No more ties.From here on out, the World Cup knockout rounds mean only one team will emerge as the victor and advance to the next round, while the other heads home.Single-elimination play begins on Sunday when Canada faces South Africa in Inglewood, California, in the first of 16 matches after the field of 48 was trimmed to 32 with the completion of group-stage matches late Saturday night.The Canada-South Africa match features a little bit of history.Both teams will be making their first appearances in a World Cup knockout match. Both finished second in their respective groups with identical 1-1-1 records over three matches.They will have the stage to themselves as the only match of the day. Three more matches are scheduled for Monday: Brazil-Japan, Germany-Paraguay and Netherlands-Morocco.“Every moment matters,” Canada coach Jesse Marsch said of the single-elimination match. “And certainly when you get to the knockout phase the ability to have full concentration on the task at hand, to understand the opponent and tilt things in our favor is very important. And the discipline, to make sure you don’t get yourself in trouble with cards or bad penalties.”
That said, Marsch wants his team to open the game aggressive, unlike its 2-1 loss to Switzerland in group play. “We are clear on the qualities (South Africa) has, and we are very clear on what to expect,” Marsch said. “And this is also a moment where we want to be at our best.”
