LOS ANGELES, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Switzerland's national team is aiming for the best FIFA World Cup performance in the country's history.
"I see the best squad when it comes to quality beyond the first eleven," national coach Murat Yakin said ahead of their group opener against 2022 World Cup host Qatar on Saturday in Los Angeles.
Players are aware of the opportunity to push the limits to new heights after the team has reached the knockout stages in every tournament since 2014, an achievement matched only by France and England.
"We have experienced at the recent tournaments that it only takes minor steps to head for new shores," the former Stuttgart and Fenerbahce defender said after the last-16 round seemed a natural border over the past years.
Football optimism grew in the traditional winter-sport nation, while players became indispensable pillars at prominent European clubs such as Dortmund, Inter, Milan, Sevilla, Stuttgart, and Sunderland.
Team leader Granit Xhaka sparks ambition by noting, "there won't be many chances left for our generation."
The 33-year-old 2024 German champion (Leverkusen) developed into "one of the most influential midfielders in European football," as Yakin puts it, while discussing the team's best World Cup performance.
"We never managed to get past this border, the last 16. It's time to write history," the Swiss coach said.
Experience and tactical variability emerge from a solid team spirit, with Xhaka as the seismograph detecting the smallest mood shifts.
Before the team headed to their base camp in San Diego, he announced that he had "packed until the final," while reminding his side, "a few percent less can mean the knock-out."
Group B, with co-host Canada, surprise qualifier Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Qatar, provides the foundation for a successful journey, while Yakin highlights the importance of the curtain raiser.
A victory and a "good feeling" are the team's goals, the coach said ahead of his second World Cup in charge.
For the first time, Switzerland assumes its group's favored role, "and we accept it," he added. ■
