How Jesse Marsch tried to imitate the USMNT to inspire more confidence in Canada

KANSAS CITY – Throughout his life, whether in school or at countless sporting events, Jesse Marsch stood at attention, held his hand over his heart like millions of other Americans would, and sang the Star Spangled Banner.

But today, in the heart of the United States, against the American national team for which he once played, Marsch will sing a different song.

“I sing the Canadian national anthem,” Marsch said before the friendly match between Canada and the USMNT.

Maybe that’s because the team he coaches today is becoming more and more like the team he played for as a child.

“I’m proud to be the coach of this national team,” Marsch said. “And I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure I give these guys the opportunity to be the best they can be, that this sport continues to develop and grow in the country, and I’m going to use my experience to help everyone do their best.”

Marsch and his coaching staff sing the Canadian national anthem (Omar Vega/Getty Images)

Few could have predicted this turn of events just over a year ago.

By mid-2023, Marsch was considered one of the favorites to become head coach of the USMNT, and Canada was still developing its own identity as a rising star in CONCACAF under John Herdman.

This feels like ancient history.

In just a few months, Marsch has led Canada to the semifinals of the Copa America, the country’s best finish in a tournament, but his first game as coach against the United States offers an opportunity to reflect on how Marsch has transformed the Canadian men’s national team by instilling – among other things – some of the same stereotypical values ​​found in the team he will face for the first time.

“I want their Being Canadian to get through,” said Marsch. “But the only thing I sense about the group is that they have a lot of self-confidence.”

Marsch smiled and giggled when asked: Why is he coaching the Canadian team today and not the American team he will be playing against?

“Because they didn’t hire me,” he said.

It’s not that Marsch wasn’t close to the US job. He interviewed before the job ultimately went to Gregg Berhalter. Afterward, Marsch made his feelings known.

“I have a lot of respect for U.S. Soccer, but I went through a process with them, right? And I won’t go into it, but I wasn’t treated very well during it,” Marsch said on the CBS podcast “Call it What You Want” in May.

This process came to the fore again as Marsch prepared for his first game against the USA.

“Look, they have their reasons,” Marsch said of turning down the US job. “At the end of the day, I’m glad because I don’t think I’d be as happy as the coach of the US team as I would be as the coach of this team. I think these guys match my idea of ​​football, my idea of ​​life; the idea of ​​togetherness, selflessness. These guys embody all of those things to the highest degree.”

Marsch quickly adapted to his new job, even though it didn’t feel like it was meant to be.

In August 2023, Canada Soccer was still reeling. Herdman forced his exit from the organization after coaching a team to its first Men’s World Cup appearance in 36 years.

Soccer – and its infrastructure – in Canada continued to grow. There were strong, tactically astute and impressive coaches, either from Canada or trained in Canada in the Canadian Premier League, who deserved to be in the conversation when choosing the next national coach. They included Bobby Smyrniotis, Tommy Wheeldon Jr. and Pa-Modou Kah.

Well-known international coaches such as Thierry Henry were also considered. Marsch was also on the list.

During the recruitment process, one did not have to listen long to hear rumors in Canadian soccer circles: Was signing an American the best move for this team from a visual point of view?

The Canadian men’s national team also suffered from the classic Canadian inferiority complex for generations. They were overshadowed by their counterparts from the south. Hosting the 1994 World Cup helped to change the course of the sport and the men’s team in the USA. Money was invested in soccer, which was not the case in Canada. American players flocked to European leagues while Canadian players went to training camps without a club affiliation or elsewhere.

It’s rare for the U.S. men’s national team to face an underdog opponent. They have advanced past the group stage in all three of the last World Cups they have qualified for, losing only one group match in that time: against eventual champions Germany in 2014.

Between 1985 and 2019, the USMNT remained undefeated in 17 consecutive games against Canada.

That’s why Canada’s victory over the United States in Nations League play in October 2019 was so historic. That was followed by one of the most important victories in the history of the Canadian program: In freezing temperatures in Hamilton, Ontario in January 2022, Canada defeated the USMNT 2-0 in World Cup qualifying.

For the first time, Canada did not seem to back down from its more dominant neighbors.

“If they come to us now or we go there, they will be afraid,” said then-Canadian goalkeeper Milan Borjan after the game.

