Richie Laryéamidfielder of the Canadian teamsaid his team felt confident ahead of the clash against Argentina for the semi-final of America's Cupscheduled for Tuesday in New Jersey. His optimism is well-founded. in the right direction performance in the opening match against the Albiceleste team, in which the defending champion won 2-0 in Group A of the competition.

“We took a lot of positives from that game,” said the 29-year-old midfielder. “Obviously we lost, but we could have scored a few goals against the current World Cup and Copa America champions. I think it gave the group a lot of confidence to show that we are not far from it, even against an opponent like Argentina with players like Messi” he emboldened himself with a provocative phrase, then continued to double down.

The man who rose to the top of Major League Soccer wearing the jersey of City of Orlandoand that he had reached a milestone Nottingham Forest England, mentioned that Canada is a different team today, with more experience on its shoulders. “We know what the game is going to demand, how good they are and what they bring.”he acknowledged. “But I think the last time we played them was 20 days ago and we're a completely different team now. So it's going to be a different game: they know how to prepare for us and we know how to prepare them” he added, in statements to the agency EFE.

Laryea stressed the importance of the competition for his team and the opportunity it represents to gain fans in Canada. “It's a tournament that could attract the attention of a lot of fans and maybe also gain new fans because we don't see much outside of the big tournaments. But we are a serious team, we want to go there, We want to win. I know it may sound bold or crazy, but this team is here to do it.“, he further raised his profile.

The midfielder's praise comes amid a meticulous preparation by the Canadian team, which despite the initial defeat has demonstrated an encouraging level of competition. “We are serious: this is a very serious competition for us,” he said, reflecting the ambition and optimism of the entire group.

Richie's words match the coach's concepts Jesse Marschwho, after beating Venezuela on penalties, also puffed out his chest and warned that Canada would stand up and defend the honour of Concacaf, given that they are the only team from the Confederation to have reached the semi-finals of the competition.

“We are not going to limit ourselves to defending. Let's play the way we want and see if we can continue. In the first game we gave Messi too much freedom, we have to control him better. It will be very important. The game against Argentina has to be the best we have ever played. and maybe that's not enough. Let's try,” he urged his team to continue the feat.

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