Category: Canada

Marsch: I don’t want USMNT head coach job

Believe him or not, Marsch flatly rejected the idea of wanting the USMNT job

Jesse Marsch definitely wants a job, but there’s one he says he’s not interested in.

One day after the U.S. men’s national team eked out a 3-1 Concacaf Nations League semifinal win over Jamaica, Marsch — who was seemingly the subject of a dig from current USMNT boss Gregg Berhalter after the match — insisted he wasn’t interested in being the next U.S. manager.

Speaking on CBS’s Call It What You Want podcast on Friday, Marsch batted away the question of whether he’d be a candidate to replace Berhalter should things unravel for the USMNT.

“Is that something you want?” asked host Jimmy Conrad. “Say things don’t go well for us at Copa América. Would that be something you would entertain?”

“The [USMNT] job? No. No, I don’t want that job,” declared Marsch, who has been working as a pundit for CBS on UEFA Champions League and USMNT broadcasts since being sacked by Leeds 13 months ago.

It’s a curious position for Marsch to take, especially as he was strongly linked to the role while U.S. Soccer was sorting through whether to offer Berhalter a new contract or move on. Marsch’s agent eventually went public to rule the 50-year-old out as a candidate for the USMNT post.

Since then, Marsch has been linked exclusively to European clubs, with Southampton, Leicester, Monaco, and Celtic all being connected with Marsch at some point.

As a pundit, Marsch has been more than willing to state his disagreements with Berhalter’s choices. Earlier in March, he questioned the idea of calling Tyler Adams up so soon after his return from a long injury layoff. Marsch has also said that the Berhalter era doesn’t include a signature win, and that the USMNT coach should make John Brooks — who hasn’t been called in by Berhalter since September 2021 — “a centerpiece” of the team’s plans.

In Friday’s podcast, Marsch explained that offering his opinions, whether he agrees with Berhalter or not, is the fundamental duty he has as an on-screen pundit.

“Even when we discuss Gregg, or the tactics, or anything else, it’s always about, are we maximizing what we’re getting out of the team?” insisted Marsch. “Is the tactical model what we what we think is best for the group?… I don’t want anybody to take things too personally because that’s not what it’s meant to do. We’re just here trying to give a little bit of insight.”

Watch Marsch discuss the USMNT job

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Canada vs. Trinidad & Tobago: How to watch Copa America playoff, live stream

The winner moves to the Copa America, while the loser misses out on the huge tournament

Amid a serious downturn in fortunes, Canada faces its biggest match since the 2022 World Cup on Saturday when it takes on Trinidad & Tobago.

The winner of the one-game playoff at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas will advance to the Copa América this summer, while the loser is eliminated.

Canada failed to qualify directly to the Copa América when it collapsed against Jamaica in the Nations League quarterfinal in November. The Reds won the away leg 2-1 only to fall 3-2 at home in the second leg, with the Reggae Boyz advancing via away goals after a 4-4 aggregate scoreline.

Trinidad & Tobago, meanwhile, fell into the one-off playoff after losing its quarterfinal series against the U.S. by a 4-2 aggregate score.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Canada vs. Trinidad & Tobago on Paramount Plus” link=”https://paramountplus.qflm.net/217Nxg”]

Making the Copa América would be a major boost for Canada amid a tumultuous period that has seen head coach John Herdman depart, a poor Gold Cup last summer, and ongoing turmoil at the Canadian federation.

The winner of Saturday’s match will go into Group A of the Copa América alongside Argentina, Chile and Peru.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match.

Canada vs. Trinidad & Tobago (Copa America playoff)

  • When: Saturday, March 23
  • Where: Toyota Stadium (Frisco, Texas)
  • Time: 4 p.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: Paramount+ (WATCH LIVE), CBS Sports Golazo Network

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Herdman leaves Canada men’s national team to take over Toronto FC

The coach has left Canada Soccer after more than a decade to take over MLS’s worst team

John Herdman has departed his role as Canada men’s national team head coach to take the same position at Toronto FC.

Herdman spent more than a decade with Canada Soccer, first as women’s national team head coach and then coaching the men, leading both teams to major achievements along the way.

“John Herdman is the most successful head coach in the history of Canada Soccer,” said Canada Soccer president Charmaine Crooks in a federation release.

“From leading the women’s national team to back-to-back Olympic bronze medals, paving the way for their gold medal in 2020, and to leading the men’s national team back to the FIFA World Cup, John’s contribution to the game in Canada is unmatched.”

Herdman will stay in Canada and transition to the club game, where he’ll take over a TFC side that has the worst record in MLS. The club fired Bob Bradley as head coach in June and has been coached by Terry Dunfield on an interim basis since then.

