Canada coach Jesse Marsh, who led the team to the Copa America semi-finals, says he didn’t need success to prove himself after being sacked by Leeds and ignored by the U.S. Soccer Federation.
“I felt how strongly they wanted me here and I’m at a point in my life where I don’t need all the other bulls,” Marche told a news conference ahead of Tuesday’s match against Argentina.
He laughed during a simultaneous interpretation of his press conference on Monday.
“I don’t know how to say that in Spanish, you know?” he explained, laughing.
He interviewed with the USSF last year before Gregg Berhalter was rehired, and Canada gave the 50-year-old Marsch a spot on the national team in May. Canada qualified for its first Copa America appearance, but hosts the United States were eliminated in the group stage.
“I’ve never doubted my ability as a coach,” Marsh said. “The thing I’ve always questioned in this business is how do you find the right people to work with? So the best thing about where I’m at right now is that it feels like home to me. I feel like I’m working with players who value what I bring. I value what they do.”
Canada has not qualified for the World Cup since 1986, when they qualified for the 2022 tournament under coach John Herdman, who lost 0-3 in Qatar. Herdman left in August to coach Toronto in Major League Soccer after saying the Canadian Soccer Association did not provide the national team with the financial support and resources it needed.
Marsh was hired after Peter Ogruso replaced Shamaine Crooks as CSA president.
“I think the Canadian Soccer Association is a humble but professional organization and I think the new leadership is fantastic,” Marsch said. “The people of this country have been 100 per cent behind what we’ve done with this team, and you can take away the wins and the success we’ve had in this tournament.
“From day one, I felt that. That’s why I came. Because I felt that they wanted me here.”
Marsh’s first two games were two friendlies in Europe, a 0-4 loss to the Netherlands and a 0-0 draw with France.
Canada won 4-3 on penalties against Venezuela in the quarterfinals after a 1-1 draw.
“I want to do what I love to do,” Marsch said. “I want to love the game I love again. This team helped me find that, and I’m very grateful for that.”
A standout collegiate athlete from Princeton University, Marsh represented the United States twice and served as Bob Bradley’s head coach on the national team during the 2010-11 season.
He managed Montreal (2011–12) and New York Red Bulls (2015–18) in Major League Soccer before moving on to coach Austrian sister team Red Bull Salzburg (2019–21) and Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, but was sacked midway through his first season in December 2021.
