“I didn’t do enough” to prepare team against Bosnia, admits Canada’s Jesse Marsch | OneFootball

Jesse Marsch conceded that he “didn’t do enough” to prepare his Canada squad for the first half of their 2026 FIFA World Cup opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Canucks – co-hosting this summer’s tournament alongside the United States and Mexico – claimed a first-ever point at a FIFA World Cup thanks to substitute Cyle Larin’s late equaliser, having trailed since Jovo Lukić’s 21st-minute header found the back of the net.

Speaking in his post-match press conference at the Toronto Stadium, Marsch revealed that Larin “wasn’t happy about not starting” but praised the Southampton forward’s attitude when he was called upon as a substitute.

The former Leeds United boss explained: “Even when I didn’t put him in with the first group [of substitutes’ and I waited to put him in until later, he was ready and I just said ‘look, you can come underneath at times but just make sure you’re getting in the box and finding ways to get chances and score goals’. He did that right away.”

But despite a historic result for Canada, Marsch was left in a contemplative mood as he assessed that he might have fallen short of adequately preparing his squad for the challenge of a World Cup match on home soil.

“The week in Toronto has been amazing and the fans have been outstanding, but I’m just so focused making sure that our players are equipped with everything they need to be the best that they can be.

“I feel that I didn’t do enough to get them ready for the first half but the response we showed in the second half, and maybe some of the messages I gave at half time, helped. I’m so lasered in on making sure that we can give the country a team to be proud of and that the performances reflect that.

The 52-year-old added: “There were some set-piece things that we can do better, for sure. But for me, it’s the mentality and the bravery.

“We want to make sure that the team is equipped from the start for all of these matches to understand the plan, understand the set-piece plan and the opponent and what their plan might be, but in the end to really go after the game and really represent exactly what we want them to be. We did that in the second half and not in the first half, and that was the difference on the day.

“I’ve got to figure out how to get a bit more out of some of the starters too, and make sure that we have a better performance from the start because I told them after the match that if we play like that second half for the whole match, we win.

“We’ve got to have a bit more confidence and a bit more self-belief to make sure we go after the game in ways that we want to do so tactically, psychologically and mentally. The good part was that in a difficult moment, we responded.”

And Marsch is hopeful that Canada can learn from their sluggish start, calling on his players to draw inspiration from Argentina’s shock defeat to Saudi Arabia in the group stages of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The Albiceleste went on to win the tournament despite losing their first match, and Marsch quipped that often “it starts a little bit tense in the beginning, then the games come more to life and you see truer versions of teams.

“For us, it’ll be really important that we use this experience to be better, stronger and more prepared for exactly what we want the game to look like.”

Canada’s second Group B fixture at the 2026 FIFA World Cup sees them face Qatar in Vancouver on Thursday 18 June.