Canada coach not making a big deal about playing away from home: "We're not playing on Mars"

Their Round of 32 match against South Africa will take place at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles (June 28 at 9:00 PM CEST).

The Maple Leafs' 2-1 loss to Switzerland in their final Group B match in Vancouver on Wednesday meant that Jesse Marsch's squad advanced from second place, forcing a move to Los Angeles. Had they secured at least a point against the Swiss, Canada would have finished first and played their Round of 32 match in Vancouver.

"Of course, we would have loved to stay in Vancouver, but we're playing in Los Angeles, not on Mars or somewhere else. I expect a large group of Canadian fans to show up there," defender Alistair Johnston was quoted as saying by the AP agency.

However, Canadian national team coach Marsch also sees the positives. "There's some benefit to eliminating the distractions and the circus around the whole thing, even though we really enjoyed the home crowd. Training will be more about recovery, rehab, and then re-energizing," said the 52-year-old coach, who signed a new contract with the national team until 2030 before the tournament.

The other two host nations, Mexico and the USA, both won their groups and will remain on home soil for their Round of 32 matches.