Maybe Jesse Marsch’s speech was performative. But so what? This is who he is

Maybe Jesse Marsch’s speech was performative. But so what? This is who he is

Economy World


INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Jesse Marsch wanted the world to know: This is who Canada is.

So, as he gathered the team together after a 1-0 win over South Africa that put them through to the round of 16, with cameras and a microphone inside the team circle, he pointed at his players and called them Canadian heroes.

“Canadian heroes for the future children of this country, who play this sport,” he said. “This sport has a big future because of you guys. You should be so proud of who you are. You should be so proud of this game — you never lost belief. You went after it, point after point, moment after moment. You are Canadian heroes.“

The speech was broadcast live on television. After the game, Fox talent debated whether it was a genuine moment, or performative.

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“I honestly don’t like it,” said former Manchester United and Denmark goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel. “I think that is for the dressing room, but that’s a personal opinion that I have. I think all of those little things have got to happen in the dressing room. And then you speak to the media and you speak to the world afterward, and you can say those things.”

To that debate, Marsch had a clear response.

“There are people who like to say it’s performative to meet on the pitch, and frankly, I don’t give a s**t what people have to say,” Marsch said. “All I care about is our own team and what we do together.”

Performative, inspiring… or maybe both? (Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

This is who Jesse Marsch is, too.

He is never dull. He is unrelenting in his beliefs. And yes, he doesn’t mind a camera or a microphone. He likes being a featured actor — maybe even the featured actor. But, you can acknowledge that and also accept that he believes exactly what he said on the back end of that splashy quote. As a coach, he will go all in to foster bonds and create an environment that elevates the team above the individual talent.

As he has said throughout his time as the coach of Canada’s men’s national team, he is trying to create a movement. He’s willing to do that via his own actions — whether it’s loud moments on the sideline, after the game or in the press. He’s never had a problem being the voice of anything. That won’t change. It also might be exactly what Canada needs at this point in its development. It needs a coach, yes, but also a salesman and a motivator. Someone to help stir the masses.

So while some would see those cameras as disruptive. Marsch sees them as a tool. And while part of it might be to sell himself — and on Sunday he became just the second American coach to win a World Cup knockout game after Bruce Arena in 2002 — the ultimate goal is to use the moment to sell the story. To sell belief.

“I am American, and I’m proud to be American, but I do think that the ideals and the characteristics of Canadian people fit me really well,” Marsch said later in the press conference. “They value kindness. They value generosity. I think it’s a country that is very welcoming to outsiders, appreciates you for the things you do more than the things you say. And sometimes I know that Americans, we get a certain rap for being boisterous, for being arrogant, for being outwardly vocal. And I know that, in many ways, that does describe me — or at least people love to describe me that way.

“But again, I don’t give a s**t.

“All I care about is working with the teams I work with, and the players I work with, and helping them be the best that they can be. And I think that anyone who’s worked on the inside with me would appreciate that that is always my focus: how to get the best out of people, and provide an environment where they can go for it in every way, and show who they are.

“This team has done that from the beginning.”

Yet Marsch, despite his best efforts, can only aid in accomplishing the aims he has for the program. Lasting change hinges less on what any coach does or says — publicly or privately. Movements start with moments. Goals that are celebrated together at a bar or hugs in a living room with your kid after a win.

On Sunday afternoon, Canada gave the country another moment around which to build something lasting. Stephen Eustaquio’s goal surely led to beers thrown in celebration and tears shed at lakeside cottages. That has been the story of a World Cup in which Canada won their first game, advanced to the knockout stage for the first time and now won their first knockout tie.

Like Marsch or not, agree with his approach or don’t, there has to be at least some understanding for why he stepped onto a stage on which Canada is rarely a featured player. He wanted this moment to extend out — and he didn’t mind being the one to help amplify it.

And frankly, as he put it a bit more directly, he didn’t think about or care whether or not anyone else would like it.

“I always try to get the leaders to speak, because again, they’re Canadian, this is their national team, but I wanted to be able to voice to them how important a moment this will prove to be for the sport in the country and for the national team program,” Marsch, who invited others to speak in the on-pitch huddle, said.

“It’s a shame we couldn’t do it in Vancouver in front of our fans, but nonetheless, I think you saw the character of the team, the quality of the team, the mentality of the team, the togetherness of the team. It’s a pleasure to be their coach, and the responsibility I feel to them specifically is what motivates me every day to try to prepare and create a platform for them to be their greatest.

“And I think they did that today.”



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