In the Copa America third and fourth place finals on July 14, Canada lost to Uruguay on penalties and failed to reach the podium. However, for Canadian soccer, this tournament is still a valuable experience. After the match, Canada's core player Alfonso Davies was interviewed, sharing his feelings and outlook for the future.
Speaking about the brutality of penalty shootouts, Alfonso Davies confessed, "Penalty kicks are really brutal. You can play a perfect game, but you can end up losing because of a penalty kick. Every player standing on the penalty spot is confident and they try to kick the ball where they think it will go in. But that's the beauty of soccer, it's full of uncertainty and variables. Nevertheless, I am proud of my team. This is the first time we've played in a tournament like this, competing against so many great countries and players, and to have made it this far is an achievement we'll always have. We saw our ability to compete with the top teams and know that there is still a lot of work ahead, but this step is definitely something to be proud of."
Alfonso Davies is full of anticipation and confidence for the U.S.-Canada-Mexico World Cup in two years. He said, "The first game against Argentina really set the tone for us for this tournament. With each game we are adapting and growing, we are getting more committed and getting stronger mentally and physically. We gave it our all in every game and showed what we are made of against a strong opponent. Today we played very well and created a lot of chances. But we also realize that in such a high-level game, if we fail to take advantage of our chances, things can change quickly. Therefore, we need to continue to work on improving our ability to capitalize on our chances and be well prepared for future matches."
