Jesse Marsch didn’t sugarcoat his feelings after his Canada squad picked up their first road win over the U.S men’s national team since 1957.
Canada used goals from Jacob Shaffelburg and Jonathan David to claim a 2-1 victory in Kansas City, Kansas. The Canadians frustrated the Americans for most of the match and took advantage of two USMNT defensive errors to score their goals.
Marsch, who was at one time a candidate for the USMNT head coaching vacancy, chose Canada in May and proceeded to lead his squad to a final four finish at the Copa America. The former Leeds United and RB Leipzig manager admitted that he “wasn’t treated very well” by U.S. Soccer during the interviewing process, which helped make his decision to choose a move to Canada.
“I’m not bitter,” Marsch told reporters after Canada’s win Saturday. “Most people, if they ask me a question, I answer it. That’s how I operate in the media. I’d much rather coach Canada than the U.S. right now.
“You can see the mentality that’s been developed,” he added. “You can see the way this team plays. You can see how much they love playing for the national team and they’re willing to put their careers and lives and the way they play on the line to be the best they can be for each other and for the team. I wouldn’t change coaching this team right now for anything in the world.”
U.S. Soccer meanwhile has continued to chase Mauricio Pochettino as the program’s next head coach, a move that would be the largest in the history of the USMNT. Pochettino was released from his previous job at Chelsea last May despite signing a two-year guaranteed contract with the London-based club in Summer 2023.
Unpaid wages have reportedly kept Pochettino from signing with U.S. Soccer this summer, forcing Mikey Varas to serve as interim head coach for this window. Varas will likely be on the sidelines again Tuesday when the USMNT hosts New Zealand in their final match of the September break.
The USMNT have now lost three-consecutive matches dating for the first time since 2015, a streak that Varas and his players will hope to snap in Cincinnati this week.
