By Pearl Josephine Nazare and Mohammed Benmansour
VANCOUVER, June 24 (Reuters) - Thousands of Canada supporters marched through Vancouver in high spirits to BC Place for their clash against Switzerland, singing and waving banners as they backed the World Cup co-hosts in their bid to reach the knockout rounds for the first time.
The sea of red and white demonstrated how the ice hockey-mad nation has embraced soccer wholeheartedly, with every match in Vancouver drawing a full house.
"Canada is a huge
soccer nation. Soccer is the most participated in sport and it has been for the last 20 years. People know us as a hockey nation, but really a soccer nation," Canada fan Mike Robson told Reuters.
"We're here to show our sport for the country, and we're going to beat Switzerland and get into the round of 32 for the first time."
The passionate display included a touching tribute to injured midfielder Ismael Kone, with fans holding up number eight posters after he suffered a broken leg during their 6-0 thrashing of Qatar last week, Canada's first World Cup finals win.
"Last game player Kone was severely injured, he broke his leg, so we're just trying to show support for him and the team, and trying to demonstrate to them that no matter what happens, we're behind them," said Jamie MacLuad, head of the march organisation team.
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare and Mohammed Benmansour in Vancouver, editing by Ed Osmond)
