Atlanta United interim head coach Rob Valentino is hoping his side can find their end product when they face a tough road test at Real Salt Lake in MLS.

The Five Stripes' four-game unbeaten streak was snapped with a 2-1 midweek defeat to the New England Revolution as they stay ninth in the Eastern Conference.

They were also unbeaten in their last four road games before travelling to the Revs, and Valentino has urged his team to improve their play in the final third to get back to winning ways.

"There were chances [against New England], but the expected goals and chances don't mean anything to me unless they end up in the back of the net," the head coach said.

"The team were persistent. They were putting in different deliveries and different movements to get into the area, but we need the goals to actually go in.

"The group have shown they are capable of winning games. The tactics will change from game to game along with roles and responsibilities, and we will adapt in-game as well in an attempt to win."

Meanwhile, Salt Lake are back up to second in the Western Conference after a comeback win over the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday.

A 1-0 defeat to LA Galaxy at the end of June snapped a 15-game unbeaten streak for RSL, but they bounced back to leapfrog the Galaxy in the table, and now sit just three points behind leaders Los Angeles FC.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Real Salt Lake – Braian Ojeda

Braiain Ojeda scored his first goal for RSL in MLS, netting what turned out to be the winner against Houston Dynamo in midweek in what was his 63rd appearance for the club.

Atlanta United – Daniel Rios

Daniel Rios has been involved in three goals in his last three games for Atlanta. The Mexican has scored two and assisted one, including their lone goal in the defeat to New England Revolution last time out.

MATCH PREDICTION: REAL SALT LAKE WIN

With LAFC not playing until Sunday, RSL could go level on points with them in the table if they can get a second consecutive win.

Their 15-game unbeaten run in MLS set a new club record for the longest single-season streak in their history – they scored in all but one of those matches, only failing to find a way past CF Montreal in a 0-0 draw.

While current form is in Salt Lake's favour, they have only won one of their previous four meetings with Atlanta, with the Five Stripes winning the other three.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Real Salt Lake – 54.6%

Draw – 23.3%

Atlanta United – 22%

Thomas Christiansen is challenging Panama to keep springing surprises at the Copa America when they face off against Colombia in the quarter-finals.

After losing their opening game of the tournament 3-1 to free-scoring Uruguay, Panama dug in to cause an upset for host nation United States, coming from behind to win 2-1.

A comfortable 3-1 victory over Bolivia followed secured second place in Group C as Panama booked their place in the knockout round of the Copa America for the very first time.

Former Leeds United boss Christiansen challenged his team to be the surprise package, but says this result is years in the making.

"When we were going to leave for the United States, I said I would like to be the surprise [of the tournament], like Morocco in the [2022] World Cup [who made it to the semi-finals]," he told reporters.

"Well, now we're through to the next round. I am happy. Super happy.

"It's constant, really, what we have been doing, what we have been reaping in these almost four years.

"[Is it a] coincidence? I don't believe in coincidences. You have to work. You have to fight for it. Luck alone isn't enough."

Colombia were the winners of Group D, beating Brazil to top spot.

Wins over Paraguay and Costa Rica put Colombia in the driving seat before they held Dorival Junior's side to a 1-1 draw in the final match.

While that may be a surprising outcome on the face of it, Colombia are the form team in South America and are on a 26-game unbeaten streak.

Integral to their success has been James Rodriguez, who is often their talisman at major tournaments, having first come into the spotlight in the 2014 World Cup.

"I feel comfortable, there is still a long way to go, we still have to play on Saturday, but I felt good," the ex-Real Madrid star said.

"I am going through a good phase here; we are going step by step. Panama will be difficult, but we will play with a lot of quality."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Colombia – James Rodriguez

James has been a driving force for Colombia at the tournament, having already recorded three assists.

Colombia had the best crossing accuracy at the Copa America group stage, completing 41% of their crosses (20/49). James was responsible for 11 of their successful crosses – the most of any player in the tournament.

