Jesse Marsch has never shied from the spotlight.
Throughout his 15-year management career, Marsch has routinely spoken his mind, even when, perhaps, staying silent might be the better course of action. Unafraid of any potential blowback, Marsch is a reporter’s dream, always ready to offer a controversial soundbite.
It should come as no surprise, then, that ahead of Canada’s friendly with the United States on Tuesday night in St. Paul, Marsch has once again made himself the lightning rod during a period of frayed ties between the traditional allies.
You can catch Canada vs. the United States LIVE on Tuesday night with pre-game coverage getting underway at 7pm ET/4pm PT ahead of an 8pm ET/5pm PT kick-off on TSN1, TSN.ca and the TSN App.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Guardian’s Joe Callaghan, Marsch directed some vitriol towards the nation of his birth and its soccer program. That’s nothing new for the native of Racine, Wis. The 52-year-old Marsch has never hidden his dislike for U.S. Soccer after he believes he was close to becoming the USMNT manager in 2023.
Expecting an offer after a series of meetings, Marsch says he turned down a job with Leicester City due to what he thought was the arrival of an impending contract. It never came. Instead, Gregg Berhalter was once again hired only a year after he left the job, and it left Marsch “devastated and angry.”
Perhaps it’s important to view anything that Marsch has to say about American soccer through that lens, but what will raise the dander of American soccer fans, as well as power brokers in the national setup, this time are Marsch’s comments on the controversial Flo Balogun affair at this past summer’s World Cup.
Balogun was sent off against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the USMNT’s 2-0 Round of 32 victory for a challenge on Tarik Muharemovic. In an unprecedented move, the automatic one-match ban that comes with a red card was rescinded for the Monaco forward after the personal intervention of United States president Donald Trump with FIFA head Gianni Infantino.
Marsch, not mincing any words, says the incident was symbolic of much more than simply soccer.
“We, as Americans, have been inundated with propaganda since we were young,” he told Callaghan. “We’re the No. 1 country in the world, we deserve everything, we dominate everything, No. 1 in every aspect of life. This is what we’ve been told. So, when things happen and we don’t feel like we’re in control of it … we feel like we deserve to be treated differently because we’re Americans. That is one of the things that infuriates the rest of the world about Americans. And Americans don’t know that if they don’t ever leave the country.
“So, what I feel when the Balogun ruling happens is that would never happen in any other country in the world, and this is why everyone around the world hates America. That was proven to be so. The US had had a good World Cup, was doing well. All that switched in one moment. But do I think that that’s about corruption and unfairness? The problem is, football is inundated with this kind of stuff.”
Marsch’s barbs weren’t limited to his country’s football program. Speaking of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s love for Everton, Marsch said it was humanizing in a way which American presidents are incapable. He related a conversation he had with the former Bank of England governor.
“I made a joke with him that ‘I heard you’re an Everton fan?’ and he goes, ‘Yeah,’” Marsch said. And I go, ‘I’m sorry about that.’ He replies: ‘Why does everybody say that? Everybody has to pick their team and stick by them.’ I said, ‘I appreciate that you don’t switch from Everton to Arsenal or Liverpool, like everybody else.’ There’s something so genuine [about] that. Could a president of the US ever be an Everton fan? No chance.”
While Marsch’s comments might fire up fans and pundits alike, the match will still be played on the pitch. Both Canada and the United States are looking to complete an undefeated international window. The CanMNT seek to go 3-0, while the United States will try to make it 4-0, having played one additional match.
Mauricio Pochettino constructed his USMNT squad with an eye to the future. Fourteen members of the 28-player team have been handed senior debuts during this window, including impressive Crystal Palace midfielder Zavier Gozo and Philadelphia Union wunderkind Cavan Sullivan, whose first international goal in a 3-0 win over Mexico made the 17-year-old forward the youngest goal scorer in program history. In their three matches, the United States have outscored their opponents 11-3.
The victory over El Tri, on Saturday night in Glendale, Ariz., was an especially satisfying one. The match was the 80th meeting all-time between the two archrivals. Red Bull New York forward Julian Hall opened the scoring in the 27th. It was his third goal in three matches for the 18-year-old during the current window. Sullivan chipped goalkeeper Raul Rangel for a second in the 62nd. Mexico’s chances of a comeback were put on ice only five minutes later when AZ defender Mateo Chavez was sent off. Bayer Leverkusen’s Malik Tillman then wrapped up the scoring in the 82nd.
Canada heads to Minnesota off of back-to-back wins over CONMEBOL competition. Coincidentally, they were the same two teams that the USMNT beat prior to facing Mexico. After a 1-0 over Chile in Toronto, Canada got a brace from Jacob Shaffelburg to beat Peru 2-0 in Montreal on Saturday. The match featured a debut from Palace goalkeeper Owen Goodman, currently on loan at Dundee, who recorded a clean sheet against what was a tepid Peruvian attack. Justin Smith, a 23-year-old midfielder from Segunda Division side Eldense, came on as a second-half substitute for his first senior appearance after having previously represented the U-20 side.
There are two late changes to the Canada team ahead of the match, with both Tajon Buchanan and Cyle Larin returning early to their respective club teams with injury. Villarreal winger Buchanan was the recipient of a hard tackle during the Peru match and incurred a lower-body injury, while Larin, who’s had a strong start to the Championship season at Southampton, didn’t feature in the match after experiencing tightness in his back in the preceding days.
Drafted into the team as replacements are Toronto FC winger Theo Corbeanu and 21-year-old Mississauga, Ont. native Marcus Caldeira. The Minnesota United forward, who has five Major League Soccer goals this season, could be in line for his Canada debut on his home pitch.
Tuesday night’s match marks the first meeting between the two sides since March of 2025
when Canada were 2-1 winners over the USMNT in the CONCACAF Nations League third-place match. Canada got goals from Tani Oluwaseyi and Jonathan David in the victory. Patrick Agyemang had a consolation goal for the Americans.
Canada heads into the match winners of two in a row over the USMNT and winners of three of the previous five meetings. The game is the 46th match between the two. The USMNT holds the all-time edge at 20-14-11.
