Canada's fate is in its own hands

Win against Chile would guarantee progress to the last eight, but draw would likely be enough

- JOE CALLAGHAN

Peru's Anderson Santamaria, left, and Canada's Jacob Shaffelburg battle for the ball during a Copa America match in Kansas City, Kan., on Tuesday. Canada won, giving it a two-point advantage over Peru and Chile in Group A.

On either side of the Atlantic, these have been heady times for the Red Bull coaching alumni.

Former RB Leipzig mastermind Ralf Rangnick and his Austrian team have become the story of Euro 2024, stunning all predictions to top a group containing giants France and the Netherlands. Host nation Germany meantime is led by Julian Nagelsmann, who succeeded Rangnick in Leipzig, and heads into the knockout stage Saturday with huge expectations.

Across the pond in Orlando a couple of hours later, Jesse Marsch, who has coached at all three of New York Red Bulls, Red Bull Salzburg and Leipzig, could add a little more Copa America history to Canada’s first run in the tournament.

This is where a tired writer reaches for a “hey, maybe the energy drink does in fact give you wings” kinda line. Alas the Red Bull coaching playbook does not allow for tiredness, no room for phoning it in or slack efforts either. So we shall skip the handy stuff and just say this: international football is proving to be incredibly fertile ground for the all-action pressing game which Rangnick, as the cultivator of the Red Bull approach, passed on to his two protégés.