(Bordeaux) “Very far. » Here is where Jesse Marsch’s Canada stands between now and the destination dreamed of by the new maple leaf coach, on the eve of a highly anticipated friendly match against France in Bordeaux.

“But I’m very encouraged by the bonds we’ve already made, the work we’ve done together, the training sessions and the answer they’ve given me on the things I want to see from this team. »

Moments before speaking these words, the American had taken his place at the prestigious podium of the French team, inside the Matmut Atlantique stadium in Bordeaux. He was accompanied by Stephen Eustáquio, the player who will wear the captain’s armband for Sunday’s match. We will come back to that.

We understand Marsch not yet being satisfied with the work accomplished. He has only been in office for a month. Practically, on this sunny Saturday afternoon in the southwest of France, he has only had seven days with his players since the start of his very first camp with the team. And its 4-0 defeat against the Netherlands on Wednesday showed its selection what separates it from the big teams around the world.

But these are the games that shape a group, a program. Talk to Eustáquio about it.

“We hoped to play these matches in the past,” said the Canadian midfielder a few minutes later. And he weighed his words.

“It’s been tough to get into these kinds of competitions. We learned an important lesson against the Dutch. It was very good for us to play at this level. And now, against France, it will be good to face these world-class players, who have won the Champions League. It will be a tall order, but we are capable of surprising. That’s football. It’s 11 against 11.”

A few hours earlier, we were at the hotel used as the Canadian team’s base camp to conduct certain interviews, the content of which will appear on these pages over the coming days. We hadn’t planned to chat with Samuel Piette, but since he passed us in the hall, he offered himself an interview.

As an aside, here: the establishment whose name we will not mention displayed a Canadian flag in the airlock at the entrance, as a welcome for our local players. A little touch of friendly hospitality which mainly served to confirm that we were in the right place.

Piette, therefore, tells us how limited time is to digest all the information that coaches communicate to players. Training sessions are limited, those before the match are lighter. The day after a match, the players who played are regenerating, while the others are on the pitch.

Precisely, after the press conference of Marsch and Eustáquio, Canada trained on the Matmut Atlantique pitch. For the first 15 minutes that we were allowed to see, we did not force the note.

“We didn’t have much time together,” said the CF Montreal midfielder. And there are still a lot of changes [with Marsch]. That’s good, but you have to assimilate all that. »

Piette came on in the 79th minute against Oranje, some time after Mathieu Choinière.

“I think I came in well though,” he said, noting the score was 3-0 at that point. The guys who were on the bench said: “It seems that you and Mathieu play together in Montreal, we see this connection.” »

“It’s also what you do in training, how you behave, how much attention you pay in the meeting, if you ask questions, etc. »

It’s all about gradation and continuous improvement, according to Marsch.

“Here’s what I told the team,” the coach said. “If our goal in 2026 is to be at 100 percent [of our ability], and we’re at 50 percent right now, we have to make sure we’re pushing a little bit harder every day to get closer to that. Even against these big opponents, when the game can seem overwhelming at times, when it’s demanding, we still have to build the foundation and the foundation of what we want for the future.”

Alphonso Davies wore the captain’s armband on Wednesday. We said it: it will be Eustáquio this Sunday. This will not be the first time that the Canadian midfielder will have to assume this leadership role: Mauro Biello named him captain for the play-off match against Trinidad and Tobago in March.

“When I had the discussion with Steph,” says Marsch, “I immediately felt his professionalism, his passion, his ambition, his desire to be the best of himself, and to take Canada Soccer this far. as possible. […] He has clear opinions and determination, and that’s what makes him such a good leader. »

Eustáquio, an experienced player with FC Porto, spoke of “very good feelings” in the first half against the Netherlands. But it was in the second phase that things got complicated. And that’s where his leadership comes in, he says.

“I felt we were less compact,” he said. “That’s my next lesson. When things are going badly and the game is slipping through our fingers, I have to lead by example, control and balance things out.”

“This is my next step and I am focused on this task. […] When tomorrow’s match takes a complicated turn, you can expect me to try to refocus my teammates and make life difficult for France. »