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Some fights are decided at the end of them, in the championship rounds. Others are won and lost in the first moments.
Canadaโs Round of 16 match against South Africa on Sunday โ the first World Cup knockout game for both countries โ appears likely to be decided quickly.
โI think weโre going to be very aggressive,โ head coach Jesse Marsh said Saturday in Los Angeles. โFrom the first second we have to go after the game.โ
When Canada has struggled, it has struggled early.
Her first draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto, perhaps unsurprisingly given the atmosphere and the stakes, started cautiously, with too many soft passes and too much unfulfilled finesse. The Canadians played better when they played bigger, looking more like monsters than people running from them.
Team Canada coach Jesse Marsh talks to Steven Estakio during Saturdayโs practice in Los Angeles. (Getty Images)
The same was true in their defeat to Switzerland. The first half was nervous and tense, almost unbearable; The Swiss overcame that tension to start the second half and score twice, but the Canadians didnโt remember what they were capable of until it was too late.
Only in the game against Qatar, crushing with a score of 6:0, did they show their best game.
This is exactly the kind of performance they will need against the South Africans.
โWe expect South Africa to be very intense, to get off to a fast start, to be fired up and fired up for this match,โ Marsh said. โThis is an important moment for their federation and their team. We are very clear about what to expect. It is also a moment for us when we want to show our best.โ
Like Canada, the South Africans had a chaotic and uneven World Cup. They lost the first match to Mexico 2-0 and also lost two players to red cards. Their tournament seemed destined to end early and perhaps a little violently.
A draw with the Czech Republic gave them unexpected hope of promotion, but they still needed a win against favorites Korea.
They achieved this by winning 1-0, conceding goals but having twice as many shots and shots on target. It was a remarkable result, and they earned it through counterpunching.
Defender Moise Bombito (left) should be ready for the game against South Africa. (AFP via Getty Images)
In truth, Sundayโs game is a showdown between underdogs, a battle to see who will refuse to be ignored. The winner will face the Netherlands or Morocco, a much more interesting game for neutral countries, in Houston on July 4th.
In most matches, Canada at full strength, given its chances against South Africa, would be ranked 54th in the world in most matches. But Marshโs preferred starting line-up became impossible due to injury.
Alphonso Davies, who missed the entire group stage while recovering from a series of muscle and hamstring strains, is expected to be available for a few minutes, as is Moise Bombito. Their attacking dynamism could prove to be a huge defensive asset.
However, the midfield will remain weakened. Ismael Kone suffered a serious leg injury in the group stage against Qatar and Steven Estakio was unable to start against Switzerland. Nathan Saliba and Mathieu Choiniere have been mostly excellent in their positions โ Salibaโs assist for Promise Davidโs goal was superb โ but they are a notch behind in attack.
Ali Ahmed, Liam Millar and Tajon Buchanan also struggled on the wing. Instead of losing Richie Larrieu, who was a threat on the left flank, Marsh could push Davies higher if the game called for it.
On Saturday, Marsh refused to consider the consequences of defeat โ the difference, in historical terms, between reaching the round of 16 and an early, even inglorious exit against a team Canada should beat.
You live for the moments when you are tested and you can show how good you are. I think our team is ready for this.-Jessie March
โIn all these moments, as a player or as a coach, you never allow negativity,โ he said. โYou visualize the positive. You visualize what you want the game to look like.โ
He wants Canada to appear disciplined but creative, smart but crazy, clean but aggressive, calm but relentless. He wants his team to show their best game, without fear, doubt, uncertainty.
โI live for these moments,โ Marsh said. โYou live for those moments where you get tested and you get to show how good you are. I think our team is ready for that.โ
And they will need to be ready from the first whistle, as if they were answering the sound of a bell.