Herdman will stay with Canada Soccer to help with the transition to a new coach before taking over Toronto FC on October 1.

“I am keen to start this new opportunity with Toronto FC,” Herdman said in a TFC release. “Personally, it’s the right time for me to step into a new challenge in my career, and the structure of a club environment is a context I’ve aspired to operate in. Having access to connect and collaborate with the staff and players daily allows for a different depth of development and connection, both on and off the pitch.”

Herdman clashes with Canada Soccer

Herdman had been with Canada Soccer since 2011 and took the men’s national team to its first World Cup since 1986 last year, so moving to a new opportunity makes sense at this stage of his career.

Still, his departure at this stage is notable — and it’s not a good sign for Canada Soccer.

Herdman has opted to skip the opportunity to coach Canada in a World Cup on home soil in 2026, and his words following June’s Nations League final defeat to the United States are likely a big reason he’s chosen to leave.

The 48-year-old did not hold back on criticizing his own federation amid a funding crisis, saying: “We brought a World Cup to our country and we’re not serious about winning it.”

Canada’s men’s and women’s national teams have been in open conflict with their federation, with the women moving to strike during February’s SheBelieves Cup over cuts to funding.

In June, Canada Soccer’s interim general secretary Jason deVos admitted the federation was nearing bankruptcy, and may not have the financial ability to schedule fall friendlies for either of its senior national teams.

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Sinclair: Canada crashing out of World Cup ‘a wake-up call to our federation’

“If this isn’t a warning sign, I don’t know what it is”

Canada captain Christine Sinclair has said her team’s surprise early exit from the World Cup should serve as a “wake-up call” to Canada Soccer, amid a year of fierce conflict between the federation and the women’s national team.

Australia hammered Canada 4-0 at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on Monday, vaulting the host nation to a first-place finish in Group B, with Nigeria earning second place after drawing Ireland 0-0.

Those results left Canada, the defending Olympic champions, in third place on four points and heading home early.

The early exit comes amid a difficult year that has seen Canada’s women’s and men’s national teams in open conflict with their federation over alleged financial mismanagement and a lack of transparency, among other issues.

The Canadian government has taken up an interest in the situation, holding public hearings earlier this year after Canada’s women’s team moved to strike during February’s SheBelieves Cup.

Canada’s women’s national team has charged that they were not adequately prepared for the 2023 World Cup, with a lack of funds shortening the pre-tournament training camp.

“We have been forced to choose between compensation and the funding required to hold necessary training camps,” a statement from the women’s national team players read upon agreement of an interim compensation deal last week.

Speaking to reporters after her team crashed out of the World Cup, Sinclair said that although the result was on the players, it should nevertheless serve as a call to action for Canada Soccer.

“As a team, we’ve moved on from the SheBelieves [Cup] and obviously the battles with the federation, but I think what you’re seeing in women’s football is teams are catching up,” the 40-year-old said. “This for me is a wake-up call for back home, a wake-up call to our federation: the lack of a professional league, the lack of resources for the national teams, a lack of resources for the youth national teams, similar to the men’s side.

“If the resources aren’t there, we’re going to fall behind. I think if this isn’t a warning sign, I don’t know what is.”

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USMNT beats Canada on penalties in wild Gold Cup quarterfinal

The game started slowly but went full CONCACAF by the end

The U.S. men’s national team reached the Gold Cup semifinals in wild fashion on Sunday night, defeating Canada on penalties in a game that started slow but descended into classic CONCACAF chaos by the end.

The quarterfinal would finish 2-2 after 120 minutes, which saw the USMNT and Canada trade goals late in regulation and again in extra time to send the game into a penalty shootout.

Matt Turner was the hero in the shootout, saving Canada’s first two penalties as the USMNT prevailed 3-2 on spot kicks to advance to Wednesday’s semifinal against Panama in San Diego.

The first half saw Canada successfully frustrate the favored Americans, who had the lion’s share of possession but only managed one shot on target.

That was one more shot than Canada, however, as John Herdman’s side had their best scoring chance come from a VAR review late in the half. Miles Robinson appeared to handle the ball in the box, but the referee did not award the penalty after spotting a shove from Canada’s Moïse Bombito on Gianluca Busio prior to the handball.

The second half started out in much the same fashion before the USMNT started to turn the screws as the half wore on. Busio tested Dayne St. Clair from inside the box in the 68th minute, but the Canada goalkeeper dove low to his right to stop the best U.S. chance of the night to that point.

The U.S. needed a spark and the crowd at TQL Stadium made it clear who they wanted to provide it, chanting “We Want Vazquez” repeatedly for hometown striker Brandon Vazquez.

