Jesse Marsch lives two distinct and enviable lives: one as Canada head coach preparing for a home World Cup this summer, another basking in the Italian sunshine as an olive farmer and Bocce enthusiast. He is even building a home court.

Marsch’s idyllic villa, a former bed and breakfast, is just 30 minutes from Pisa, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa can even be seen on a clear day from his balcony in the mountains. And his two pugs follow him lovingly around as he gets up early to tend to his garden before turning his full attention to the Canada Men’s National Team each afternoon.

“I wake up at seven in the morning here in Italy,” said Marsch, speaking to GIVEMESPORT in an exclusive one-hour interview conducted shortly after the 2026 World Cup draw. “I get to work because we have a bunch of olive trees to tend to. Olives are hardier than grapes, but I’ll probably dip my toe into making wine at some point. I’m in the garden until about noon. And then people in North America start waking up, or players in Europe finish their morning training sessions. That’s when I start having conversations and going through what needs to be done to make sure our national team is ready to go.

“It’s just really nice and relaxing to be here. People in the neighborhood are great. My wife has got Italian citizenship, and we are learning Italian and acclimating to the entire community here. It’s been a really nice change of pace for us compared to the kind of lifestyle we’ve had over the last 30 years.”

Marsch minutes from Leicester job before USMNT heartache

Marsch appears to have the perfect work-life balance, yet things could have panned out very differently for the 52-year-old following his departure from Leeds United in February 2023.

Two months after leaving Elland Road, and in a sliding doors moment, Marsch was just minutes away from taking the Leicester City job, only to receive a surprise call from the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) while he was at the Foxes’ Seagrave training facility.

It was April 8, 2023, and Marsch was undergoing formalities to get a visa with an agreement in principle already in place to replace Brendan Rodgers. Yet he soon found himself making hasty apologies to get out of a commitment to watch Leicester’s home loss to Bournemouth that day despite walking into the building fully expecting to accompany sporting director John Rudkin to that game.

Marsch was led to believe succeeding Gregg Berhalter as USMNT coach was a guarantee, which is why he stood down Leicester so quickly. Yet US Soccer officials would soon change their minds, reappoint Berhalter and then, in September 2024, hand the job to former Spurs, Chelsea and PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino.

“I got a call from US Soccer when I was literally being fingerprinted [for a visa] at Leicester,” said Marsch. “I was ready to take that job, so it changed the trajectory of my life. I think things happen for a reason, and I’m happy with where I am right now.

“There was a match that day [against Bournemouth] and we were going to go to the [King Power] stadium together. Everything was agreed upon. And by the way, the Leicester people are fantastic. I felt terrible. It was the second time that I had pulled the rug out from under a club. It happened with Southampton as well. In another lifetime, Leicester would have been a really cool experience.

“Landing here in Canada, I just feel like I have found a team, a fan base and a country that fits with who I am and with the things I believe in, and that is also willing to think about how to work together in the football community to build the sport in a way that that is beneficial for everybody.

“That’s not to take anything away from the United States. It’s just so big with many spheres of influence, so many egos and opinions, and people that want to have a say. Canada is calmer. There are fewer people and spheres of influence. There’s more of a desire for everybody to work together. And there is more of an understanding that this moment in time is important for everyone in the country.

“I don’t need to walk around and feel like I’m the big boss. I want to work in a community. I want to work in a company. I want to be an employee as much as a leader. Canada Soccer, the nation, the player pool, and the need for continued development of the sport in the country, all fit with who I am and where I am at in my life.

“That said, I like Mauricio [Pochettino] and I want the USMNT to do well. I want the sport in the country to be successful and to continue to grow. I want the players that I’ve coached or know and the team to be successful, but my only thing is, when they play us, I want them to lose!”

Chats with Rangnick, Southgate and Flick before taking the Canada job

After turning down Leicester and subsequently not being appointed the USMNT head coach, Marsch took a year out to carefully assess all options. GMS understands he had opportunities to manage in both China and Saudi Arabia.

By August 2023, Canada had lost John Herdman to Toronto FC and put his assistant Mauro Biello in interim charge while they explored replacements. Marsch emerged as the standout candidate in a process driven by new Canada Soccer CEO and General Secretary Kevin Blue.

