negative" after he suffered a foot injury in Tuesday's match, but it was unclear if he would be able to feature in Saturday's game.
Information from Reuters contributed to this report.
Source: espn.co.uk