One year into his tenure as Canada coach, Jesse Marsch is feeling right at home.
"In general, this has vastly exceeded my expectations for what the overall experience has been," the 51-year-old American said in an interview. "For me personally, as a coach, as a person, I just feel like I've found a home. And that's a really good feeling to have as a coach.
"And then the players and the team have also exceeded all my expectations and have committed to the demands that I've created for what I think the team needs moving forward. I couldn't have asked for them to commit more to this and to be all-in, to a man — to give everything they have … to try to live out this opportunity and this dream of what a home World Cup is."
Added Marsch: "I'm very thankful to be their coach and very thankful to be in this position."
The Canadian men were ranked 49th in the world when Marsch was put in charge on May 13, 2024. Today they are 30th, a record high for a program that had ranked as low as No. 122 (in August and October 2014).
Canada's record under Marsch is 6-4-5, with one of these ties turning into a penalty shootout win over Venezuela and another into a shootout loss to Uruguay, both at last summer's Copa America. Canada has been outscored 16-14.
Coming off a 2-1 win over the U.S. in the third-place game at the CONCACAF Nations League in March, the Canadian men have lost just once in their last seven matches (5-1-1) and have outscored the opposition 10-5 since their fourth-place finish at Copa America.
Marsch, who installed Bayern Munich star fullback Alphonso Davies as captain and Porto midfielder Stephen Eustaquio as vice-captain, talked to the players early on about approach and attitude.
"The combination of real self-belief and maturity, those were the kind of demands I tried to put on the team right away," he said. "And for me, yes, we are absolutely seeing that. I think we're developing big leadership within the team. I think we're standing up to big moments and big opponents.
"We haven't succeeded at every moment. I know there's still plenty of room for improvement."
Marsch has harnessed the Canadian men's athleticism, combining it with a prickly pressing game.
The players are flexing their muscles. And so is Marsch.
Upset at non-calls, he was ejected from the recent U.S. contest. Afterwards, he explained that his protest came at the behest of his players, who were sick and tired of a seeming lack of respect in the region.
"The players had said to me, 'This is ridiculous and we need you to stand up for us, coach,'" he related.
To Marsch's amazement, CONCACAF turned the red card into a two-game suspension that will make him a spectator for the opening Gold Cup games this summer.
He subsequently talked to Carlos Fernandez, CONCACAF's chief football competitions officer, "about the standing and treatment that I believe Canada Soccer receives."
"I tried to make the case that based on the last five years Canada, I think, has earned more respect than that's been shown to us … What I said to Carlos, very openly, was I start to see where the players are coming from now. And so he heard me out. He did not disagree with a lot of things, so hopefully we'll be able to use the situation as an opportunity to create more clarity on what we think is happening within our competitions and how to continue to gain respect for what Canada is becoming as a soccer nation."
A savvy operator on and off the field, Marsch won kudos in February when he urged U.S. President Donald Trump to "lay off the ridiculous rhetoric about Canada being a 51st state."
Marsch has looked to bring the team to different parts of the country ahead of the World Cup. He has held a camp in Montreal and plans to take the team to Halifax ahead of the June games in Toronto.
He went on a cross-country tour to deliver coaching clinics and has brought in guest coaches, including Canadian women's coach Casey Stoney.
Travel has been a constant for Marsch, whose home remains in Italy from his time coaching in Europe. He is also looking at a place in Mexico, which will reduce travel.
Next up for Marsch and Canada are games against No. 25 Ukraine and the 41st-ranked Ivory Coast in the June international window at the inaugural Canadian Shield Tournament in Toronto.
In July, Canada turns its attention to the Gold Cup, where it will open play in Group B alongside No. Honduras, El Salvador and Curaçao in Group B at this summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Later in the year, the Canadian men will face No. 45 Romania on Sept. 5 in Bucharest and No. 29 Wales four days later in Swansea.
Marsch is looking farther ahead as well.
The Canadian team is looking to hold a camp in the southeast U.S. ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which runs June 11 to July 19.
The team will play two sendoff matches, spending time in Canada ahead of a tune-up in Montreal. The squad will report to Toronto six days before the opener, then head to Vancouver for its remaining group games — and, hopefully, more.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 13, 2025
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