Panama – Jose Fajardo

Out of players who attempted more than five shots in the Copa America group stage, Jose Fajardo boasts the second-highest shot conversion rate.

He scored with 29% of his attempts (2/7), bettered only by Argentina's Lautaro Martinez (44%), who is the tournament's leading scorer.

MATCH PREDICTION: COLOMBIA WIN

Colombia stretched their unbeaten run in all competitions to 26 matches with their draw against Brazil, and the Opta computer has backed them to continue that here.

Colombia are playing in their sixth consecutive Copa America quarter-final, with each of their last four going to penalties. Los Cafeteros have won twice (against Peru in 2016 and Uruguay in 2021) and lost twice (against Argentina in 2015 and Chile in 2019).

Panama have won four of their seven competitive matches in the 21st century against opponents from CONMEBOL (losing the other three).

Two of those victories were against Colombia when they faced each other in the group stage (1-0) and the semifinals (3-2) of the 2005 Concacaf Gold Cup.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Colombia – 61.6%

Draw – 19.6%

Panama – 18.8%

Jan Vertonghen has confirmed his retirement from international football.

The 37-year-old ends his Belgium career as the nation's most-capped player.

Vertonghen, who made his Belgium debut in 2007, made 157 appearances for his country.

He helped the Red Devils reach the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, a quarter-final at Euro 2020, and also played at the World Cup in Qatar.

The former Tottenham defender's final four appearances came at Euro 2024, as Belgium reached the last 16 – they were knocked out by France on Monday.

Vertonghen is a free agent ahead of the 2024-25 season, with his contract at Anderlecht having expired.

New Liverpool head coach Arne Slot is aware he has "big shoes to fill" as he kick-starts the post-Jurgen Klopp era at Anfield.

Klopp called time on his nine-year stint as Liverpool manager at the end of last season.

The Reds enjoyed a period of great success under the German, whose trophy haul at the club included the Champions League, FA Cup, EFL Cup and Premier League.

And Slot knows there is pressure on him to deliver.

"When [Klopp] arrived he said he was the normal one but what made him special is the impression he left behind," former Feyenoord boss Slot said at a press conference on Friday.

"Yeah, there are big shoes to fill, but you can also look at it in a way that you inherited a squad that has a winning culture.

"As a manager you want to work at a club with good players and an opportunity to win something.

"The past has shown there is a possibility to win some trophies. I look at it as ideal."

Slot will not always have Klopp's legacy on his mind, though.

He said: "People look at us and think we only think about the tactics board but you have to think about the way you talk to the players.

"It is not about convincing them, it is part of the job to think about the best way to get the best out of them; whether to approach them as an individual or as a team.

"I don't have Jurgen Klopp in mind, thinking 'what would he say'. No. I have to get to know the players to get the maximum out of them."

Slot, however, is grateful for Klopp, who at the end of his final game in charge, rallied the Anfield crowd to sing their new coach's name.

"That was special," the Dutchman added.

"There are not many managers the fans sing for. They did for me after a few years at Feyenoord but without having worked here, the fans singing is a good start."

Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff is hoping the solution to his team's lack of firepower can be found when they host New York City FC in MLS.

The Verde and Black sit 10th in the Western Conference with a place in the playoffs within touching distance.

However, a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Sporting Kansas City stopped them from leapfrogging the Seattle Sounders into ninth.

While Wolff is confident being back at home will provide a boost to the team, he admitted there are still worries over the lack of goals.

"I don't know [why the team are struggling to score]," he said. "When we're at home, we seem to generate a lot more chances and more goals, and there's proof of that in our games.

"We look a lot better at home, and I'm not happy with the performances on the road. We've got to do better.

"We need to win. Our objective from the get-go was to be a playoff team. But we didn't get too carried away when we were doing well, and we're not going to get too feathered when we're not."

Meanwhile, NYCFC sit fourth in the Eastern Conference after a run of seven wins from 10 matches.

