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American-born Canadian national soccer coach calls out Donald Trump for "ridiculous rhetoric"

Adam Laskaris
Adam Laskaris
|
Feb 26 2025, 8:17 pm
American-born Canadian national soccer coach calls out Donald Trump for "ridiculous rhetoric"
@stadiumastro/X

You can count Canadian men’s national soccer team coach Jesse Marsch among the latest prominent sports figures to call out Donald Trump.

With the American president threatening tariffs on goods coming from the northern neighbours and calls to make the country the 51st state, the Wisconsin-born Marsch fired back at Trump on Thursday.

“For me, right now, I couldn’t be prouder to be the Canadian national team head coach and I found a place for that embodies the ideals and morals of not just what football is but what life is — that’s integrity, respect, and the belief that good people can do great things together,” Marsch told reporters today at the media day for the 2024-25 CONCACAF Nations League Finals.

Marsch, who was hired in May 2024 and led Canada to a semifinal appearance at last year’s Copa America, stated that international competitions “mean something different for Canada” after Trump’s recent remarks.

“If I have one message to Trump, it’s to lay off the ridiculous rhetoric of Canada being the 51st state. As an American, I’m ashamed of the arrogance and disregard we’ve shown one of our historic oldest, strongest, and most loyal allies,” Marsch added. “This will fuel our team, the mentality we have, the will we have to play for our country, the desire we have to go after this tournament in every way. [We will] show on and off the pitch exactly what Canadian character is.”

Canada will face Mexico in the semifinal of the Nations League in Inglewood, California, on March 20. Meanwhile, the American side will face off against Panama, with the winners of the two games meeting in the final on March 23.

“[Our team] is almost all first- and second-generation Canadians, coming from different heritages and cultures, but they uniquely are incredibly proud to be Canadian, to represent their country, to give everything to each other — the love they have for each other and for their country,” Marsch added.  “Unlike the disrespectful and often hate-fuelled rhetoric in the U.S., Canada values fairness and unity. It’s a place — that I’ve learned as the national team coach — where people believe that their differences make them stronger; and honestly, it’s one of the things I’ve enjoyed most about our team is that they exemplify this as human beings and as a team.”

Trump had previously entered the discourse into another recent sporting competition, as he called Team USA the morning of their 3-2 overtime loss to Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off final.

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