Canada's FIFA World Cup coach blasted by American soccer legend for controversial anthem story
Jesse Marsch hasn’t been shy about taking shots at his home country.
The head coach of Canada men’s national soccer team previously called Donald Trump’s comments about making Canada the 51st state “ridiculous.” He also criticized the United States Soccer Federation, saying he wouldn’t take a job there unless there were changes at the top.
But his latest comments about America riled up one of his old colleagues.
On Thursday, Marsch commented about how proud Canadian soccer players at the FIFA World Cup were to represent their country.
In the process, he took a dig at some of the Americans he previously coached.
“Every one of these boys is incredibly Canadian, and the pride that they have in putting on the jersey, representing the country, hearing the national anthem…in the U.S., sometimes we had to beg players to sing the national anthem,” Marsch told reporters on Friday.
“These guys 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.”
Jesse Marsch speaks after Canada’s 1-1 tie with Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday. (Kevin Sousa/Imagn Images)
The 52-year-old’s comments caught the attention of Clint Dempsey, one of the most successful American soccer players of all time.
“He really said that? Man, I can’t take this guy too seriously,” Dempsey said while working as an analyst on Fox Sports.
“It was an honor for me to grow up and represent my country. When the national anthem happened, I wasn’t someone who normally would sing. I put my hand over my heart, and I’d pray to the good man upstairs.”
“I’m someone who’s bled for this country. I broke my nose playing for this country. I’ve come back from two heart procedures and played for this country.”
Dempsey was a player for the United States men’s national team back in 2010 at the FIFA World Cup, when Marsch was working as an assistant coach for the country.
“I’m not going to take advice from someone who switched to the other side and singing another country’s national anthem.
“And as my boy [Thierry Henry] would say, stay in your own lane. It looks like he’s in a dang moped, so worry about your own team.”
Marsch’s comments weren’t the only bit of tension between the United States and Canada during the start of the FIFA World Cup.
In Toronto on Friday, before action got underway between Canada and the United States, there was an audible amount of boos from Canadians when the American flag was trotted out onto the pitch.
There’s a growing chance that this rivalry could hit an extra gear later in the World Cup.
The United States got off to a hot start at the World Cup by defeating Paraguay 4-1 in Los Angeles, putting them in the very early pole position to win Group D.
If they were to win Group D, they would play the third-place team of Group B/E/F/I/J.
With Canada being in Group B, that could set up a North American knockout battle in the Round of 32 on July 1 in Santa Clara, California.