Jesse Marsch’s assessment echo’s what many so-called soccer experts and pundits are saying.
“Preparing for Morocco is like a gory, horrible nightmare,” Marsch said Wednesday ahead to Canada’s training session. “It’s like, I don’t want to watch them play. They’re too good.”
The last time Canada faced Morocco was at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar – a 2-1 Canada loss.
The two nations have played three other times:
A 3-2 Canada loss (1984), a 1-1 draw (1994), and a 4-0 Canada defeat (2016).
Morocco is on a 33-game unbeaten streak, following its 3-2 penalty kick victory over the Netherlands, and currently ranked sixth in the world in FIFA’s rankings.
Canada was the better team against South Africa in a 1-0 win – especially when captain Alphonso Davies entered the game in the 75th minute.
“Canada is going to be difficult for us. We need to rest up, we need to come back fresh. We need to be telling ourselves, ‘No one will stop us,” said Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi.
“Nobody can stop us if we play the football we know how to play. But nobody is unbeatable. If we get things wrong, we’ll go home.”
Morocco’s midfield is where they’re known to control and dominate play.
Real Madrid star Brahim Díaz serves as the team’s premier attacking midfielder, bringing elite creativity and playmaking to the pitch.
Morocco does feature Canadian-born, goalkeeper, Yassine Bounou – (commonly known as Bono – who was born in Montreal, Quebec.
Here’s a look at the projected starting lineup for Morocco and the club teams they play for:
Yassine Bounou (“Bono”) (Goalkeeper) – Al-Hilal Saudi Club
Achraf Hakimi (Defender/Captain) – Paris Saint-Germain
Issa Diop (Defender) – Fulham F.C
Chadi Riad (Defender) – Crystal Palace F.C.
Noussair Mazraoui (Defender) – Manchester United F.C
Neil El Aynaoui (Midfielder) – AS Roma
Ayyoub Bouaddi (Midfielder) – LOSC Lille
Brahim Díaz (Midfielder) – Real Madrid C.F.
Azzedine Ounahi (Midfielder) – Girona FC
Bilal El Khannouss (Midfielder) – VfB Stuttgart
Ismael Saibari (Forward) – PSV Eindhoven
“We want to be here and we expect to be here,” Marsch said. “So we know that everybody’s going to write us off, and in that is an opportunity. But in the end, we are focused on trying to really be our best for this match and deliver the best performance of our lives, and that can give us a chance.”
Former Canadian Men’s National Team member and Niagara native, Lucio Ianiero, agrees the red and white will be in tough.
“I think Canada will have its hands full with the individual skill the Moroccans have,” said Ianiero when contacted by The Niagara Independent.
“Canada, as always, will be very organized on the field defensively, but it will be very tough for them to win this game. However, it is the World Cup and we’ve already witnessed some of the bigger countries like Germany and the Netherlands lose.”
Rod Mawhood is a lifelong Niagara native who has had the pleasure of working in all three mediums – Radio, Print and TV – for over 20 years. His first announcing gig was with the then St. Catharines Stompers. Since then he’s worked in radio and TV in Toronto, and currently is the announcer for the Niagara IceDogs and Niagara River Lions.
Rod also covers the Buffalo Bills for FOX Sports and the Buffalo Sabres for NBC Sports.
