Canada's American soccer coach blasts President Trump's 'insulting' 51st state talk
"If I have one message to our president, it's lay off the ridiculous rhetoric about Canada being the 51st state," Jesse Marsch said on Wednesday in Los Angeles ahead of next month's Concacaf Nations League finals. "As an American, I'm ashamed of the arrogance and disregard that we've shown one of our historically oldest, strongest and most loyal allies."
Marsch, an assistant coach with the U.S. men's national team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the only United States-born bench boss to lead teams in the UEFA Champions League, England's Premier League and the German Bundesliga, was responding to a question about the politically charged atmosphere that surrounded the National Hockey League's 4 Nations Faceoff tournament earlier this month.
Since being inaugurated in January, Trump has on multiple occasions said that he'd like to see Canada become part of the U.S., even if that means using what he called "economic force" to make it happen.
That, and the possibility of a 25-percent tariff on Canadian goods crossing the northern border, has infuriated Canadians, some of whom have taken to booing the American national anthem at sporting events across the nation of 40 million.
The political subtext helped turn the NHL's inaugural 4 Nations Faceoff into a must-watch mainstream event on both sides of the border, as more than 16 million total viewers watched Canada beat the U.S. in overtime in last week's thrilling final in Boston.
Marsch, whose Canadian team could meet the U.S. men in the March 23 Nations League final at SoFi Stadium, made it clear on Wednesday that he wanted to address the issue head-on. He said his players now have even more motivation to win the title, adding that he finds Trump's discourse about annexing Canada "unsettling and frankly insulting."
The Americans beat the Reds 2-0 in the 2023 Nations League finale in Las Vegas. The USMNT is the competition's three-time defending champion, having also lifted the silverware in 2021 and last year.
"These international tournaments for Canada mean something different now," said March, who took over Canada's men's program last May, a year after he was fired as manager of then-Premier League club Leeds United. "Canada is a strong, independent nation that's deep-rooted in decency, and it's a place that values high ethics and respect — unlike the polarized, disrespectful and often now hate-fueled climate that's in the U.S.
"People really believe that their differences make them stronger," the 51-year-old Wisconsin native continued. "Almost all are first and second generation Canadians, coming from different heritages and cultures.
"But they are uniquely incredibly proud to be Canadian, to represent their country, to give everything to the love that they have for each other and playing for their country," added Marsch, who was a finalist for the USMNT job in 2023.
Canada will co-host the 2026 World Cup along with the U.S. and Mexico as soccer's marquee competition expands from 32 to 48 teams. The Canadians qualified for the 2022 World Cup in style to break a three-decade-long absence from the biggest event in global sports, topping the Concacaf region that includes all of North and Central America and the Caribbean en route to Qatar.
That success turned Canada into a legitimate rival for the Americans, which lost to Marsch's side in a September friendly in Kansas City — its first defeat on home soil against the Reds since 1957. Canada will face Mexico on March 20 in the first Nations League semifinal. The USMNT takes on Panama later that night, with the winners meeting in the title match three days later.
Despite its stunning group stage exit at last summer's Copa América (where Canada almost as shockingly reached the final four before losing to Lionel Messi and eventual champion Argentina), the USMNT is the favorite to retain the Nations trophy next month.
The Americans have gone 5-1 under star Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino since the former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain manager debuted in October. Still, Marsch promised that his team will be ready.
"I know this will fuel them," he said.
Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports who has covered the United States men's and women's national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him at @ByDougMcIntyre . FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience Canada CONCACAF Nations League FIFA Men's World Cup Get more from FIFA Men's World Cup Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
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