Jesse Marsch was a steal for the Canada men’s national team.
The American-born manager seemed destined to take over the USMNT role after departing Leeds United, but upon being stung by U.S. Soccer’s decision to rehire Gregg Berhlater, Marsch decided to take his talents to the rivals from the north.
But ahead of his first home game as Les Rogues boss against Panama on Tuesday, Marsch is simply looking for positive vibes as he finally sits in the dugout on home soil.
“It’s my first match at home, and I can say that, between being in Montréal and being here in Toronto, it’s been perfect,” Marsch said.
“Many people have come up to us and been excited to see us. I think there’s positive energy, and I’m excited to be in front of our fans and see what it feels like to be the Canadian national team manager.”
It was a stunning start to life as Canada boss for Marsch, leading the side to the semifinals of the Copa América before losing to Uruguay in the third-place game. But the former Leeds boss knows his side will face some adversity before their next major tournament — a World Cup on Canadian soil.
“We’re gonna lose some matches between now and 2026, we know that. But the key is to hone in on performances and mentality and mindset and development of what we’re building,” Marsch said.
“We want to continue to show that we’re mature, that we’re not going to slip up, and that we’re going to continue to push. We’ve brought in different players to look at and expose them to what we do into the national team. But in the end, we still want to go out and win this game.”