By Nick Said and Lais Morais
HOUSTON, July 1 (Reuters) – Canada coach Jesse Marsch has not yet decided if captain Alphonso Davies will start against Morocco in their World Cup last 16 clash in Houston on Saturday and suggested his side’s superior fitness could be a factor in the tie.
Davies played his first minutes at the tournament in the round of 32 victory over South Africa, coming on in the 75th to have a big impact as Canada won 1-0 with an added-time goal.
That was his first appearance for the side since March 2025, but Marsch said the 25-year-old was ready to start if needed.
“We were really happy with Alphonso and he feels really good today,” Marsch told reporters on Wednesday. “I thought he had a good impact on the game and, more than anything, what you saw is that South Africa really respected him when he came in.
“So we will be thinking about how to use Alphonso again in this game, whether from the start or off the bench.”
Marsch praised his side’s fitness, which will be tested as they train in the Texas heat this week, though Saturday’s game will be played in the closed, air-conditioned Houston Stadium.
“If you look at the run data from our games, we’ve covered a lot of ground, and we’ve managed games that way,” he added.
“We’ve outrun every opponent, so we know we’re fit. It’s more managing loading, especially with the heat, so that we don’t over train the players.
“And especially knowing that Morocco put in 120 minutes (against Netherlands in their last-32 clash on Monday). We have to say to ourselves, one of the advantages we can have is to be fresher and fitter.”
Marsch said that although Canada may make slight adjustments to their gameplan to counter particular Moroccan threats, they will stick to what has worked in the World Cup so far.
“We won’t change our identity, but you use tactical nuances to think about how to manage each opponent,” he said.
“People love to say we always play a 4-2-2-2. Well, sometimes yes, sometimes no. Sometimes we play 4-3-3 when we press, sometimes we play 4-2-3-1, or asymmetric in certain ways with the ball.
“Sometimes we build with three in the back, sometimes we build with four, so it’s silly for people to try to put us in a box in one way or another. It’s foolish because they’re not really watching what we’re doing.”
Marsch revealed he had been receiving messages from one of his childhood idols, ice hockey great Wayne Gretzky, which has been a highlight of the World Cup so far.
“The fact that Wayne texts me daily, I have to pinch myself more than even being in the last 16 of the World Cup! He’s super supportive of the team, and is like, ‘Look, I don’t know enough about football, but do we have a chance?’
“And I’m like, ‘Yeah, we have a chance, let’s go for it!'”
(Reporting by Nick Said; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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