Canada manager Jesse Marsch said he could not fault his players' effort after a 2-0 loss to Argentina in their Copa America semifinal on Tuesday.

Playing in the continental tournament for the first time, Les Rouges had been given little chance of progressing beyond the group stage.

A series of impressive performances in the group stage followed by a penalty shootout victory over Venezuela earned Les Rouges a place in the last four, but hopes of a fairytale were dashed on Tuesday as goals from Julian Alvarez and Lionel Messi staved off a brave Canada challenge.

"I said to the team that I know they are very disappointed, but I'm very proud of them," Marsch said. "We've put together some incredible performances, just starting our process."

Canada is currently 48th in FIFA's world rankings, and Marsch believes his team can rise to unprecedented heights if certain steps are taken.

"We need to find a way to expand our player pool. We need to continue to challenge our group to come together and be able to perform in moments like this," Marsch said. "In general, we've had a wonderful five to six weeks together, and it's gone way better than any of us could have scripted. There's still a lot of work to do, but we've built a really good foundation."

Marsch said Canada's next objective would be to make a positive impact at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted alongside Mexico and the United States.

"I'm trying to really build and develop every single player in this pool so that we can have a real 26-man squad when it comes to 2026," Marsch added. "So the match on Saturday will also be vital for that because we will make some changes, get some new faces on the pitch, and challenge them to see if they can hold up in these kinds of games."

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