Tag: Jesse Marsch

Canada Soccer CEO: Marsch unaware of spy attempt at Copa America

The scandal surrounding Canadian soccer only seems to be expanding

Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue has said there was an attempt at drone spying at the 2024 Copa América, but insisted that men’s national team head coach Jesse Marsch was only aware of it after the fact.

The federation has become embroiled in an expanding scandal over its use of drones to illegally spy on opponents.

On Thursday, women’s national team head coach Bev Priestman was sent home from the Olympics after two of her staffers were caught using drones to spy on New Zealand’s training on multiple occasions.

That was followed by a bombshell report from TSN claiming that Canada’s women’s and men’s national teams have routinely been spying on opponents for years.

In a call with media on Friday, Blue — who has only been in his position since February — admitted that the issue of spying appeared to be widespread among Canada Soccer.

“The more I learn about this specific matter, the more concerned I get about a potential long-term, deeply embedded systemic culture of this type of thing occurring, which is obviously completely unacceptable,” Blue said.

Blue said that the issue took place as recently as the 2024 Copa América, a tournament at which Canada had an encouraging fourth-place finish under new head coach Marsch.

“I’m aware of an instance of attempted drone usage during Copa América,” Blue said. “My current understanding is that the fact pattern of that instance is significantly different than what occurred here [at the Olympics], especially as it relates to the potential impact on competitive integrity.”

Blue added that Marsch only learned about the spying attempts after the fact.

“He explained to me that he denounced it immediately and forcefully, and has communicated that to his staff, both the existing staff and staff that were from previous coaching staffs that are still with us,” Blue said.

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Marsch takes aim at U.S. Soccer as he denies interest in USMNT job

Asked about the USMNT job, Canada boss Marsch said “no thanks” with his whole chest

One of the biggest names being connected to the vacant U.S. men’s national team job has forcefully rejected such talk.

Jesse Marsch, who was appointed the manager of USMNT rival Canada just two months ago, laughed off a question about whether he’d be coaching against his current employer when the two sides meet in a September friendly.

“Come on, man,” chuckled Marsch at a Friday press conference ahead of Canada’s Copa América third-place match against Uruguay. “I’m not leaving this job. I have no interest in the U.S. job.”

Marsch took a pause before deciding to carry on and make his answer more clear: he’s not pursuing the USMNT job today, and probably wouldn’t want to pursue it tomorrow without significant changes at U.S. Soccer.

“To be fair, unless there’s a big shift in the organization, I don’t think that I’ll ever have interest in that job in the future,” insisted Marsch. “I’m really happy here. I couldn’t be happier, actually, in terms of what it’s like to work with the leaders in this organization, and what it’s like to work with this team.”

Marsch and U.S. Soccer have not quite managed to see eye to eye over the past couple of years. In 2023, with U.S. Soccer working out whether it wanted to bring Gregg Berhalter back or not, Marsch’s agent Ron Waxman publicly declared that his client “will not be the next USMNT manager.”

Marsch would later declare that he “wasn’t treated very well” in being evaluated for the job. In March, the 50-year-old coach outright said “I don’t want that job” when it came up on CBS’s Call It What You Want podcast, which he co-hosted.

This latest, more forceful rejection may well indicate some history between Marsch and U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker. In his previous job at Southampton, Crocker held extensive talks with Marsch over whether the ex-Leeds manager would take charge at St. Mary’s, only for a reported disagreement over contract length to scuttle any hopes of a deal.

It will also be a major reassurance to Canada Soccer. The federation’s financial problems are deep enough that it took patronage from the owners of CF Montréal, Toronto FC, the Vancouver Whitecaps, and other donors to fund his salary as what is officially called the “MLS Canada Men’s National Team Head Coach.”

In the meantime, U.S. Soccer has reportedly been turned down by former Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp. LAFC boss Steve Cherundolo, on the other hand, was distinctly non-committal when asked whether the federation had made any outreach.

