The appointment of Jesse Marsch as the head coach of the Canadian men’s national team is among the most important hires in the history of soccer in the country.
Marsch will lead Canada in upcoming friendlies against the Netherlands and France in a matter of weeks. Those are the kind of high-profile friendlies the team so rarely books, but they’re just the appetizer before Canada’s Copa America opener against Lionel Messi and Argentina.
With a contract that runs until 2026, Marsch is then expected to lead Canada through some of the most crucial games not just in the program’s history, but in Canadian sports history: those that come at home during the 2026 World Cup, due to be hosted by Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.
The 50-year-old Marsch has a litany of experience with multiple MLS clubs and in the UEFA Champions League with Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig as well as in the Premier League with Leeds United. Canada is Marsch’s first national team head coaching job.
Hours after his appointment was made official, Marsch spoke to reporters in his introductory press conference. Over the span of 37 minutes, he addressed a number of key topics surrounding his hire. Here’s what Marsch said and our take on what he meant.
What he said: “Honestly, it was a relatively easy decision that, once we could see that the fit was really good, then it was just a matter of, ‘OK, how do we make this happen?’. And I give a lot of credit to (Canada Soccer general secretary Kevin Blue). He was one of the best recruiters I’ve ever known in my life. I knew they wanted me, I knew that they felt it was right. And that feeling, that connection we had, I think really motivated me to want to do this.”
What it means: Despite Canada being guaranteed Copa America and World Cup games in the next two years, Marsch didn’t necessarily lobby Canada Soccer and Blue to be in consideration for the position. Marsch was on a shortlist of coaches compiled in part by Angus McNab, a former Canadian Premier League executive and consultant, and then vetted by former Canada men’s national team players including Atiba Hutchinson.
There were other candidates who reached out to Canada Soccer through intermediaries to apply for the position, but it ended up being Marsch’s experience and man management that resonated the most with the group of former players. Blue himself had virtually no experience in soccer before being hired as Canada Soccer general secretary in February 2024, but he does have experience with business strategy in previous stops.
Once it was clear Marsch had a plan for the men’s national team player pool, Blue evidently led the charge to raise the necessary funds to accommodate Marsch’s salary demands. When Marsch highlighted the question of ‘How do we make this happen?’, it was clear there was time between an initial interview and Blue’s fundraising efforts. That Blue was forced to seek extra funding from the owners of Canada’s three MLS teams (characterized in Marsch’s hiring announcement as “philanthropic contribution”) for Marsch’s hire speaks to his pedigree, but also how much of a priority he was for Canada Soccer.
What Marsch said: “When I was (head coach of the Montreal Impact from 2011-12), I could see that Canadian soccer was, in some ways, fractured. And there were different provinces and different teams in different places that had different influence. I think a big part of our mission moving forward is to make sure that, especially leading into (the 2026 World Cup), that we find a way to unify everybody.”
“I know Canada a bit. I coached there, I lived there and I understand the country, the multiculturalism, the passion for the game and the knowledge that I have and the things I know about the people and their desire and passion for the game, helped me understand what this responsibility is. It helped me understand how to help lead this country into the (2026 World Cup). And certainly, I think it will help me also coach this team, just knowing a bit of the background of the football history and the people that have been involved. I think that, in general, my experience in Montreal will serve me really well in this role.”
What he meant: Marsch is not entering into this position blindly. Most of the headlines surrounding the Canadian soccer ecosystem lately have been negative ones, whether it’s the men’s national team refusing to play a friendly out of concerns over a contract and the team still playing without a CBA, or the women’s national team filing a $40million lawsuit against former Canada Soccer board members.
As best as former men’s team coach John Herdman tried to avoid it, he became embroiled in that drama as well towards the end of his tenure.
Marsch will soon have to answer just as many questions about what happens off the pitch as his plans for the team on it. The fact he has experience coaching in Montreal for just over a year means he will be able to take on the position without also having to get up to speed on navigating Canadian soccer idiosyncrasies. That’s an experience the other international candidates for the position didn’t have and that experience likely helped him ease any concerns the hiring committee would have had about his readiness for Canadian soccer.
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What Marsch said: “Some of the raw athleticism and team speed is obvious. I like to play the game in transition. I like to be dynamic. I like to impose our will upon the opponent in all phases of the game. I think this player pool has both athleticism and intelligence and obvious football quality. But the combination of intelligence and athleticism will provide us with an opportunity to compete against the best teams in the world.”
What he meant: Expect Canada to run and run a lot. Marsch is going to want his team to press opponents with more quality and disrupt possession to generate their own chances.
Some of Canada’s best players – namely Alphonso Davies and Tajon Buchanan – count speed as their most dangerous weapons, so Marsch was likely able to build a blueprint for success in the interview process that would have wooed Canada Soccer. In terms of tactical identity, Marsch was never going to ask Canada to become something they’re not. Marsch would have seen how Canada tried – valiantly – to run Belgium into the ground in their opening match of the 2022 World Cup. He seems intent on building off that game plan and challenging his players to utilize their speed to change games even more.
How he does so with key players whose speed isn’t a hallmark of their game – such as Jonathan David, Stephen Eustaquio and Cyle Larin – will be a key question early in his tenure.
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What he said: “Winning CONCACAF and World Cup Qualifying was a massive achievement. And I think it has changed the dialogue, certainly for this group of players, right? Certainly for the expectations they have of themselves. And along with that comes certain pressures and the awareness that we have to meet even bigger goals. We shouldn’t be afraid of that. I think we should be ready to take this responsibility on fully, to understand that we need to emerge in the group with the U.S. and Mexico as the three powers of CONCACAF and I think that case can already be made. And then the question is, can we push on to continue to move the needle of the sport in this country?”
What he meant: Marsch isn’t in this job for player development or with a plan to compete beyond this current World Cup cycle. He seems intent on going to Copa America and getting results. That seems to gel with a coach who prioritizes energy, sure, but Marsch also recognizes the timeline he’s under is a tight one.
Marsch sounds ready to push players with intensity in training sessions come June to help ensure their eyes are wide open against some of the best players in the world. Multiple sources indicated that as part of the interview process, candidates were asked about Canada’s capitulation and loss at home against Jamaica in a Copa America qualifier last year. Marsch seems to indicate that he is not willing to accept players taking their foot off the gas at important moments, such as the second half against Jamaica.
(Top photo: James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