“I had a few initial discussions with Canada Soccer maybe six months prior to when I first met Kevin Blue, but I didn’t think of it [the Canada head coach role] that seriously. And then when Kevin got the job, I heard he wanted to speak to me, and that he was good,” said Marsch, who was appointed as Canada head coach in May 2024 with his wages partially subsidised by Canadian MLS clubs Toronto FC, Vancouver Whitecaps and CF Montreal as well as donations from private parties.

“I was here in Italy and I did a Zoom call with him. Right away, I could see that Kevin was different. He had a little bit more business acumen and an idea of how to build something. He knew how to raise the funds and hire the right kind of people. Right away I was like, ‘Okay, this is now more in line with the way that I think’. I started analysing the player pool, which I already knew a bit about, and I began to realise this was the project that I’d been looking for.

“When I left Leeds, if you had said to me, ‘Oh, you’re going to be the Canadian national team coach in a year-and-a-half,’ I would have said, ‘No way!’. Yet this job checked all the boxes: from good leadership, to people who valued relationships, to a player pool that was easy to manage and have relationships with and could physically play the game in the way that I wanted.

“And then the other ‘X factor’ was representing this country. I’ve always liked Canadians. I’ve always had friends that are Canadians. I’m from Wisconsin, which is not too far from Canada. There’s something about Canadians and their mindset, kindness and friendliness that resonates with who I am. So when I put it all together, it seemed like the perfect fit, and it has really turned out that way.”

Marsch spoke with one of his mentors, Ralf Rangnick, before taking the job, as well as to Gareth Southgate and Hansi Flick about the challenges and benefits of international management before deciding to lead Canada at a home World Cup.

His first competitive tournament was the 2024 Copa America, hosted in the United States, and he guided Canada to an impressive run to the semi-finals where they lost to eventual champions Argentina.

And at the 2025 CONCACAF Nations League Finals, Canada beat the USMNT 2-1 to finish third with Juventus striker Jonathan David scoring the winner. It would be easy to assume Marsch gleaned extra satisfaction in beating the US after revealing in the build up to that fixture that he “wasn’t treated very well” by US Soccer, but the former USMNT midfielder actually doesn’t relish facing his own country.

“I don’t like playing against the US because of that,” said Marsch, who won two caps for the United States during a playing career that also saw him win two MLS Cups with D.C. United and one with Chicago Fire. “It winds up being too much about me and the US. Sometimes, even when I make comments about our team, people think I’m making them to spite the US. I’m over that. I want the US to be successful.”

Canada aim to win their World Cup group

Canada will appear at just their third World Cup and have been drawn in Group B against Switzerland, Qatar and either Italy, Wales, Northern Ireland or Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Marsch’s side are currently 29th in the FIFA rankings and boast established stars like the prolific David, Bayern Munich defender

Alphonso Davies and Villarreal’s Tajon Buchanan. And given 32 of the 48 teams will make it through to the knockout stage, Canada’s coaching staff are perhaps right to feel confident of progressing. Yet the ever-ambitious Marsch has a set an even higher aim than solely going through to the knockout stage.

“We want to win the group,” said Marcsh, who flew to Doha immediately after December’s World Cup draw in Washington in order to scout Qatar in their 3-0 FIFA Arab Cup loss to Tunisia. “For a country that has never won a World Cup game or even a point, that is a crazy statement, but I think, internally, our expectations are that at home we can be the aggressor against whoever we play, and that we can win the group.

“That’s no disrespect to any of our opponents. That was our aim before the group was drawn, and it is still the same after the draw. And one of the motivations for winning the group is that we get to stay in Canada. If we take second or third place then we have to go to the US [for the knockout stage].

“Of course, it is not the easiest draw for us. I was giving a hard time to [Mauricio] Pochettino by saying he had such an easy draw. I think that it will be a test for us. Each opponent presents different kinds of challenges.

“I really respect Switzerland. Murat Yakin has been an incredible coach over the last 30 years, and he’s done a great job with their national team. The Switzerland team is really balanced with a lot of talent all over the pitch.

“And Qatar has got a globally-renowned manager in Julen Lopetegui. Qatar is a little bit like Canada. It’s an emerging football nation and they have some very talented players. We’ll have to make sure we are the aggressor in that game.

“And, obviously, if it winds up being Italy [as the final team in Group B], I know that national team and league pretty well, so it will be easy for me to prepare for that. It would be really exciting to have that game in Toronto, where there are tons of Italian-Canadians, but that makes the draw from somewhat difficult to very difficult. In one way, I’d love to play Italy, and be challenged that way, and in another way, I don’t want to play them.”

