Canada is experiencing a historic first at this World Cup: for the first time, the North Americans have advanced past the group stage and celebrated their first knockout victory in the round of 32 against South Africa. Now they face Morocco in the round of 16. A special message from basketball legend Steve Nash, once a teammate of Dirk Nowitzki with the Dallas Mavericks, is said to have given the team an extra boost.
National coach Jesse Marsch reported that Nash sent the team a message about the “balance between tension and carefree play” about ten days ago. “We play disciplined and organized – and that over the full 90 minutes,” Marsch said. “But we show our quality, have fun, and enjoy being who we are.” The further one advances in the tournament, the more important this attitude becomes.
The round of 16 match against Morocco takes place on Saturday at 7:00 PM in Houston. Marsch, formerly coach of RB Leipzig, warns of the opponent: “They have a team with incredible individual talent, are well organized, and have no weaknesses.” Nevertheless, the team looks forward to the “huge challenge.” Both teams already met in the group stage at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar – Canada lost 1-2, Morocco later became World Cup fourth-place finishers.
Source: www.tagesspiegel.de
