Jesse Marsch, coach of the Canadian national team, said he has no preference for a particular opponent after Canada's historic qualification to the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup, following a 1-0 victory over South Africa on Sunday evening.
Canada now awaits the winner of the match between Morocco and the Netherlands.
On the upcoming fixture, Marsch stressed: "We have no preference for any opponent — we are focused on proving we deserve to face the big sides." He added: "The Netherlands and Morocco are among the top national teams in the world, and Morocco in particular, who finished fourth at the 2022 World Cup and have achieved great things over the last six years, as have the Netherlands — they are a storied side and a traditional power in Europe."
Regarding the victory over South Africa in the Round of 32, he said: "It was a difficult match, and we knew South Africa would push us to work twice as hard. We were in control, but we did not take our chances."
He noted that "organisation was the secret to the win — we earned a deserved victory after getting our lines right. We did not score early, but we did not give the opponent a chance to pose a real threat."
Jesse Marsch concluded his remarks by saying: "We were defensively solid and left no gaps. We were aiming to score an early goal, but we achieved what mattered most — the win and qualification."