Italy host Northern Ireland on March 26 in their World Cup semi-final playoff with the winner facing either Wales or Bosnia for a place at the 2026 World Cup.

And if four-time World Cup winners Italy do qualify, they will be Canada’s opening game at Toronto’s BMO Field on 12 June. With almost 500,000 Italian-Canadians in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), one of the largest Italian populations outside Italy, a World Cup fixture between the sides might not feel much of a home game for Canada.

“That would be crazy, right?” said Marsch. “When I was Montreal coach, I was learning French, but I had an Italian-French-Canadian owner, an Italian-French-Canadian sporting director and an Italian-French-Canadian assistant coach. We had like six Italians on the team, so my staff would always joke, ‘Why are you learning French? You should be learning Italian in Canada!’

“Toronto has been highly impacted by Italian immigration. I think that’s a great thing. I have met a lot of incredible Italian-Canadians, but we want to make sure that on 12 June, BMO Field is full of Canadians. Canadians, right? So I’ve already issued a challenge to all Italian-Canadians to support us. Some people have already told me, ‘vaffanculo!’ [‘f**k off’], but I think that’s a minimum requirement for a home World Cup, to make sure that that stadium is full of Canadians!”

Davies back in training

Ahead of Canada’s friendly against Iceland on March 28, Marsch is already not far off knowing his 26-man squad for this summer. The biggest boost has seen Canada captain Davies back in training after recovering from a muscle injury. The 25-year-old also tore his right anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) just 12 minutes into Canada’s 2-1 victory over the United States in the CONCACAF Nations League third-place play-off in March last year and initially returned to Bayern action in December before suffering a new setback. Marsch is not concerned about Davies’ fitness or match sharpness.

“I would say we are pretty close [to knowing our squad],” he said. “The biggest issue is injury factors. I have made a concerted effort to try and broaden this player pool with the idea that World Cup games come at you fast and are very physical, so we need to use different players at different times.

“He’s the captain. He’s one of the most vocal guys. He’s someone everybody looks up to. He’s clearly one of the leaders. He’s our best player. There is a lot more on his shoulders, and it’s a challenge for him, at a young age, to meet all the standards that we need from him. We’ve tried to really support him with a good leadership group.

“It will take a little bit of time to get him up to speed on everything that we’ve been doing, but I’ve been communicating with him a lot over the last months, and I know he’ll be ready to go this summer.”

Along with Davies, Canada forward David is a guaranteed pick. The 26-year-old has struggled for goals since joining Juventus from Lille on a free transfer. Having scored 109 times in 232 games for the Ligue 1 side, David has registered just five Serie A goals this campaign.

Due to living in Italy, Marsch has been able to attend several of David’s games and believes his confidence hasn’t been dented despite being on course for his lowest goals tally in a single season.

“Of all the players in our squad, Johnny is last on my list of worries,” said March. “He is very cool, very smart and doesn’t get stressed out. He has an incredible ability to stay on task and focus on the things that are most important.

“It is obviously important that he plays, has confidence and is in the rhythm of scoring goals, but that’s the kind of player Johnny is anyway. I see him play just about every week. I am fully confident Johnny will be scoring lots of goals for Juventus in the build up to the World Cup.

“He’s not one of the guys that I need to babysit, that’s for sure. He’s a big personality in terms of just the magnetism behind who he is. Anyone that spends time with him sees how funny, smart and personable he is. And all of that tends toward the feeling that this guy’s got everything under control.”

Marsch also believes forward Promise David can be a source of goals, while centre-back Moise Bombito and midfielder Ismael Kone are two others he highlights as integral players for Canada this summer. 23-year-old Koné is enjoying a breakout season with Sassuolo where he has scored five Serie A goals.

“I get to see Ismael pretty closely every week,” said Marsch. “He’s having an incredible season at Sassuolo. His confidence, tactical concentration and discipline have all grown this year, making him a responsible midfielder.

“I’m continuing to encourage him to be dynamic, sprint more and to be more physically present in games, but he’s got all the tools. I really like him. We have a good relationship and I think he knows we are helping to push him to the next level. This summer could be really big for him.”

Despite preparations being on track, and several names already guaranteed a spot in Canada’s squad, Marsch still has some tricky decisions to make and is yet to decide on his number one goalkeeper for the tournament.

