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Jesse Marsch hails Canada as Canadian heroes after historic 1-0 victory over South Africa sends them into the FIFA World Cup Round of 16.
Jesse Marsch celebrates after the World Cup round of 32 win against South Africa (Picture credit: AP)
Former United States footballer and current head coach of the Canadian men’s team Jesse Marsch has said that his team stuck to the plan that they made two years ago and it has borne fruit now, after his side beat South Africa 1-0 to move into the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup.
Co-hosts Canada arrived at the tournament having lost all six games across their previous two FIFA World Cup appearances, but a 1-0 victory over South Africa has now taken them into the second knockout round for the first time.
After Canada’s dramatic last-gasp victory over South Africa, Marsch gathered his players on the field and hailed them as ‘Canadian heroes’ in an emotional team talk that went viral.
“Guys. Think about the two years we have been together. Think about how we talked about sticking to the plan, sticking to who we want to be, playing aggressively, assessing the quality and you guys showing your character,” Marsch said.
Meanwhile, Marsch is the second American coach to win a knockout round game in the FIFA World Cup, joining Bruce Arena, who did so in 2002. Watch the video here:
Jesse Marsch speech, Canada Round of 16, Canada vs South Africa World Cup 2026, Canada soccer history, Jesse Marsch locker room speech, Stephen Eustaquio goal, Alphonso Davies World Cup, Canada Soccer post game, motivational speech sports pic.twitter.com/zhp4OVxORN— DPrad (@day_to_Mars) June 28, 2026
“Canadian heroes for the future children of this country, who play this sport. This sport has a big future because of you guys. You should be so proud of who you are,” Marsch said.
Marsch reflected on his journey with Canada as well, saying that he had been impressed by the team from the moment he took charge and that they had grown together every step of the way.
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