Although Canada failed to beat Uruguay on penalties in the CONCACAF Cup third- and fourth-place finals on July 14, player Lalja still expressed his pride in his team's performance and his expectations for the future in a post-game interview.
Lalja began by talking about the significance of the tournament, "This tournament means a lot to me. It is an honor in itself to stand here and compete against these top teams. We did have a lot of chances in the game, but unfortunately we didn't capitalize on them. Uruguay is a strong team with good players and they showed great strength and resilience. However, I am still very proud of my team, my teammates and the country that has been supporting us. We showed our great improvement in this game, which is impossible to ignore. I feel bad for everyone in the team because we really gave a lot and everyone gave their best. But sometimes, soccer is like that, it takes a little bit of luck. We probably did get a little unlucky this time."
Lalja then turned the conversation to the upcoming 2026 U.S.-Canada-Mexico World Cup. He said with confidence, "I think the experience of this tournament will have a positive impact on our future performances. We've already learned a lot from it and have seen our potential and room for growth. As a national team, we still have a lot of games to play and a lot of important moments to spend together. It's very exciting. I'm sure that after this tournament, people will be even more excited to see what we can do at the 2026 World Cup in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. That will be a whole new stage, a chance to show our strength and progress. I think that will be very special and we will definitely give our best to bring a great game for our country and our fans."