“I don’t know yet,” revealed Marsch. “Dayne St. Clair and Max Crepeau are the clear one and two, or ‘1A’ and ‘1B’. It is going to be one of my most important and toughest decisions. And in some ways, I can’t make a wrong decision because I know they’re both capable.

“Honestly, when I make the decision, I’ll only be thinking about whoever didn’t get the decision. That’s kind of the way that I am as a coach. We need to be at least two deep in every position, and at goalkeeper I can say for sure that I 100 per cent trust and rely on both of those guys. Whatever decision I make will be a good one.

“I know I’ll have to give bad news to some players and the way I deal with it is just to try and be as straight as I possibly can. I was a part of the 2010 World Cup [as an assistant to Bob Bradley] where we started a camp with 30 players and then, over one weekend, trimmed it down to 23. We had to bring seven players down from their rooms at two in the morning and tell them that they weren’t going to the World Cup, crushing their dreams. There’s never a good way to do it. That was probably my worst day in coaching.”

Influence of former USMNT coach Bradley

The gregarious Marsch is known for his personable and hands-on management style, first developed as an assistant to Bradley with the USMNT. Marsch also played under Bradley at Princeton and considers the American his first mentor.

“Bob recruited me to Princeton and as impressed as I was by Princeton’s campus, which is one of the nicest in the world, I was even more impressed by Bob,” said Marsch. “I could see through his intelligence, his idea of football and how he drove competitiveness, that he was different. And, man, I wanted to get into Princeton just so I could play for Bob Bradley, which is a statement, given what Princeton stands for. He was the first major influence in my life.”

Marsch was part of Bradley’s staff at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa when the USMNT drew 1-1 with England, going on to sensationally win their group thanks to a last-gasp Landon Donovan goal against Algeria. A narrow 2-1 extra-time defeat to Ghana time followed in the last sixteen.

“We were three minutes from being out of the tournament, and then we wound up winning the group,” said Marsch. “The margins for error at the World Cup are so incredibly fine, and I always feel like the job we are trying to do as a staff is just to give our players the best chance to be prepared.

“I want my players to be free and not feel the pressure, overthink or be worried about mistakes. This will never, ever, maybe in my entire life, be more important than when coaching a team at a home World Cup.”

After the 2010 World Cup, Marsch went on to manage Montreal Impact before joining Red Bull, first as New York Red Bulls coach where he won the 2015 and 2018 Supporters’ Shields, and then as manager of Salzburg and Leipzig. At Salzburg, Marsch secured successive Austrian Bundesliga and Australian Cup doubles in 2019/20 and 2020/21 and got his first taste of Champions League football.

Working with Haaland, Nkunku and Szoboszlai

Marsch also played a role in the development of Erling Haaland, Christopher Nkunku, Josko Gvardiol, Dominik Szoboszlai and Dayot Upamecano, who all came through Red Bull’s highly-regarded model.

“Red Bull is in itself a brand, but Ralf Rangnick –my second major influence after Bob Bradley – was never a guy to say, ‘You have to play this way’. He’d tell us the principles he thought were important. And I think myself, Ralph Hasenhuttl, Oliver Glasner, Julian Nagelsmann and Marco Rose are all different.

“Ralf introduced me to a whole new intricacy of football. He taught me how to play aggressive football, and I’m so thankful to him for that. I think I’ve combined parts of Bob and Ralf – and, by the way, their personalities are not too dissimilar. And then I have used my own personality, and the authentic person I am, to insert myself into the kind of type of professionalism and detail of football that they taught me.

“And if you put my best XI together [of players Marsch coached], it would be a damn good team with several names from Salzburg and Leipzig clubs. The goalkeeper is probably Peter Gulacsi. The backline would be really good. I’d include Dayot Upamecano and Josko Gvardiol, both incredible defenders. And obviously in there is also Alfonso Davies, Moise Bombito and probably Nordi Mukiele.

“Then Dominik Szoboszlai was an unbelievable professional. And the attacking group would be really good. I’d pick Christo Nkunku, who I think still has part of his story to write. He’s an incredible player. And from Canada there’s Jonathan David.

“But, of course, the best player I worked with was Erling Haaland, although Raphina was also very good from my time at Leeds so he’d make the team, too. It is a good XI, and I’m sure I am leaving people out.

