'I'd rather be us than them' - Jesse Marsch insists Canada 'were much better' than Morocco and explains why Alphonso Davies didn't play as World Cup co-hosts crash out

Speaking in the immediate aftermath of the defeat, a passionate Marsch refused to be downcast, instead highlighting the progress made by the North American side. Despite the heavy nature of the loss on paper, the head coach felt the underlying performance told a vastly different story against a Moroccan team that has proved difficult to beat on the world stage.

“Man, we were the better team. We were the better team. Right? They made a couple more plays than us, but cranking up the intensity was not the issue. It was just that they had a little bit of quality in the final third, and we lacked a little ability to make a play when we needed to,” Marsch told TSN.

“But in terms of the match plan, the idea of how we want to play football, the idea of a bunch of guys believing in themselves and going after it, and taking a top team who haven't lost in – I don't even know how long – and taking them to the limit, we were the much better team in the first half, and even at the beginning of the second half. It was one play that made it 1-0; otherwise, the game was ours.”

One of the biggest talking points of the night was the absence of talismanic figure Alphonso Davies, who did not feature despite earlier optimism regarding his fitness. The Bayern Munich star had been struggling with a persistent issue, and Marsch confirmed that the decision was ultimately made to protect the player’s long-term health.

Explaining the situation, Marsch noted that the 25-year-old wasn’t confident in his hamstring during the build-up to the knockout tie. The manager elaborated: “For Alphonso, he’s learning to trust his body. As much as he wanted to play and we wanted him to play, it just wasn’t worth risking it.”

Davies had picked up a hamstring injury during Bayern Munich's Champions League semi-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain in early May, ruling him out of Canada's entire group-stage campaign. As the tournament progressed, it became increasingly clear that even if he did feature, he would be far from full fitness.

With Canada's World Cup campaign now over, Davies' tournament was limited to just 15 minutes of game time against South Africa in the round of 32 – a disappointing return for a player many had hoped would play a central role for the co-hosts on home soil.

Despite the frustration of bowing out on home soil, Marsch remains steadfast in his belief that Canada’s aggressive, forward-thinking philosophy is the correct path forward. He went as far as to suggest he preferred his team's identity over that of their victors, who clinical nature eventually settled the contest.

“What a privilege our fans have had to root a team on like this. That goes after the game, that doesn't play defensive, that shows that they can be better, right? Of course, we have to be in these situations more and more, and then we have to find ways to succeed, and then we have to build from that,” he added. “But what a great team. I'd rather be us than them. As good as Morocco is, I'd rather be us. Right? Like, I'm really proud of our guys. We went after the game. They're hurting right now, but my goodness, I couldn't be prouder.”