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Canada advanced to its first-ever knockout round but also made history in a different way by becoming the first World Cup host to have to play outside of its borders.
Canada’s 2-1 loss to Switzerland on Wednesday will send the the team south to Los Angeles to face South Africa in the Round of 32. A win or draw against Switzerland would have kept Canada in Vancouver for knockouts.
"Of course, we would have loved to stay in Vancouver, we’re not kidding anyone on there," defender Alistair Johnston told reporters on Thursday.
The two other co-hosts for the 2026 World Cup, the United States and Mexico, both won their groups and stay within their borders for the next round. The 2002 World Cup was co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, but neither squad played in the other country.
Canada’s coach Jesse Marsch was looking for the positives.
"There’s also a certain benefit to eliminating a little bit of the distractions and the circus around the whole thing, as much as we’ve really enjoyed the home crowd," Marsch said.
Both Marsch and Johnston emphasized the importance of rest in preparation for Canada’s first elimination game.
"Training is not going to be so intensive," Marsch said. "It’s going to be about recovery, rehabilitation, and then re-energizing to really go again in the biggest game that we’ve had as a program."
Wherever Canada plays, Johnston is optimistic the fans will be there too.
"We’re playing in LA, we’re not playing on Mars or something, you know what I mean," he said. "I’m expecting a decent chunk of Canadian fans to get there." ___
Connor Joyce is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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