VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Jesse Marsh welcomed Switzerland to Canada in his usual candid style.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Canada’s passionate coach said Tuesday. “But I want to beat you tomorrow.”
Marsh has already led Canada to its first goal. world cup He got the win and is looking forward to more, including another match on the home soil of the Canadians. A win against Switzerland on Wednesday will give them that in the knockout stages.
Forward Liam Miller said: “Obviously we want to win and we’re going to do everything we can to achieve that.”
Marsh, an American, stands in stark contrast to the polite reputation Canadians have around the world. Among his exciting moments were side shuffles and arm-slash celebrations. Canada defeated Qatar 6-0.
“Big moments don’t come easily and we have to be grateful and celebrate them,” Marsh said.
He also shows temper tantrums. After Canada’s Ismael Kone broke his leg against Qatar, Marsch and Qatar coach Julen Lopetegui had a heated exchange that ended with Marsch throwing up his hands and walking away.
Marsh was suspended for two games for arguing with a referee during the Nations League third-place game against the United States in April 2025, forcing him to miss the game against Canada. Gold Cup opening match.
Marsh shared his thoughts at a press conference.
“What I like about me is that I just answer questions with what I think,” Marsh said before the game against Qatar. “That’s not normal. I understand that in this industry, a lot of people are paying more careful attention to their words.”
Marsh, a Wisconsin native, played 14 seasons in Major League Soccer. He got his first coaching job in 2010 as an assistant with the U.S. team.
He has taken his first head coaching job leading the expanding Montreal Impact in MLS. He went on to manage the New York Red Bulls, Austria and Germany, before taking charge of Leeds United in the Premier League.
He appeared in two games as a player and his name has been mentioned as a candidate when the United States is looking for a coach. Instead, he took the Canadian job in 2024, becoming the first American to coach Les Rouges.
Now, he’s leading Canada to its first World Cup finals appearance.
“When a coach is a real person and has real emotions, you feel like you can always help the group,” Miller said.
Marsh is a soccer evangelist to a country where hockey reigns supreme.
“I really felt that with my personality and what I believe in in football, I could help continue to evolve the sport in this country into something that people really want to be a part of,” Marsh said. “We want this country to be a soccer country, a soccer country.”
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Connor Joyce is a student at the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports and Media Institute.
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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup
