Marsch: Argentina should be fined for halftime mind games

Canada head coach Jesse Marsch wants Argentina punished for its tardiness coming out of the locker room for the second half of the reigning World Cup champion's eventual 2-0 win in Thursday's Copa America opener.

After a goalless first 45 minutes in which Canada largely subdued Lionel Messi - and arguably had the better scoring chances - the Argentines delayed their return to the pitch while the tournament debutants and the match official waited for them to reemerge.

Argentina, no stranger to using clever mind games to gain an edge in key moments, scored the eventual match-winning goal just four minutes into the second half.

"Let's see what happens with Argentina. I think they have to be fined. How late were they? 20 minutes? 30? I don't know. It was a long time," Marsch told reporters after the hard-fought defeat, according to Paul Tenorio of The Athletic. "But they had that time to prepare how they wanted to play against us in the second half, which if we would have known ahead of time that we could have an extra 10 minutes then we could have prepared some things more."

The American bench boss added: "When they were waiting, I knew that they were looking at video and they were analyzing how they wanted to play against us. Now, I wish again, the referees would manage that. If we were five minutes late, we'd get a fine. There'd be a big problem."

Canada also felt aggrieved with some of referee Jesus Valenzuela's decisions at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The team will look to bounce back in its next contest against Peru on June 25.

Still seeking its first goal under new coach Marsch, Canada closes out Group A action against Chile on June 29.