As Canada’s players and staff huddled on the pitch to savour reaching the last 16 for the first time, the overhead Spidercam and the cameras belonging to the host broadcaster were the only outsiders present for Jesse Marsch’s impassioned victory speech. “You guys are Canadian heroes today, Canadian heroes for the future children of this country who play this sport,” he said, wagging his right index finger at different squad members, before a series of whoops, cheers and applause.
If that was a sacred, special moment, then so was the sight of Marsch kissing the Canada crest on his grey zip-top before embracing Ismaël Koné, who took to the field to join the celebrations on crutches after surgery on a broken leg.
