With 500 days left until North America’s FIFA World Cup, the head coach of Canada Soccer’s men’s national team (CanMNT) is ready to guarantee the squad will do more than just notch its first ever win at the tournament.
“I think we’ll get a win, but that’s not our goal,” said Jesse Marsch to CTV News on Friday. “Our goal is to get out of the group and win some matches, so I’m not afraid to say that. The team knows that and they have the belief to do so.”
“We are going to make some waves; we are a team that has belief, that has talent and is ready to perform at the highest level,” he added.
Canada made its second-ever appearance in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022 — scoring its first two goals ever in the tournament, but ultimately unable to find their way to victory in their three group-stage matches. Canada’s only other appearance at the tournament was back in 1986, in Mexico, where the squad also went without a win.
Now, after keeping the score relatively close in its Qatar matches, Marsch believes the team is ready to take the next step.
“It’s now a team that wants to play against the best. It’s not like we’re afraid to play against the biggest opponents; we want to test ourselves and we want to be in that situation.”
Incorporating ice-hockey elements into soccer strategy
Marsch says he believes one of the keys to CanMNT’s success in the past, as well as moving forward, should be to incorporate a game Canada knows all-too well onto the pitch: using elements of ice hockey in their soccer strategy.
“I always hear the statistic that more kids play soccer than hockey, so there’s already a foundation for the sport,” said Marsch, who grew up playing ice hockey in his home state of Wisconsin. “I think we can build that more into our sport: more dynamic play, more speed, more athleticism, more aggressiveness.”
“This style of football is more exciting to watch, and I think the Canadians, with some of the hockey background and multiculturalism in the country … people want to see goals, but they want to see a front-footed team,” he added. “They want to see a team that goes after opponents, that likes to run, that likes to be aggressive. So, that’s what I’m trying to build with this team.”
Canada has arrived on the world stage: CanMNT
The 51-year-old coach spoke to CTV News as part of a media tour from Halifax to Vancouver, marking 500 days until Canada co-hosts the World Cup with the United States and Mexico.
“I’ve learned, the more I’ve travelled throughout the country, the more I’ve seen the amount of passion that’s involved in the sport and the people that are dedicated to seeing the sport grow ... the more I realize that this is a soccer nation,” said Marsch. “I feel a big sense of responsibility to make sure I honour this role in the best way possible, to not help the national team, but to help the sport grow.”
Marsch already has some experience coaching soccer in Canada, stepping into the role of the Montreal Impact’s first head coach when the franchise joined Major League Soccer back in August 2011. Since then, he’s also coached clubs in Austria, Germany and England before becoming manager of the Canadian men’s national team eight months ago.
In less than a year, Marsch has forced the rest of the world to take notice of the Canadian men’s soccer squad — making it to the semi-finals of last summer’s Copa America, beating the United States on American soil for the first time in 67 years in September, and now holding the highest FIFA ranking the team has ever had, at 31st in the world.
“It’s not the Canadian national team of 30 years ago,” said Marsch. “It’s a team, now, that plays at big clubs, is playing in Europe; incredible experiences.”
A drone scandal and Canada’s national reputation
Marsch is also hoping to change perceptions of Canada on the world stage in the aftermath of the Paris Olympics surveillance scandal; one that tainted Canada Soccer’s reputation, last year.
In July, staff from the Canadian women’s soccer team were caught using a drone to spy on a training session for New Zealand’s Olympic team. An investigation by TSN reporter Rick Westhead suggested that both the men’s and women’s national soccer teams had been using drones to spy on competitors for several years.
“We haven’t allowed those distractions, that don’t really involve us, to really have an effect on us,” said Marsch, adding their focus is to control what they can control, which is to be their best for next year’s World Cup.
“I think our job is to show the perception that ‘wow, the game in Canada has grown massively, and look how good they are,” added Marsch. “I think when you talk about Canada Soccer, that you’re talking about high-level talent and high-level character.”
A busy schedule in the lead-up to the World Cup
That character will be put to the test multiple times this year as the CanMNT contend with some high-level opponents, and with only a few windows to gel as a team before taking on the best of the best at the World Cup.
“We have seven windows together; that’s it. Five-hundred days is scary, but only seven opportunities to be together, so we have to really maximize the potential of every moment,” said Marsch.
CanMNT punched their way into the CONCACAF Nations League semi-finals last year, and are set to face Mexico on March 20 in hopes of meeting either the U.S. or Panama in the final, later that month. The team will also take on some of the best soccer nations in North and Central America and the Caribbean in the Gold Cup in June and July.
“There are two competitive tournaments, but we’re also scheduling really good opponents. In the end, we have to make sure that we take advantage of every single moment we spend together to make sure, in all ways, we’re prepared.”
Davies, David among stars ready to lead
The Canadian men’s roster is deeper and arguably more talented than ever, with many players suiting up for some top European clubs.
Leading the squad will be captain Alphonso Davies, who became the first Canadian to win the UEFA Champions League with Bayern Munich, and is widely thought of as one of the best North American players of all time.
Not far down the depth pool is Jonathan David, who plays for Lille of the French league Lique 1. Alistair Johnston, Moise Bombito and Stephen Eustaquio also provide Canada with all-star-calibre play on the pitch.
Marsch believes that this deep roster will not only be able to compete among the best in the World Cup next year, but inspire more Canadian youth to pursue the sport for future generations.
“At every position, we’ve got great players, and one of the keys is not that we have just a good starting 11, but that we build out an entire squad of 26 players. Along with making sure we’re performing at the highest level, its about making sure we’re continuing to develop the depth in the team so we can call on everybody, come 2026.”
