Canada is ready to set aside its reputation for politeness, at least during the World Cup.
With a chance to make history at home, after decades of World Cup disappointment, Canada’s players are talking less about manners and more about mentality.
“I don’t think it’s always a bad thing to play with arrogance,” midfielder Niko Sigur said.
“I think we’re at our best when we play with that swagger.” Canada opened Group B play with a draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina, earning the country’s first World Cup point.
On Thursday against Qatar, Canada will be seeking its first victory.
“I think if we’re at our best and we’re all together, including guys off the bench and the starters,” Sigur said, “that we can give them a lot of trouble.” Short-handed Canada also got a boost Wednesday when coach Jesse Marsch said captain Alphonso Davies would be available after missing the opener because of a hamstring injury.
“We’ll see how the match goes and then make a decision on how we would choose to use him,” March said of Davies, who was Canada’s lone World Cup goal scorer before Cyle Larin found the net last week.
Forward Promise David is recovering from a hip injury and Marcelo Flores, one of Canada’s top performers during qualifying, was ruled out of the tournament in May with a knee injury.
Defender Moïse Bombito has not played since suffering a broken leg in October.
Before that, he had started every match during Marsch’s two-year tenure.
The injuries have created opportunities for others, including Jayden Nelson, who replaced Flores on the roster after netting a stoppage-time goal against Uzbekistan earlier this month.
“We know we....
