Midway through the second question that he was asked in his post-match press conference on Friday, Canada manager Jesse Marsch took a moment to interject and appreciate what his team had accomplished.
"The first ever point in [Canada's] history, right?" said Marsch. "We should also be happy and enjoy that."
Canada had just come from behind to earn a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was a historic moment, as Marsch mentioned: the first point for the men's national team in tournament history. It also, however, felt like Canada could have, and should have, had more, given how dominant they looked for large portions of the 90 minutes.
“I told them after the match, if they play like that second half the whole match, we win," said Marsch, "and we’ve got to find a way to have a bit more confidence and a bit more self-belief, and make sure we go after the game.”
After a decent start, Bosnia delivered a sucker punch on a 21st-minute corner kick to take a 1-0 lead. Canada responded well, but with chance after chance going wide, cleared off the line, or missing the final pass, there was a growing feeling that this might just not be Canada's day.
Marsch credited the incredible crowd at Toronto Stadium who, sensing the team was coming close to equalizing, grew louder and louder. When the goal finally came, the roar of the stadium was an unforgettable World Cup moment for the country.
“The crowd willed us into the game, as they could feel the energy in the second half tilting more and more," he said. "They were more and more on the edge of their seats, and the place erupted when we got the goal.”
That goal was a moment of pure quality from Canada's number nine, Cyle Larin, in the 78th minute. Taken out of the starting lineup in favour of Tani Oluwaseyi, it had been 20 months since Larin had found the back of the net for Canada. But the scorer of some of the biggest goals in Canadian soccer history added another to his resume.
“I knew Cyle wasn’t happy about not starting," said Marsch, "and we had a brief conversation about that… But I said, 'Look, you’ve had a great year at Southampton, whether you started or come off the bench, you’ve had an impact in every game'.”
Larin scored just two minutes after replacing Oluwaseyi.
While Larin played the hero, the only man who has scored more goals for Canada than him, Jonathan David, was a surprise substitute in the 61st minute. David missed a chance right before the Bosnian goal that you would have bet your house on him scoring just a year ago. Canada's all-time leading goalscorer has found the back of the net just twice in his last ten matches for country — both penalties against Iceland.
"Jonny didn't have his best day," said Marsch. "It's normal that a player doesn't always play at his peak, but he's an incredibly important player for us. Like, make no mistake, he scored way more goals than anyone since we've been here, and we'll need him in this tournament to be at his best.
Because without him in top form, we're not the same team that we have the potential to be."
Marsch, however, is more than aware that while Friday was a special and historic occasion for his team, they were never going to be judged by how they started the tournament. It's how they grow into the competition that will ultimately define the team's legacy at this World Cup.
"Doesn't matter if it's Argentina losing to Saudi Arabia at the last World Cup, or different scenarios where it starts a little bit tense in the beginning stage of matches, and then the games come more to life, and I think you see the truer version of teams.
"So I think for us, it'll be really important that we use this experience to be better and stronger and more prepared for exactly what we want the game to look like."
Next up is a vital match for Canada in Vancouver against Qatar on Thursday. Win that, and odds are they've done enough to advance for the first time. But they know they need to be better at making their chances count.