After a comfortable 2-0 victory over Montreal, head coach Nick Cushing reiterated the team's need to maintain their consistency if they want to stay in the mix at the top.

"You can see when we're good, feel when we're good because it's entertaining, it's good to watch, there's goal chances," Cushing said.

"The guys know what they need to do, but it's about drilling it and being consistent. In Austin, we have a huge opportunity to play the performance we know gives us the best opportunity to win."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Austin – Jader Obrian

Austin struggled in front of goal in their defeat to Kansas City last weekend, having just two shots, both of which came from Obrian.

While neither of them was on target, he was one of just two players to have a touch in the opposition box, managing three, with both resulting in shots.

NYCFC – Hannes Wolf

Wolf has created the most goals for NYCFC this season, setting up five as well as scoring four himself.

He assisted both goals in their win over Montreal in midweek, teeing up Alonso Martinez for those strikes.

MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW

Austin and NYCFC are meeting for the very first time in MLS regular-season play.

After back-to-back wins in May, Austin have since won just one of the following seven matches (1-0 v Minnesota United). They have only played at home twice in that run, picking up one point out of a possible six.

NYCFC's back-to-back wins have both come on home soil, while they lost their last two road games without scoring a single goal.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Austin – 37.6%

Draw – 26.4%

NYCFC – 36%

Seattle Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer has praised his side's attitude in recent comeback wins as they look to extend their streak against the New England Revolution.

The Sounders are on a four-match unbeaten streak, having come from behind to salvage points in each of the last three and scored stoppage-time winners in the last two.

They are now up to ninth in the Western Conference and are closing in on the teams above them after a slow start to the season.

Despite their impressive run, Schmetzer stressed there was still a lot of room for improvement.

"There's a combination of a couple of things," Schmetzer explained. "There were some sloppy, uncharacteristic, untimely giveaways and the group defending was not good, we weren't compact enough.

"We weren't consistent enough, but the guys have a lot of pride and as the excitement built, we got it done.

"This team doesn't quit. We've got quality on this team."

Meanwhile, the Revs are up to 11th in the Eastern Conference after losing just one of their last six.

They got back to winning ways against Atlanta United, though they lost more players to injury in the process, and head coach Caleb Porter admitted his squad is a little thin after their busy schedule.

"It does take pressure off winning against Atlanta on Wednesday; we look at it as bonus points," Porter said. "We took a few more injuries, so we're looking at all options to fill our bench.

"Seattle are in good form, and it's obviously a long trip across the country. It's not going to be easy, since they're usually very good at home.

"We have to be very organised in this game - we just don't have much depth right now, we can't afford to play an open game."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Seattle Sounders – Albert Rusnak

Albert Rusnak leads the assist charts for Seattle, having set up seven goals for his team-mates in MLS.

He found his shooting boots last time out though, scoring twice from the spot as the Sounders came from behind to beat the Chicago Fire.

New England Revolution – Giacomo Vrioni

Giacomo Vrioni scored twice as New England beat Atlanta in midweek, having also scored twice in their victory against Cincinnati FC.

He now has five goals in his last four games, finding his form at the right time.

MATCH PREDICTION: SEATTLE SOUNDERS WIN

Seattle opened the season with just one win from their first nine matches in the league, but have since gone on to win six of their last 12, including their last two outings.

It has been almost five years since the sides last met in MLS, with nothing to separate them that day in a 3-3. New England edge the head-to-head record though, recording six wins compared to Seattle's four.

In fact, the last three meetings between the sides have ended level, with both games in Seattle ending 3-3, with a goalless draw in New England sandwiched between them.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Seattle Sounders – 49.7%

Draw – 25.4%

New England Revolution – 24.9%

Ecuador have sacked head coach Felix Sanchez after their 4-2 penalty shoot-out defeat to Argentina in the Copa America quarter-finals.

Kevin Rodriguez equalised in stoppage time after Lisandro Martinez's first-half opener, but Emiliano Martinez proved the hero for the Albiceleste.