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Marsch: Canada needs ‘best match we’ve ever played’ vs. Argentina

Argentina may be mighty, but Marsch says Canada is “going to go for it” in Tuesday’s semifinal

Jesse Marsch has seen few more daunting challenges than Tuesday’s Copa América semifinal against Argentina, but the Canada manager is pretty used to being the underdog.

Marsch even went so far as to announce exactly what it’s going to take for his side to have a shot against the defending Copa América and World Cup champions.

“Argentina will have to be the best match we’ve ever played and it still might not be enough,” Marsch told OneSoccer. “But, whatever. We’re going to go for it.”

Marsch has a point. Argentina won all three of its group-stage games without conceding, and is unbeaten in its last 12 Copa América clashes (a run dating back to July 2, 2019). In major tournament play, Lionel Scaloni’s side has gone 10 straight matches without a loss, during which it has shut its opponent out six times.

Is Argentina vulnerable?

Despite a long run of success, there have been enough wobbles to ponder whether Argentina is truly unstoppable. The champions appeared on the brink of yet another shutout victory at this Copa América on Thursday, only for a stoppage-time goal from Ecuador to force penalties.

La Tri then missed a golden chance even later in the match to score a winner, and proceeded to waste the opening created when Lionel Messi’s panenka attempt floated off the top of the crossbar in first round of the penalty-kick tiebreaker.

While Lautaro Martínez is alone atop the Copa América scoring charts with four goals, Argentina has just one first-half goal in its four matches at this tournament. Scaloni’s side hasn’t managed to score more than two goals in any match at this event.

Argentina’s lone loss at the 2022 World Cup came at the hands of Saudi Arabia, who were largely expected to be cannon fodder. Argentina got its act together from there, but were stressed at times by Australia in the round of 16, and were taken to penalties by both the Netherlands and France.

Notably, Canada opened this tournament against Argentina, falling 2-0. On one hand, Marsch’s side had more chances than most expected, particularly when the match was 0-0. On the other, Argentina underperformed its expected goals total on the day after manufacturing a series of breakaways.

Canada will surely alter its specific tactics against Argentina in some way, but don’t expect Marsch to move away from the frenetic pace and transition-heavy style that he’s espoused elsewhere. Canada will, as Marsch says, “go for it.”

In a way, though, the key part of that quote is “But, whatever.” Canada surely knows that even a B-plus effort from Messi and Co. is probably going to be enough to win the game, even if this is in fact the best performance in Canadian men’s soccer history.

What Canada can’t do is let that knowledge hand Argentina a psychological edge. If Marsch’s approach is going to work, Canada has to be fearless, and to a certain degree will have to embrace the absurdity of the idea that a win over Argentina is possible.

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Canada coach Marsch ‘disappointed’ by USMNT ‘lack of discipline’ at Copa America

Canada is through to the quarterfinal of the Copa America. The USMNT? Not so much

Amid a successful debut tournament in charge of Canada, Jesse Marsch couldn’t help but get a dig in at the U.S. men’s national team.

Marsch, who was only hired as Canada head coach in May, has guided his side through the group stage at the Copa América. Les Rouges will face Venezuela on Friday in a quarterfinal in Arlington, Texas.

The USMNT, meanwhile, is reeling after suffering a stunning early exit from the Copa América, with its elimination confirmed on Monday in a 1-0 defeat to Uruguay.

The key moment in the USMNT’s tournament, however, may have occurred in the team’s previous game against Panama. With the match scoreless just 18 minutes in, Tim Weah was shown a straight red card for inexplicably punching a Panama player in the back of the head.

That sending off would prove costly, as the USMNT went on to lose 2-1 in a game that it was expected to win.

Marsch made an appearance on “FOX Soccer NOW” on Tuesday night, and expressed his shock at how the tournament unfolded for the USMNT.