“I have been lucky to work with such great players. I don’t ever try to take credit for any of them. I’m just thankful to have worked with them. I learned from them and I hope they learned things from me as well. I know I contributed to some of their development.”

Haaland played 22 times for Marsch’s Salzburg in 2019/20 scoring 28 goals and adding seven assists before making a €20m move to Dortmund. And although Haaland was still a teenager, Marsch knew immediately what a special talent he was.

“When Erling left Salzburg, I said he’d start a competition with Kylian Mbappe for the next 10 years for the Golden Ball, the Ballon d’Or, winning domestic titles and winning Champions Leagues,” said Marsch. “At the time, people kind of mocked me for saying that, but I could tell at that time, he was destined to be great.

“Erling loves winning every game, even in training. He wants to make sure that his whole team is at their best all the time. It’s funny sometimes when you see him talking to Pep [Guardiola] after the game. I had some of these conversations with him, too. Maybe you ask, ‘Erling, can you do this a little bit more?’ And he’ll say, ‘I was trying to, but I also saw this and that’s why I did that’. He’s a smart guy, but he’s always focused on trying to do whatever it takes to win. He was fun to work with.”

Under different circumstances, Haaland could have actually ended up playing for Marsch at Leeds instead of Salzburg. When the Norway international was still at Molde, then Leeds sporting director Victor Orta opened talks to sign him. Haaland had grown up following Leeds due to his father Alfie’s connection with the club and a love for Norwegian midfielder Eirik Bakke. He was sold on a move yet, in the end, the €4m asking price proved a stumbling block.

Keeping Leeds up and combatting Ted Lasso stereotype

Marsch would find his own way to Elland Road in February 2022, only two months after leaving Leipzig. He replaced the sacked Marcelo Bielsa with Leeds just two points outside the relegation zone.

In doing so, Marsch became the third American to manage in the Premier League, following in the footsteps of Bradley (Fulham) and German-born American David Wagner (Huddersfield Town). Despite his impressive CV, including Champions League football, Marsch faced some immediate backlash from fans and was sometimes compared to fictional American coach Ted Lasso in the media.

“Ted Lasso probably doesn’t help,” Marsch conceded. “I talked about Ted Lasso right away to kind of get it out of the way. It was funny because Ted Lasso was also out when I was in Germany [with Leipzig], but nobody called me Ted Lasso. I spoke German and nobody talked about my accent there. Nobody even talked about me being American.

“I think there was a prejudice against me, but I didn’t let it deter me. It almost motivated me even more. That’s kind of how I am. I deal better with criticism than I do with praise. There were some things happening on the inside [at Leeds]. I’m not going to go into it, but there were definitely things that I experienced that I couldn’t believe.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m an American, white male and there are a lot more problems happening in the world than what happened to me in the Premier League, but it was just interesting for me. It was a little strange and surprising because I hadn’t experienced it before. Overall, though, I was proud to represent Leeds United and very thankful for the support I got from inside the club.”

Marsch ended up keeping Leeds up on the final day of the 2021/22 season thanks to a memorable 2-1 win at Brentford. Jack Harrison’s stoppage-time winner meant Leeds survived and sent Burnley down in dramatic fashion. Marsch’s reaction summed up the mood as he collapsed to his knees, overcome by a mixture of ectasy and relief.

“The Brentford game is what people focus on, but it capped off a 12-week period [since joining Leeds in February 2022],” said Marsch, who won 11 and drew 10 of his 37 games in charge of Leeds.

“There were lots of ups and downs. When we beat Watford [3-0 in April 2022], we were sure that we were safe as we had a five or six point gap [from the bottom three] at that stage. Then when we got to the last weekend and we needed a result. It took all the resolve of the entire club and player pool to make sure that we got the job done.

“We started that Brentford game with some young and unproven players, but we stayed focused and disciplined. We stayed positive across that entire 12-week period, and we delivered on the last day.”

In February 2023, Marsch would leave Elland Road after a year in charge with Leeds only outside the relegation zone on goal difference, but his second season at the helm was affected by the high-profile departures of Raphina to Barcelona and Kalvin Phillips to Manchester City. He still keeps a keen eye on results and believes the Leeds project can grow from strength-to-strength providing Daniel Farke can keep them up this season.

