Former United States men’s national team (USMNT) assistant coach Jesse Marsch has revealed he sometimes “had to beg” the American players to sing the national anthem.
Marsch, who is now head coach of Canada, was speaking at a news conference ahead of his side’s opening game of the World Cup against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto on Friday.
“Every one of these boys is incredibly Canadian,” he said. “And the pride that they have in putting on the jersey, representing the country, hearing the national anthem…
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“In the U.S., sometimes we had to beg players to sing the national anthem. These guys [the Canadian players] 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.”
Marsch, who went on to manage the likes of RB Leipzig and Leeds United, was assistant coach of the USMNT under Bob Bradley between 2010 and 2011, during which time they drew 1-1 with England on the way to the round of 16 at the 2010 World Cup, where they were eliminated by Ghana after extra time.
After leaving Leeds, he was heavily linked with the USMNT head coach role in 2023 before former boss Gregg Berhalter was rehired instead.
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He now leads his Canada squad into the nation’s third ever World Cup, and its first as a co-host.
“I think they [the players] are the best resource, I think they’re the best representation,” he added. “They’re impeccable in their character, they’re impeccable in their work ethic and commitment to each other.
“That’s what we want to show, man. That’s what we want to show against Bosnia [and Herzegovina], that’s what we want to show the country in this moment of time and at this tournament.”
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Canada kick off their tournament against the Balkan side on Friday, before facing Qatar on June 18 and Switzerland on June 24. No Canadian side has ever progressed beyond the group stage at a World Cup.
The U.S. also begin their tournament on Friday night, when they face Paraguay. Mauricio Pochettino‘s side will face Australia and Türkiye in their other group games.