“I would love to say I’m just focused on what we’re doing here in Canada, but obviously, I’m paying attention, as always, to the U.S. men’s national team and, like you, I’m sad,” the Wisconsin native said. “I’m disappointed by the performances, by the lack of discipline. There’s a lot of things that I think we’ve tried to be about, about the game in the U.S., and we’ve always believed in this group of players.

“Because I’m not there every day, I don’t have my finger on the pulse of exactly what’s going on but, certainly, it’s not what we had expected before this tournament. And somehow, they’ve got to come up with solutions.”

Marsch and U.S. Soccer have a history

Marsch is not exactly a neutral observer in this case, as last summer he interviewed for the USMNT job before U.S. Soccer eventually opted to re-hire Gregg Berhalter.

After he was hired as Canada head coach, Marsch accused the American federation of not treating him well in the coaching search process.

Now, the former Leeds boss says he is happy about how things worked out,

“I’ll tell you: I’m glad I’m here, man,” Marsch said. “Because the people that I work with and the players that I work with, the things that we know that we can achieve together, the support that we have from inside the country, the support system for this entire national team is so positive, so I think it gives us a real chance to develop something and build something and be ready for a big tournament come 2026.”

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The Jesse Marsch vs. USMNT showdown is coming in September

The USMNT will face Canada, New Zealand and Panama in three friendlies announced on Tuesday

The U.S. men’s national team has announced three fall friendlies, with matches against two Concacaf foes and one from Oceania.

The USMNT will face Canada on Sept. 7 at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, and will then take on New Zealand on Sept. 10 at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The USMNT also announced that it will face Panama on Oct. 12 at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, with one more October match expected to be announced at a later date.

With the games set for FIFA windows, the USMNT will have the ability to feature its strongest team.

The USMNT has never lost a match at any of the three venues where the matches will take place.

Marsch vs. USMNT the highlight

The highlight of the fall windows is likely to be the game against Canada, which is now led by American manager Jesse Marsch.

Last month, Marsch accused U.S. Soccer of not treating him well when he interviewed for the USMNT job last summer.

Though the game itself won’t have high stakes, there will certainly be heightened interest in the showdown between Marsch and Gregg Berhalter, a coach that Marsch didn’t hesitate to criticize during his time as a pundit.

Berhalter has been under pressure since re-joining the USMNT as head coach last summer, when he beat out Marsch and other candidates to secure his former job.

The Marsch vs. Berhalter matchup could theoretically not happen if the USMNT flames out at the Copa América and Berhalter loses his job — a fate that appears less likely after the U.S. began the tournament with a 2-0 win over Bolivia.

Marsch’s Canada side fell 2-0 to Argentina in the tournament opener, but Les Rouges put together an encouraging performance that will give them confidence ahead of upcoming matches against Peru and Chile.

The U.S. and Canada could also square off before September if they meet at the Copa América — but that matchup could only happen if it were the final.

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USMNT boss Berhalter says Marsch hire is ‘great for Canada’

Given a chance to address Canada’s new coach, the USMNT boss took the high road

U.S. men’s national team head coach Gregg Berhalter has said Jesse Marsch’s hiring is “great for Canada,” adding that he is looking forward to competing against his fellow American coach.

Marsch was named Canada men’s national team head coach last week, taking charge just a month before the Copa América kicks off.

Marsch and Berhalter have cultivated a growing personal rivalry over the past year, which began with the former losing out to the latter in the running for the USMNT coaching job.

Marsch said last week that he “wasn’t treated very well” in the process of interviewing for that position, which eventually ended with Berhalter being re-hired.

Since then, Marsch didn’t hesitate to criticize Berhalter during his work as a pundit, particularly when he questioned the inclusion of Tyler Adams on the Nations League roster, called for exiled defender John Brooks to be given a major role on the USMNT, and said the USMNT lacks a signature win under Berhalter.