B.J. Callaghan obliged the home fans in the 73rd minute and 15 minutes later, he looked like a genius as it appeared the FC Cincinnati striker had won the match with a header off a tremendous cross from DeJuan Jones.

But minutes later, Robinson would somewhat improbably be under review for a potential handball in the box for the second time on the night. This time, he wasn’t so lucky.

Steven Vitória stepped up from the spot and with Canada’s first shot on target, buried his penalty down the middle for a 93rd-minute equalizer.

Vitória tied the game with Canada’s first shot on goal, and Jacob Shaffelburg looked like he won it with their second. The Nashville SC winger scored on a fantastic individual effort in extra time, starting the play by forcing a turnover and then squeezing a seeing-eye shot through Matt Miazga and into the net.

But there would be another twist in an increasingly wild game, as the USMNT found an equalizer five minutes later when Busio’s shot was saved by St. Clair, but the rebound caromed off Scott Kennedy and in for an own goal.

That would send the game into penalties, where Turner started off with two saves before the U.S. clinched a spot in the final four when Charles-Andreas Brym’s penalty crashed off the crossbar in the fifth round of spot kicks.

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Nearing bankruptcy, Canada Soccer may have to skip national team games

The financial crisis at Canada’s federation is worsening

Canada Soccer’s interim general secretary Jason deVos has painted a grim picture of the federation’s finances, saying it is considering bankruptcy and may have to skip fall matches for the men’s and women’s national team.

The federation has struggled with financial issues for years, which was highlighted earlier this year when Canada’s women’s national team moved to strike during February’s SheBelieves Cup over cuts to funding.

Both the women’s and men’s national team have publicly complained about the federation’s finances, accusing Canada Soccer of a lack of transparency as both teams continue to play without a collective bargaining agreement.

The Canadian government has taken up an interest in the situation, holding public hearings earlier this year.

Speaking to TSN, deVos admitted that the next step for Canada Soccer could well be filing for bankruptcy.

“We are in a real struggle. It’s not imminent, but we need to explore what bankruptcy entails and how it might affect our organization,” said deVos. “We don’t have enough revenue coming in for the programs that need to be run, and that includes everything from grassroots coach education and referee development to youth national teams and our senior men’s and women’s teams.”

After his side lost to the United States in last weekend’s CONCACAF Nations League final, Canada men’s head coach John Herdman had some scathing criticism for his own federation, charging that it is “not serious” about winning a World Cup ahead of serving as the co-host for the 2026 tournament.

Herdman said that due to a lack of resources, he was unable to hold a training camp long enough to fully prepare his team for both the semifinal against Panama and the final against the USMNT.

But it appears things could get even worse. Rather than a shortened camp, deVos admitted that Canada’s men’s and women’s national teams may have to skip two fall FIFA windows altogether.

“The challenge is there isn’t enough budget to be able to make September and October happen at this moment,” deVos said. “What we need is to play against tier-one opponents in games that move the needle. At this point, trying to find games against top teams in September and October is challenging.”

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Herdman calls out Canada Soccer: ‘We’re not serious about winning a World Cup’

The coach is fed up with his federation’s lack of investment

Canada men’s national team head coach John Herdman has called out Canada Soccer for its lack of investment, saying the federation is “not serious” about winning a World Cup.

Herdman’s side fell 2-0 to the United States in Sunday’s CONCACAF Nations League final, failing to win its first trophy since 2000.

Part of the reason for Canada’s loss, in Herdman’s eyes, was an inadequate amount of time spent preparing for the game. In contrast to the USMNT, Herdman said his side was only given the funds for four days of preparation — three of which were spent on semifinal opponent Panama.

“There’s no time,” Herdman said at his post-game press conference. “We need the resources where we can actually put a camp together, where I can work for six days on the things that will make the biggest difference moving forward.”

“You could see the preparation the U.S. have had, those set pieces made a big difference. Those extra five, six, seven days they had makes a difference.”

Canada Soccer’s financial troubles have been well documented. The Olympic champion women’s team moved to strike during February’s SheBelieves Cup over cuts to funding, only to be forced onto the field after being threatened with a lawsuit by its own federation.

Amid the turmoil, Canada Soccer president Nick Bontis was forced out and replaced on an interim basis by Charmaine Crooks.

But the federation’s financial problems are still very much an issue. Herdman challenged Canada Soccer to do more ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which it will co-host.

“I think it’s not a secret the organization has been suffering financially even through the [2022] World Cup qualification. You had coaches raising money to make sure we’ve got charter flights, security on those charter flights.

“We’ve got the best generation of players we’ve had. And there’s more coming, you can see it. [Ismaël] Koné just dropped out the sky. Tajon Buchanan just dropped out the sky, Alistair Johnson, like it’s coming,” he said.

“We’ve got to figure this out financially. We’ve got to get serious about winning a World Cup. When you play at home, you get a chance to win it. You get a chance to get to a quarterfinal, a semifinal, and then get on that roll to win it. And we’re not serious,” the coach added.

“We brought a World Cup to our country and we’re not serious about winning it.”

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USMNT undisputed king of CONCACAF after Nations League stroll

The U.S. is the region’s best team right now, and it isn’t really that close

The U.S. men’s national team is, once again, the unquestioned king of CONCACAF.

After steamrolling Mexico in the Nations League semifinal on Thursday, the U.S. dispatched Canada 2-0 in the final on Sunday to cement its status atop the region.

Though the USMNT won both the Nations League and Gold Cup two summers ago, the upstart Canadians finished atop CONCACAF’s World Cup qualifying table last year. Not only was Canada finally breaking up the region’s duopoly, but it actually looked like it could have a shout to be the top dog.

Not anymore.

After a World Cup where the USMNT was the only CONCACAF team to reach the knockout stage, the Nations League was a thoroughly convincing way to cement its place on top of the confederation.

Canada was able to frustrate the USMNT in World Cup qualifying by turning the two games into tight, defensive affairs where the U.S. was unable to break down an organized Canadian block.

Sunday night in Las Vegas could not have been more different. It was an open affair and unlike in the teams’ previous two meetings, the USMNT was able to jump out to an early lead.

Chris Richards would get the opener just 12 minutes in and for the first time in a year, the U.S. managed to score from a set piece.

The service from Gio Reyna was key, and the Borussia Dortmund man continued an excellent first-half display by setting up Folarin Balogun for his much-awaited first USMNT goal.

Because this is Gio Reyna and the U.S. men’s national team, an adverse event almost inevitably followed his success. This time, it came in the form of a calf injury that forced him off at halftime and further depleted a midfield already missing Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie.

Without its midfield anchors, the USMNT struggled to contain the game in the second half as Canada created a number of quality chances and enjoyed a big advantage in possession.

But the USMNT never seemed truly troubled by Canada, whose search for a first trophy since 2000 continues. Part of that was due to a strong performance by the back line and part was Canada displaying a real lack of sharpness in the final third.

As the final whistle sounded, the USMNT celebrated its third straight regional trophy. There’s no reason to think that streak won’t continue.

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Alphonso Davies: Barcelona didn’t want me because I’m Canadian

The left back moved to Bayern Munich in 2019, though he had plenty of options in Europe

Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies has claimed that Barcelona turned down the opportunity to sign him in 2018 because he is Canadian.

At the time, Davies was a teenage star with the Vancouver Whitecaps, marking himself as one of the top prospects in North America after making his MLS debut at age 15.

Davies would eventually complete a transfer to Bayern Munich in January 2019, joining for a fee of up to $22 million in what was at the time the largest outgoing MLS transfer ever.

The left back/winger has gone on to become one of the top left-sided players in Europe, winning five Bundesliga titles and a Champions League while making more than 150 appearances for the club.

In an appearance on the Say Less Podcast, Davies revealed that Barcelona was among the clubs interested five years ago, but the La Liga giants were put off by his nationality.

“Barcelona actually reached out but the president said that they didn’t want me,” Davies said. “They said that they didn’t want me because I was Canadian.

“Not gonna lie, that crushed my feelings a little bit.”

Davies clarified that he did not receive that message directly from Josep Bartomeu, the Barcelona president at the time, but instead from media reports.

“That’s what came out in the media. I don’t know if he actually said that but it’s what came out.”

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Phil Neville won’t coach Lionel Messi, will be a Canada assistant

You win some, you lose some

Phil Neville just missed out on the chance to coach Lionel Messi, but he at least landed at his next job quickly.

Just a week after he was sacked as Inter Miami head coach, Neville was hired as an assistant for the Canadian men’s national team. The former England international will join Canada’s staff immediately and will be on the bench for next week’s CONCACAF Nations League semifinal against Panama.

Along with Neville, Canada also added ex-Premier League defender Richard Shaw as an assistant.

“Both Phil and Richard bring with them winning experiences at the highest levels and have worked with some of the Premier League’s top managers during their careers,” Canada head coach John Herdman said in a Canada Soccer release. “They’ll work as positional and unit coaches with the aim of helping us to win our first trophy in over two decades.”

Neville’s first full-time head coaching role came with the England women’s national team, which he guided to a fourth-place finish at the 2019 World Cup. He would then spend two and a half seasons with Inter Miami, missing the postseason in 2021 before making the playoffs last year.

The 46-year-old will likely rue the timing of his sacking in Miami: Less than a week after he was axed, Messi confirmed he will play for Inter Miami.

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