Though Lionel Messi missed the opening spot-kick, the goalkeeper saved two of Ecuador's, ensuring La Tricolor were knocked out of the tournament.

Speaking after the defeat, Sanchez chose to focus on the team's achievements at the tournament.

"We managed to advance from the group stage to the knockouts," Sanchez said. "I have congratulated the players even if we weren't able to progress.

"I think they deserve the credit, that is my opinion, but I think that in the next edition of this tournament, we'll get here with a more experienced team.

"These are very young players. Maybe the results were unfair, but I know that we have to believe in this group of players."

Sanchez took over in 2023, signing a four-year contract, having previously led Qatar to the maiden Asian Cup title in 2019.

The Spaniard has been relieved of his duties despite a so far impressive run in 2026 World Cup qualifying, with the team sitting fifth above the likes of Brazil, Chile and Peru.

In a statement, Ecuador's Football Federation (FEF) said: "We thank Felix and his coaching staff for their work and professionalism and wish him success in his future endeavours."

D.C. United head coach Troy Lesesne has praised his side for "still fighting" as they look to turn their poor results around against Orlando City.

D.C. sit bottom of the Eastern Conference on 20 points, four off the playoffs.

They have not won any of their last 10 MLS matches, with their last victory coming nearly two months ago against Atlanta United.

Lesesne was candid about the mistakes his team has made in recent games but was confident they would be able to dig themselves out of trouble.

"Our group's not giving in, that's clear everyone can see that," Lesesne said. "But we're not getting the points we need.

"We've got to credit the group for continuing through really hard circumstances to say we're still fighting every single second.

"But we have to do better - all of us. That's plain and simple.

"I'm right there with these guys all the way through and the same guys going through this now are going to get us out of it."

Meanwhile, Orlando sit four points above their opponents in 10th, having lost just one of their four matches.

After getting back to winning ways against Atlanta, head coach Oscar Pareja praised his side’s confidence.

"They demonstrated the commitment that they have with the club. So, we're very proud of these results and the effort they had in the pitch," Pareja said.

"We're happy. This is a good step for us in this moment. Now we're looking forward to going back home and then winning there."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Orlando City – Facundo Torres

Despite not getting on the scoresheet against Toronto FC, Facundo Torres did orchestrate the match-winning moment as his cross was turned in by Nicksoen Gomis.

He scored a brace in his last match at Inter & Co Stadium and will be keen to get more on Saturday.

D.C. United – Christian Benteke

Christian Benteke will return after a two-match suspension (one for a straight red card against Houston Dynamo and the other for yellow card accumulation).

D.C. have not won either of those games and will be pleased to have their top-scorer, with 14 goals, back on the field.

MATCH PREDICTION: ORLANDO CITY WIN

Orlando's 4-2 win over the Chicago Fire in their last home match snapped a six-game winless streak at Inter & Co, having also failed to score in all but two outings in that run.

D.C. have won 10 of their 20 matches against Orlando (drawn three and lost seven), but given their current run of form, they look unlikely to get a surprise win here.

D.C.'s last victory was in a road game when they beat Atlanta 3-2. Since then, they have only picked up one point on their travels (a 2-2 draw with New York Red Bulls in their last such match).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Orlando City – 58.2%

Draw – 21.8%

D.C. United – 20.1%

Christian Foster, an 11-year-old student at Mona Preparatory School, is making headlines with his impressive achievements both in academics and sports. Sporting a broad smile, Foster eagerly shares his accomplishments, which include being the head boy of Mona Prep and the leading goalscorer for their JISA National Under-12 championship-winning football team.

Mona Prep celebrated a triumphant season, winning both the Henriques and Alberga league and cup, with Foster scoring an impressive 21 goals, the highest ever by a Mona Prep player. His dedication extends beyond the field, as he made the principal’s Honour Roll with an average above 90 per cent for three consecutive terms, the only grade six footballer to achieve this distinction this year. At the recent school graduation, Foster was awarded both the Best Footballer Award for 2024 and recognition for academic excellence.