Kamal Miller celebrates the USMNT’s defeat at BMO Field (John Dorton/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Canada still positioned itself as an underdog at the 2022 World Cup. Canada’s poor performance in Qatar was the beginning of the end of Herdman’s tenure and proof that changes were needed in the program. Canada was full of talent and athleticism, but aggressiveness was not a constant in their play.

Maybe, just maybe, it wouldn’t be such a bad thing for Canadian teams to adopt the stereotypical American values ​​of unwavering confidence and the assertion of physical dominance to influence results.

Kevin Blue took over as Canada Soccer’s general secretary in February 2024. Hiring a new head coach for the men’s team was his top priority. In conversations with hundreds of people across Canadian soccer after his hiring, one of the things he noted was that the men’s national team needed more fighting spirit, more grit, more tenacity. Essentially, more of the intangible qualities that can separate great teams that don’t buckle in high-pressure tournaments from teams that buckle when they concede a goal.

International soccer, of course, lacks the “oh, we’ll get them next time” mentality that can exist in club soccer, where defeats can sometimes be seen as learning experiences in a long season. Internationally, one lost game can mean the difference between an organization collecting millions of dollars in prize money or several people losing their jobs.

Enter Marsch, who Blue persuaded to take the job.

Among other things, Blue was looking for someone who could increase the pride, intensity and boldness in the team.

“Are they too likeable in some ways? Yes,” Marsch described his team to OneSoccer before the Copa America. “I found the Canadians to be very approachable, respectful and friendly, and that’s great. But that doesn’t always make the best football team, does it?”

Marsch was initially surprised by how politely his Canadian players sometimes accepted criticism and information about their playing time. Coming from a background where players were used to fighting for their positions and reacting with hostility when things didn’t go their way, it was a sign that a player was desperate to fight for his place in the squad.

But his Canadian players reacted differently at the beginning of his tenure.

Marsch wanted to see more malice. More pride that would manifest itself in the confidence to change a game. He wanted his players to start barking back. Both to him and to the rest of the world. He challenged them in training sessions with a physicality they had rarely experienced.

In short, Marsch wanted more of the qualities that Canadians didn’t always show against their American neighbors, but often did. Marsch had seen enough talent in his ranks to ask his team openly, “Why should we continue to see ourselves as underdogs?”

Marsch instructs his Canadian players (Perry McIntyre/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

He encouraged his players to value themselves more and improve their performances both at home and abroad. Less bold, more alpha.

“Fuck it, let’s take on these teams,” Canada defender Alistair Johnston remembers Marsch telling his new team before the Copa America.

Johnston described Marsch’s style as “rock and roll, drinking Red Bull, let’s go, we’re going on the offensive and we’re going to punch you in the face and then there’s no pleasantries.” That sounds like the opposite of a nation that generally prides itself on its politeness. It was a style that the players craved.

“I think this is a perfect fit for us,” Johnston said.

With hard-fought wins at the Copa America against Peru and Venezuela and a determined performance against world champions Argentina that should have produced a different result, Canada showed a high level of confidence. They looked like a CONCACAF team that could compete with South American teams in a way that only the United States and Mexico had previously done.

“We played arrogantly and that’s something Jesse brought with him,” Johnston said.

With Canada now expecting to face the USMNT more and more often through 2025 (as neither country will play 2026 World Cup qualifiers, this is a foregone conclusion), Marsch will look to continue to inspire confidence in his team.

Marsch wants to inspire more self-confidence in Canada (Omar Vega/Getty Images)

Marsch, of course, isn’t afraid to speak his mind. How many coaches would declare days before their first game against a team that they would win by a certain score? That’s the kind of complacency and arrogance that Marsch wants to see more of from his players, given how much his players have improved recently.

“We need to raise the status of Canadian soccer,” Marsch said on the Golazo podcast.

By looking and sounding more and more like the team they will be competing against, Marsch sees his team doing just that. Canada’s loss to the USMNT in the 2023 Nations League final was humiliating. They barely showed the level of confidence needed to compete in a final. And to this day, many members of the national team seek revenge against the U.S.

Or at least to show how they can try to beat the Americans at their own game.

“The United States has established itself as the best team in the region, even though Canada won the qualifying group for the World Cup,” Marsch said. “I think everyone knows that this is an important benchmark for us, given the resources, the size of the country and the establishment of the sport in the United States.”

(Top photo: Omar Vega/Getty Images)