“It will be a challenge,” said Marsch. “Leeds is a big club. It’s a very emotional club. When you’re the manager there, one of the keys is just to try and maintain calm and patience, and I think Daniel has done a pretty good job of that. I still know the 49ers. They are trying to create stability at the club and they have a long-term vision.

“In sport, not just the Premier League or football, the more successful organisations are the ones that have a long-term vision and stick to it. The ones that are knee-jerk and think they always need a better idea or solution, or better person or leader, are the ones that get caught in a dangerous cycle. I believe the 49ers are the type of people that understand how to create longevity in sports business, and know how to have a plan and stick to it.”

Canada renewal talks ongoing

Marsch has not ruled out returning to the Premier League one day, but both his immediate and potentially longer-term focus lies with Canada. His current deal expires after the 2026 World Cup, but talks have already started about renewing his contract. It remains to be seen whether anything is agreed before the tournament itself, but there is a willingness from all parties to explore an extension.

“Kevin Blue and I have had multiple discussions going back all the way to February of 2025 about the idea of making this [job] longer,” Marsch revealed. “I like working with him and with this team. I think Kevin feels the same. The partnership we have has enhanced the experience. I think his expertise meshes well with my own, and we fill in the gaps of each other’s strengths and weaknesses really well.

“The reason I was hesitant from the start was just because I wanted to get through the year. I wanted to make sure that it was a big year in the preparation phase for the 2026 World Cup. I wanted to make sure that the team continued to develop, and that the appreciation for what we were trying to do continued to be positive, or at least, that people were aware that even if we didn’t win every game, we were still moving the needle forward. And 20 months later, perhaps not everyone likes me or loves me, but in general, people see what we’re trying to achieve. They understand what the vision is.

“As for the Premier League, if I went back it would have to be the right situation and core of leadership within the club, and somebody with the competencies of Kevin Blue. The flat truth is, there are not a lot of people in sports business with those kinds of competencies, even at Premier League level. And then it would have to be a club that has a similar football vision to what I have.”

Canada hoping to disrupt a Trump-centric World Cup

Marsch is relishing the pressure of managing a home World Cup and leaving a lasting impact on Canadian football going forward. And he has already cautioned against the tournament being too US-centric, even hitting out against President Donald Trump for calling Canada “the 51st State”, adding that as an American he felt “ashamed of such arrogance” behind that comment.

Marsch is well aware how US-focused the 2026 World Cup has already become, especially given FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s close relationship with Trump, but he plans to maximise the opportunity and limelight with a view to getting people talking about Canada instead of America, and ultimately football instead of politics.

“As an American, from the very beginning, I thought this was a political decision by the US to involve Canada and Mexico so that they could ensure getting the bid,” he said. “And yet, for Canada, this is a big moment in our history, so whether it is more centric around the United States – which I believe is the case – it is still an incredible opportunity for a nation like Canada, considering where we are at in the overall development of the sport in the country.

“It’s an incredible moment for us in our sporting and football history, and I don’t think it could have come at a better time. The tournament has also coincided with probably the best this team has ever been. We are at the highest ranking we’ve ever had. I think we have more players at big clubs in Europe than ever before. Clearly, the sport is establishing itself more and more, and so what a better time to host the World Cup than right now?”

For a nation without a World Cup point or win, Canada certainly has lofty expectations, but Marsch’s watchable combination of controlled yet fearless football, coupled with his tactical acumen and infectious brand of man management, will make the World Cup co-hosts a dark horse this summer to go deep into the tournament and no doubt win a lot of plaudits along the way.

“We are lucky because we have a lot of players that fit the way that I like to play,” said Marsch. “They are really eager to help the national team continue to establish itself and in doing so also establish themselves in the national team. And part of the reason for all this is, with a home World Cup right around the corner, everyone knows how important this moment in time is, so I get the best versions of our players almost every single time.

“I think it’s important for Canada because it’s a real chance to put our stamp on football in the country and to change the perception a little bit of what the sport is like here. And maybe even more important, it is a chance to provide these players with the platform and opportunity to show how great they are. I really believe in them. They are fantastic and talented people. They care about all the right things. They care about the country.

“My main responsibility in all this is to give our players the opportunity to be at their best, and we’ve seen a lot of that already. I’m challenging them every day, and they love it, by the way. Every time I set higher standards for them, they eat it up. That’s exactly what they want. It’s a special group, and we’re excited for June 12, baby!”

Watch our exclusive one-hour interview with Jesse Marsch on our YouTube page.