Marsch also questioned Gio Reyna’s inclusion on the Nations League roster — which prompted a thinly veiled riposte from Berhalter after Reyna starred in the semifinal against Jamaica.

On a call with reporters on Monday, Berhalter was given the opportunity to address Marsch’s hiring.

Unsurprisingly, he took the high road.

“In terms of Jesse, I think it’s great for Canada,” Berhalter said. “Jesse is a good coach. We’re excited to get to compete against them.

“We want all the teams in our region to keep progressing and keep getting better and keep improving. And we’re looking forward to seeing them and how they perform.”

It’s currently unclear when the first meeting between Marsch and Berhalter will be. If the USMNT and Canada were to meet in the Copa América, it would have to be in the final.

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Marsch fires shot at U.S. Soccer after accepting Canada job

The new Canada boss said he wasn’t treated well by U.S. Soccer last summer

Canada head coach Jesse Marsch has accused U.S. Soccer of not treating him well when he interviewed for the U.S. men’s national team job last summer.

Marsch was named Canada men’s national team head coach earlier this week, taking charge of one of the USMNT’s biggest rivals just a month before the Copa América kicks off.

Things could have been different, though, had U.S. Soccer opted to hire the Wisconsin native last year when the federation had a vacancy in its men’s program.

In the midst of the interview process, Marsch’s agent went public to declare that his client would not be getting the job. The following day, U.S. Soccer announced that Gregg Berhalter had been rehired for another cycle as USMNT head coach.

Speaking on CBS’s Call It What You Want podcast on Thursday, Marsch didn’t get into the specifics of what went down last summer, but made it clear that he came away from the process with a bad taste in his mouth.

“My respect for U.S. Soccer is big, but I went through a process with them, right? And I’m not going to go into it, but I wasn’t treated very well in the process,” he said.

“And so whatever, that’s in the past now. The minute it was done I was like, ‘OK, I’m moving forward, and I’m going to figure out what’s right for me.’

“It motivated me again to find the right people. And so now I just want to talk about Canada, because I’m excited. I feel like it’s a fan base and a player pool and a nation that resonates with me.”

Before starting his head coaching career, Marsch worked for U.S. Soccer as an assistant with the USMNT on Bob Bradley’s staff.

Prior to being hired by Canada, Marsch had been out of work since being sacked by Leeds in February 2023. Since then, he has been working as a pundit and has not been shy about offering criticism of Berhalter.

Marsch has a contract with Canada Soccer through the 2026 World Cup, but said he could see himself staying even longer if things go well.

“I know my task is to get us to 2026 and have an incredible performance,” the 50-year-old said. “But you know, I think I’m going to love this job. I think I’m going to love the experience and the people that are working here, and I don’t think it’ll be out of the question for us to consider what it could look like long term.”

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Jesse Marsch has a ridiculous job title thanks to Canada’s broke federation

The owners of MLS’s three Canadian teams had to offer some assistance to hire Marsch

Jesse Marsch was a fairly eye-opening hire for the Canadian men’s national team.

Sure, Marsch isn’t Carlo Ancelotti, but he’s a manager with plenty of top-notch experience, coaching in the Premier League as recently as last season. For Canada, he was one of the best realistic options to lead the team through the 2026 World Cup.

But hold on a moment. Canada’s federation is broke, isn’t it? It was, after all, just last year that the “B” word was thrown around by Canada Soccer’s general secretary. So how did they afford to hire Marsch?

The answer can be found in the new job title of Canada’s men’s national team head coach. Or should we say, the MLS Canada men’s national team head coach.

Lacking the funds to adequately compensate Marsch, Canada Soccer went hat in hand to the owners of MLS’s three Canadian teams. They delivered, but with some weird strings attached.

