<p>Canada will arrive at Toronto Stadium on Friday for their first World Cup game on home soil carrying the ‌weight of a nation after a build-up that has been defined as much by the treatment room as the training pitch, ‌but Marsch is undaunted.</p><p>"<strong>If you do this for a living, this is where you want ‌to be,</strong>" Marsch said on Thursday ahead of the Group B opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina.</p><p>"<strong>I came to Canada ‌to be the coach because I liked these guys and I believed they could fit ‌the way I wanted to play, but I came here to lead them in the World Cup - in the home World Cup.</strong></p><p>"<strong>I wanted this responsibility.</strong>"</p><p>The biggest injury concern remains captain Alphonso Davies, who ‌will miss Friday's match with a hamstring injury suffered during ⁠Bayern Munich's Champions League semi-final last month. But Marsch ‌said an MRI on Wednesday brought encouraging signs.</p><p>"<strong>We're getting ready to ramp things up,</strong>" the American said.</p><p>"<strong>He will ​not be available for tomorrow, but he's showing, like he always has, a real good ability to recover from muscle injuries.</strong></p><p>"<strong>We're really hopeful that over the next days and ​weeks we can accelerate things and give him a chance to contribute here soon.</strong>"</p><p>Midfielder Ismael Kone sent a scare through the camp when he left training early on Wednesday before it had even ⁠properly begun, but Marsch was quick ​to put those fears to rest - with a touch of exasperation.</p><p>"<strong>He just felt a little sick, so we sent him home because we were doing nothing on the day, and it was like a five-star red alert,</strong>" Marsch said. "<strong>Ismael trained today, he's totally fine, he's ready to go.</strong>"</p><p>Even defender Moise Bombito, whose recovery ‌from a broken leg appeared to stall after lasting just 30 minutes in a warm-up match against Uzbekistan, will be ready if called upon.</p><p>"<strong>He's not fully at 100%, but he's reached his top speed,</strong>" Marsch said. "<strong>I don't see any reason that a week from now he's not ready to even be considered as a starter.</strong>"</p><p>Discipline will also be on Marsch's mind. Canada have collected a handful of red cards in their last 11 games, and with the adrenaline of a home opener in the air, Marsch was clear-eyed about the risk.</p><p>"<strong>Certainly one of the best ways to derail a tournament for any team is red cards</strong>," he said.</p><p>"<strong>We do need to be ‌aggressive and play our way with speed and power, but we also need to make sure that ​we keep our heads and don't have any reckless tackles, extracurricular situations, or emotional reactions ‌that get us in any kind of trouble with cards.</strong>"</p><p>Canada have made significant strides since Marsch took over in 2024, notably reaching the Copa America semi-finals that year. This is also the first time Canada have appeared at back-to-back World Cups, and they are still searching for their maiden point after six defeats across the 1986 and 2022 tournaments.</p><p>Marsch declared his team ⁠ready. "<strong>We are ready to play some big games,</strong>" ⁠said Marsch. "<strong>We are ready to make our ‌country proud, make our fans proud. We are ready to go after this.</strong>"</p>