Foster’s talents have also shone on international soil. Competing with the Dare to Dream Academy, he won an under-13 competition in Miami, scoring in the final, and led his team to victory at the U12 Pro Nation Cup at UWI, Mona, in March.

Reflecting on his path to success, Foster shared, “It means you have to train every day of the week, you’ve to eat right and you’ve to do the right things. That’s what I learn from the footballers that I watch, my favourite being Cristiano Ronaldo. I see that he eats right and doesn’t eat any of the bad foods. He trains every day of the week and also at home.”

Balancing school from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., followed by two hours of training and additional study time, Foster aims to become an engineer. “It’s a very good balance to have because just in case the football doesn’t work out, like say I get an injury, I’d always have my academics to help me,” he explained. “It’s not that difficult but you have to put in the work on both sides.”

Foster credits his success to his faith and the support of his parents, Ryan and Simone. “I’ve learnt that having supportive parents is a good thing. They help me with my schoolwork sometimes by sending me to various extras to help me get my grades up and different football camps all around the world. They’ve impacted significantly by getting up with me, sometimes early morning to bring me to Saturday training.”

His family also includes a cherished little sister, Elizabeth. “I’m a very good big brother to her, I’m always kind to her. That means I’ve to be nice to her all the time, even sometimes when she’s upset at me, for doing absolutely nothing. But I’m still very kind to her, or else she will complain to my parents about me,” he said, laughing.

Foster appreciates his parents’ efforts to send him to overseas camps, such as one run by his favourite team, Arsenal, in Boston, and another held by Inter Miami FC, featuring Lionel Messi. He admires Cavalier Soccer Club locally for its “style of play, focus on young players.”

Describing these experiences as “fun,” Foster noted, “…the coaches taught me to always scan for your opponents behind you so you don’t get caught on the ball. Another takeaway is to always motivate your team even if they’re losing so that they can step up and come back.”

Proud of his role as Head Boy, Foster applies lessons from his football experiences to his leadership duties. “Sometimes when my teammates or my schoolmates are not doing the right thing, I pull them one side and I talk to them and like when we’re on the field, I tell them you should tackle here or there, you should do that and as head boy, I tell them not to do that, and to follow the right path. Also, I have to follow the right path.”

Foster’s academic prowess is evident as he completed his Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations with a 97 pe rcent average, securing a spot at his top choice, Wolmer’s Boys’. “I’m working toward this goal now. I’ve won the double with my school, I’m also the Head Boy of my school and I got a 94 average in the PEP exams,” he beamed. “I feel very happy. I feel like I’m reaching my goals and it’s satisfying.”

Manchester City have confirmed the signing of Vivianne Miedema on a free transfer.

Miedema announced in May that she would be leaving Arsenal after a seven-year stay when her contract expired at the end of last season.

She is the Women's Super League all-time top goalscorer, netting 79 goals, and set the league record for the most goals scored in a single season with 22.

Miedema, who has signed a three-year contract with the Citizens, said: "The reason I chose City is because they have the same ambitions as me. They want to win the league and titles.

"Looking to the future, I've always said I want to play with the best players in the world and I think City have got that.

"I want to challenge myself every day in training but also every single week in the games we play."

Miedema joined Arsenal from Bayern Munich in 2017, scoring 125 goals and providing 50 assists in 172 appearances for the club in all competitions.

However, the forward struggled with injuries during her last two seasons in North London and was limited to just 13 appearances last season after having knee surgery.

She won the WSL title in 2018-19, lifted three Conti Cups during her time with the Gunners, and won the Golden Boot in two consecutive seasons.

Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini has urged his team to keep fighting for a playoff place as they travel to CF Montreal in MLS.

The Whitecaps have lost just two of their last six matches and got back to winning ways on the road with their 3-1 win over Minnesota United in midweek.

They are now up to fifth in the Western Conference, but Sartini knows they cannot rest on their laurels with the teams below them closing in.