Per a Canada Soccer press release:

The appointment of Marsch is assisted by major philanthropic contributions from the owners of the three Canadian-based MLS clubs – Vancouver Whitecaps, Joey Saputo, and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment – and supplemented by other private donors. In recognition of their significant philanthropic support, Marsch’s position will be formally titled as the MLS Canada Men’s National Team Head Coach during the term of his initial contract. This type of donor recognition is common at universities and hospitals, in NCAA sports, and is starting to be used in the Canadian sport system – for example, with the Stollery Family Women’s National Team Head Coach support at Golf Canada.

These commitments are part of a forthcoming major gifts program that will provide Canadian philanthropists with a structured opportunity to support Canada Soccer programs of all types – including the Men’s and Women’s National Team systems, from youth teams up through the senior national teams.

Now, it’s great that these owners wanted to offer their, um, philanthropic support, but is that title really necessary? Couldn’t they have just pitched in without having to bestow some kind of paradoxical riddle on their new coach?

Is Marsch the coach of Canada, or a MLS coach? The answer, apparently, is yes.

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Canada names Jesse Marsch men’s national team head coach

The American coach is moving north to take his first international job

Canada has named ex-Leeds boss Jesse Marsch its new men’s national team head coach.

Canada Soccer CEO and general secretary Kevin Blue announced the move with a social media post featuring him making a call to Marsch.

“I appreciate so much your trust and your belief in me,” said Marsch. “I assure you that I will pay you back at every level. And this team is going to be something the entire Canadian community is going to be so excited about.

“We’re going to play with power and inspiration and we’re going to go for it.”

The American has taken his first international head coaching job after a lengthy career coaching at the club level.

Marsch has been out of work since being sacked by Leeds in February 2023. Before that, he coached in the Red Bull family of clubs with RB Leipzig, Red Bull Salzburg, and the New York Red Bulls.

The 50-year-old has coaching experience in Canada as well, taking charge of the then-Montreal Impact in 2012 in what was his first head coaching role.

Prior to that, Marsch served as an assistant with the U.S. men’s national team on Bob Bradley’s staff.

Marsch will take over ahead of Canada’s upcoming friendlies against Netherlands on June 6 and France on June 9.

After those matches Canada will head to the U.S. to take part in the Copa América, where it has been drawn into Group A alongside Argentina, Peru and Chile.

Under interim boss Mauro Biello, Canada had to qualify for the Copa América the hard way by getting past Trinidad and Tobago in a one-game playoff in March.

Biello took over after previous coach John Herdman departed last summer to take charge of Toronto FC.

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Report: Marsch closing in on South Korea coaching job

The American could be set to take over for ex-USMNT coach Jurgen Klinsmann

Jesse Marsch has emerged as South Korea’s top choice for its vacant men’s national team coaching position, according to a report from Sports Chosun.

The South Korean publication said that the ex-Leeds manager recently completed an interview for the job in England, and has been elevated to the top choice out of three final candidates.

Another meeting between the South Korean federation and Marsch is set for Tuesday, and an agreement could be announced shortly after.

The South Korea job has been vacant since February when another manager with strong U.S. ties, Jürgen Klinsmann, was sacked in the aftermath of the team’s disappointing showing at the Asian Cup.

Marsch has been out of work after being sacked by Leeds 14 months ago, having previously coached with Montreal and the New York Red Bulls in MLS, and with Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig. Should he take over the Taegeuk Warriors, it would be the 50-year-old’s first international head coaching position.

Canada has also reportedly contacted Marsch recently about its vacant men’s national team head coaching position.

Marsch coached one of South Korea’s top players, Hwang Hee-chan, at Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig. The striker is currently starring in the Premier League at Wolves, where he’s scored 11 league goals this season.

After a shocking Asian Cup semifinal exit to Jordan, the South Korea national team was thrown into further turmoil after two of its star players, Lee Kang-in and Son Heung-min, were involved in an argument that left the latter with a broken finger.

Next up for South Korea will be 2026 World Cup qualification, with the third round of Asian qualifiers kicking off in September.

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