Jesse Marsch once walked away from a Premier League job because U.S. Soccer told him to wait — that the national team job was basically his. Then they rehired Gregg Berhalter instead. Now Marsch is leading Canada at the 2026 World Cup, on American soil, against the country that passed on him.
That's the subplot that makes Group B genuinely interesting beyond the football.
How Marsch ended up in the Canadian dugout
The Wisconsin-born Marsch built his coaching reputation the hard way. After a 13-year MLS playing career with D.C. United, Chicago Fire and Chivas USA, he joined Bob Bradley's U.S. staff in time for the 2010 World Cup. He then became the founding head coach of the Montreal Impact before taking the New York Red Bulls job in 2015, where his aggressive pressing system first turned heads.
That got him into the Red Bull network in Europe. He worked under Ralf Rangnick at RB Leipzig, then took over Red Bull Salzburg — winning back-to-back league and cup doubles in Austria. Leeds United came calling in 2022, and he became the longest-serving American manager in Premier League history before getting sacked in February 2023.
What happened next defines where he is now. Marsch says he was a frontrunner for the USMNT job and, crucially, that senior U.S. Soccer figures told him not to take Leicester City's offer while the process played out. He waited. They hired Berhalter again in June 2023. Marsch later said the job had been "pulled" from him.
Canada came calling in May 2024. He accepted.
What he's built with Canada
In 29 matches as Canada head coach, Marsch has recorded 12 wins, 12 draws and five defeats. His pressing system fits the squad naturally — Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David are exactly the kind of high-energy, technically capable players it demands. Canada reached the Copa América semifinals in 2024 under his watch and enters this World Cup with genuine belief they can reach the knockout rounds for the first time in the country's history.
Canada open Group B against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12 in Toronto. Switzerland and Qatar complete the group — a draw that looks kind on paper and has odds-makers taking Canada seriously as a side that can progress.
Meanwhile, the USMNT job Marsch wanted is now held by Mauricio Pochettino. Berhalter's second spell ended after a poor 2024 Copa América, and U.S. Soccer went abroad for his replacement. The American coach who knew the league, knew the players, and believed it was his turn never got the call.
He'll be on the opposite touchline this summer instead.
