A somewhat divisive figure in America who is never one to shy away from his emotions or opinions, former U.S. Men’s National Team midfielder Jesse Marsch has made it crystal clear where he stands on one day taking charge of the team he once represented.
Marsch, now the head coach of Canada’s national team, has previously been linked with the USMNT role. In fact, back in March, he revealed that he once turned down a Premier League head coaching position under the belief that he was next in line for the USMNT.
However, having ultimately been denied the role on that occasion, leaving him admittedly “devastated and angry,” as per an interview with GiveMeSport, it seems his interest in leading the USMNT has now waned.
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Speaking to TIME ahead of Canada’s Round of 16 game against Morocco on Saturday, July 4 – celebrated as Independence Day in the U.S. – Marsch said, “I’m proud to be an American. But I’m an expat. I live in Italy, I live in Mexico.
“I haven’t celebrated the Fourth of July in I don’t even know how long. We used to go to the parade when I was young every year. There used to be barbecues.
“People like to say, ‘Oh, he wishes he coached the national team.’ Let me make it really clear: I never will coach the U.S. national team. Ever. And that’s no problem. There was the possibility of me at one point, but I’m done with it. I don’t even care anymore.
“I don’t wish ill will against the U.S. I want the U.S. to do well. I like [Mauricio] Pochettino, and I like a bunch of the players. But people need to stop making a deal out of me in the U.S.
“So what will I be thinking on July 4? I will be thinking, I hope I’ve done everything I can to give my team the best chance to win this match. There’s nothing else to it.
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“Even if people want to talk about why do I talk in the middle [of the field], or why do I get emotional on the bench, or whatever, it’s because this is who I am. This is what I care about. That’s it. That’s it.”
Perhaps it was Marsch’s emotional nature that led him to claim prior to Canada’s World Cup opener that, “In the U.S., sometimes we had to beg players to sing the national anthem,” something he hasn’t experienced with Canada.
“These guys sing the national anthem, belt it out to the top of their lungs, because they want to show the country how proud they are to be here, to be Canadians and to represent what Canada is.”
His comments drew their fair share of criticism, including from former USMNT teammate Clint Dempsey, whom he also coached whilst an assistant for the national team between 2010 and 2011.
Given the opportunity to respond to the longtime Premier League star, Marsch said, “When I said that, by the way, I wasn’t trying to implicate specifically the U.S guys.
“I was talking more about how proud the Canadian players are to play for the national team. When we sing the national anthem, or anything we do that’s nationalistic, even though most of them are first- and second-generation, or even dual nationals, they have so much pride for playing for Canada. So that was the whole point of discussion.
“Clint’s a friend of mine. He shoots from the hip. That’s who he is, and I really like Clint.”
As for Marsch’s decision to kiss the Canadian crest after beating South Africa 1-0 in the Round of 16, the nation’s first ever World Cup knockout stage victory, he said, “I love representing the country. It’s important that, as a foreigner, people know that I’m all in.
“I’m American, I’m not trying to say I’m Canadian, but as long as I’m here working with this and building something, yeah, I’m all in, man.”
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