"We hit like three or four performances where we were a little bit poor, and two wins where we didn't really deserve to win," Sartini said.

"Playing more defensive allowed us to get points, but in the last two games, we've returned to the form that got big results at the start of the season.

"We need to put the costume from [Sporting] Kansas City on so we can fight to get the win. We need to keep going, everyone's happy when we're fighting for the playoffs and making a result in Montreal would be fantastic."

Montreal, meanwhile, are 12th in the Eastern Conference, just two points off a playoff place after picking up just one win in their last six outings.

Though they are unbeaten in four at home, they have struggled on the road, with goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois lamenting a disjointed forward display.

"Our forwards had a little bit more trouble finding each other and combining [against New York City FC]," Sirois said.

"I think there are days like that, and it's up to us, the whole team, to find solutions together, but unfortunately, we didn't do that.

"Yes, we created chances, but I think there were too few and that's why we didn't score."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

CF Montreal – Sunusi Ibrahim

Sunusi Ibrahim has scored six goals for Montreal this season, more than anyone else in the team.

The Nigerian is without a goal in his last three games though, and after managing just one shot in the defeat to NYCFC last time out, he will be keen to regain his scoring touch.

Vancouver Whitecaps – Ryan Gauld

Ryan Gauld may be Vancouver's joint-top scorer with nine goals this season (level with Brian White), but he turned provider on Wednesday against Minnesota.

He assisted all three goals as the Whitecaps secured another win, lifting him to the top of their assists chart with six for the season.

MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW

There has not been much to split the sides across the last eight meetings, with Montreal and Vancouver winning four apiece. The Whitecaps came out on top when they last met in April 2023 with a 5-0 thrashing.

Montreal have won just one of their last six matches (drawing three and losing two). However, that victory was in their last home match as they beat the Philadelphia Union 4-1.

After back-to-back defeats, Vancouver have since won their last two on the bounce, scoring seven goals across those victories.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

CF Montreal – 38.4%

Draw – 26.5%

Vancouver Whitecaps – 35.1%

Mikel Arteta hinted that he will sign a new contract to stay on as Arsenal manager, insisting "it will happen".

The Gunners boss sees his present deal expire in June 2025 and as yet there has been no official word on an extension.

Arteta, though, has been making plans for the upcoming season his main focus rather than his own future and remains confident his tenure as boss will continue.

Speaking to ESPN at a training camp in Marbella, Arteta said: "There is no update at the moment. 

"The thing that hasn't changed is how happy I am and how valued I feel here and how much I love representing this club.

"Things happen in a natural way and our relationship is that good that I don't predict any issues happening. But things have to develop in the right way and it will happen."

When asked whether a new contract would provide stability at Arsenal, he replied: " "I understand that but the focus now is, 'okay, how we can improve things around the team? How we can improve now the things in the transfer window that we have?' 

"We have time to sit down and discuss that."

The Gunners finished runners-up to Manchester City for the second campaign running last term, with Arsenal aiming to go one better in the Premier League this time around.

Los Angeles FC held on to beat LA Galaxy 2-1 after a quickfire first-half double to go three points clear at the top of the Western Conference.

Kei Kamara and Denis Bouanga were on target to LAFC in command and, although Gabriel Pec halved the deficit in the second half, that proved enough to see of rivals Galaxy at the Rose Bowl.

The visitors dominated the shot count in the first 45 minutes, with Eduard Atuesta only able to strike the post after getting the better of John McCarthy.

LAFC finally got the breakthrough in the 39th minute as Kamara nodded in from the edge of the six-yard box.

Atuesta was then brought down in the penalty area less than a minute later, with a spot-kick being awarded after a lengthy VAR review, and Bouanga confidently converted it just before half-time.

Pec reacted quickest to poke Miki Yamine's cross past Hugo Lloris in the 56th minute, and Joseph Paintsil missed a glorious opportunity to equalise, skying his close-range effort over the post as the Galaxy dropped to third in the table.

