Jesse Marsch regrets Alphonso Davies' absence, but is proud of Canada World Cup run

[p][i]Les Rouges[/i], who had rewritten the record books by earning their ‌first World Cup point, first World Cup victory and first knockout-stage win, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/canada-x4toKORL/morocco-IDKYO3R8/?mid=pUYfr7u3"]dominated for long stretches[/a] against the seventh-ranked Moroccans, but ‌were left to rue missed chances, costly errors and the absence of talisman [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/davies-alphonso/4r3PXV20/"]Alphonso Davies[/a].[/p][p]"[b]I'm very ‌proud to be the Canadian national team coach, and as proud as I am, I'm even more proud of ‌the way our boys played today,[/b]" Marsch told reporters.[/p][p]Davies missed the match after suffering a ‌hamstring setback, having played only a few minutes in the tournament.[/p][p]"[b]We want players on the pitch that are 100% to play the game, I wasn't there yet,[/b]" Davies told reporters. "[b]It was tough sitting there, watching the game, knowing you know that ‌I'm not 100%.[/b]"[/p][p]Marsch said [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/canada/x4toKORL/"]Canada[/a] had shown throughout the tournament that ⁠they belonged among the world's elite.[/p][p]"[b]Before today, if you ‌would have said your team's going to play like that, I would have said, 'okay, there's a good chance we're ​going to win the match',[/b]'" Marsch said.[/p][p]"[b]Thought we totally controlled the number seven team in the world in the first half, total control. There was one team on the pitch. ​And then we weren't able to make the play.[/b][/p][p]"[b]Even at the start of the second half, we were the aggressor, we were the ones that looked more likely to score.[/b]"[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/morocco/IDKYO3R8/"]Morocco[/a]'s opener changed the complexion ⁠of the game, Marsch said, allowing ​the North Africans to sit deeper as Canada chased an equaliser.[/p][h2]Davies injury[/h2][p]Canada's task was made immeasurably harder by the loss of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/bayern-munich/nVp0wiqd/"]Bayern Munich[/a] wing-back Davies, whose World Cup was wrecked by injury.[/p][p]"[b]He didn't feel right yesterday in training, and we got an MRI, and it was clear, but his hamstring didn't feel right,[/b]" Marsch ‌said.[/p][p]"[b]It killed him more than anyone, but I think it was the right decision to preserve him and his career and get him fully healthy[/b]."[/p][embed guid="63c52e20-6fe3-4f37-a36a-92c4b1f9376f" url="https://x.com/clahanna/status/2073490980272030177?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]The American coach urged his players and Canadian soccer as a whole to view the tournament as a springboard rather than a missed opportunity.[/p][p]Marsch, who waved away television cameras when he gathered his team on the pitch for a post-game huddle, said Canada's challenge now was to raise the standards established during the tournament.[/p][p]"[b]I challenged them to understand that we can play like this all the time,[/b]" he said. "[b]Against the best teams in the world, we can be better on the day.[/b][/p][p]"[b]The challenge is, can we hold that standard for 90 minutes? Can we continue to build ‌the depth of what we're doing with the team? Can we build a real Canadian DNA into ​the kind of football we want to play?[/b]"[/p][p]For Marsch, Canada's first home World Cup campaign ‌ended with heartbreak but also belief that the programme has entered a new era.[/p][p]"[b]It is a privilege to have now a Canadian national team competing at levels that had never been dreamed of 10 years ago,[/b]" he said.[/p][p]"[b]With that excitement comes higher expectations. Nobody is more disappointed than us, but we have to continue to think about how to get better and commit ourselves ⁠to it every time we're together.[/b]"[/p][p]Canada's Prime Minister ⁠Mark Carney posted on X: "[b]Nothing but pride ... ‌An incredible run and a sign of what's to come.[/b]"[/p]