Marsch rues Canada collapse in Gold Cup quarter-final

Canada head coach Jesse Marsch lamented his side's failure to capitalise on big moments as they were knocked out of the Gold Cup quarter-finals by Guatemala.

Canada squandered a first-half lead on Sunday as they drew 1-1 in normal time; Jonathan David put them 1-0 up from the spot in the 30th minute, but Jacob Shaffelburg was sent off after receiving a second yellow card on the stroke of half-time.

Rubio Rubin equalised in the 69th minute, and in the shootout, Canada missed two of their seven spot-kicks, allowing Jose Morales to send Guatemala into the semi-finals.

Canada were limited to just five shots overall, and two on target, though the majority of those came in the first half when they had 11 players on the pitch.

Marsch was frustrated by Canada's collapse, and is determined to learn from their mistakes.

"This one's really hard to swallow," Marsch said. "We've got to learn how to win the biggest moments, right?

"We've made a lot of progress since I've been the national team coach, and I really like this group, and I really believe in them, but we have to find a way now to make sure we're at our best in the toughest games and in the toughest moments.

"We're going to figure that out, and I promise you: we will learn from this, and we will move forward.

"I think we lose because we beat ourselves. We can't do that in important matches, and we certainly can't do that next summer [at the 2026 World Cup]."

Canada were without some key players for the tournament, including Alphonso Davies, who is out after rupturing his cruciate ligament in March.

Before the tournament, Marsch was adamant that absences would not affect his side, though he hinted he thought they could have played a part in their exit.

"If I'm honest, we're missing half of our group," Marsch said. "That's not an excuse."

Guatemala, meanwhile, reached their second Gold Cup semi-final and their first since 1996, ending a 29-year wait to play in the final four.

Luis Fernando Tena, who has been in charge of Guatemala since 2021, was delighted with his side's performance as he keeps dreaming of what could happen, with a semi-final against the United States up next.

"Going to Guatemala was worth it. It was much better than I thought it would be when I was on the plane from Mexico to Guatemala, imagining what might happen," he said at his press conference.

"We also have a lot of young players; the future of the Guatemalan national team is optimistic. I'm very happy here, especially with these players and how they give their all."