Data Debrief: LAFC cannot stop scoring

LAFC have scored in their last 17 games in MLS. It's their longest run of games with a goal in the competition since a run of 18 between September 2021 and May 2022.

In fact, they have scored 20 first-half goals in 21 matches, with only Real Salt Lake (22) netting more.

Jesse Marsch believes Canada can build something special as they prepare for their Copa America quarter-final against Venezuela.

Canada are playing in their maiden Copa America and finished second in Group A behind defending champions Argentina after a win over Peru and a draw with Chile following their opening-day defeat to Albiceleste.

They now know that beating the Group B winners will set them up for a rematch against Argentina in the semi-finals if they win on Friday.

Marsch says he knew it was going to be tough when he took the job earlier this year, but has praised the “positive” support that has spurred the team forward.

"I was thinking, 'Why did I take this job with those three opponents [coming] up?'" Marsch said. "I knew when I took the job that the schedule was going to be very difficult, and by the way – put Peru and Chile in there as well – the first five opponents I knew were going to be very difficult.

"But I thought that it would give us a chance to create really high standards for how we wanted to play and that these games would show the players that we need to uphold ourselves to very high standards. I felt that if we could execute, then we could have some success.

"There's real excitement in Canada about the team and the way we've played. That comes with, I think, a real hunger to keep this thing moving forward."

"I'll tell you: I'm glad I'm here, man. Because the people that I work with and the players that I work with, the things that we know that we can achieve together, the support that we have from inside the country, the support system for this entire national team is so positive.

"So, I think it gives us a real chance to develop something and build something and be ready for a big tournament come 2026."

Canada have done better than their 2026 World Cup co-hosts USA, who crashed out in the group stage after winning just one match in Group C.

Asked about his home country's performance at the tournament, Marsch admitted he was disappointed by what he saw.

"I'd like to say that I'm only focused on what we're doing here in Canada, but obviously, I'm paying attention to the U.S. men's national team as I always do, and like you, I'm sad," he added.

"I'm disappointed with the performances, the lack of discipline. There are a lot of things that I think we've tried to embody about the game in the U.S., and we've always believed in this group of players."

Lionel Messi was left "very angry" with his miss in Argentina's penalty shoot-out victory over Ecuador in the Copa America quarter-finals.

La Albiceleste progressed to the semi-finals after a dramatic contest at the NRG Stadium in a game where Kevin Rodriguez's injury-time leveller ensured the contest would go the distance in a 1-1 draw after Lisandro Martinez's first-half opener.

The legendary Messi was first to step up for his team but saw a dinked penalty hit the crossbar. Thankfully for the 37-year-old, Emiliano Martinez saved penalties from Angel Mena and Alan Minda as Argentina triumphed 4-2 in the shoot-out.

Speaking after the game, Messi told reporters: "I was very angry, I was convinced that I would take it like that.

"I had spoken with Dibu (Martinez), with (Geronimo) Rulli, I had taken a couple of penalties. I hadn't practised, but I spoke with them.

"I had been taking several cross-shots, in fact the goalkeeper dived for a cross-shot, I tried to touch it and it went high."

Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni was quick to absolve his talisman of any blame when addressing a press conference.

"He played like the rest of the team, we are a team. This is a team, if the team played well, he played well. We have never separated the individual from the collective," he said.

Messi missed Argentina's final group game against Peru through injury but Scaloni insists that did not have an impact on his performance, adding: "Leo had a good game, in the end, they also planned a game or system where when we had the ball, two defenders came to attack, so, this is a chess game. He has had seven days away, we didn't notice the inactivity mentioned in the question."

Martinez was named Player of the Match and has now won all four of the shoot-outs he has been involved in with Argentina. The Aston Villa goalkeeper is adamant there is no luck involved with that statistic.

"I work for that, I throw myself 500 times a day in training," Martinez said.

"I try to be at my best level for the national team because the country deserves it, the people who spend their money to come and watch us."