Canada’s Jesse Marsch: Not focused on revenge against USMNT

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Jesse Marsch has repeatedly said he was unhappy with the treatment he received from the U.S. Soccer Federation when he interviewed for Gregg Berhalter’s rehiring last year. That won’t be on Marsch’s mind Saturday when he coaches Canada against the United States in a friendly.

“If I make this about myself, it’s not fair to what we’re trying to do with our team,” he said Friday.

Marsch, a 50-year-old Wisconsin native and Princeton graduate, has coached in the Premier League and Bundesliga. He was signed by Canada in May and led the club to a fourth-place finish in the Copa América.

Berhalter was fired in July after the U.S. was eliminated in the first round of the Copa América. Mikey Varas, an assistant to Berhalter, is the interim U.S. coach while the USSF negotiates a deal with former Tottenham, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino to lead the U.S. through the 2026 World Cup.

“We all know that the Copa América was not good enough. We understand that. We take responsibility for that,” Varas said. “There is not a single character in that room who is not prepared to look in the mirror and take that responsibility.”

Marsch played in Major League Soccer from 1996 to 2009 and coached Montreal and the New York Red Bulls. He said Pochettino, an Argentine who had a long career in Europe, will likely have to learn how American soccer systems differ from those in more established countries.

“I hope he can come and have a really positive impact, and I’m pretty sure he will,” Marsch said. “He’s a good coach. He’s done really well with his teams in Europe. He was difficult to prepare for when I was at Leipzig. I wish him the best.”

After defeats to Panama and Uruguay, the US will be hoping to avoid losing three games in a row to Brazil, Mexico and Costa Rica since 2015. It has not lost at home to Canada since 1957.

“It’s a chance to redeem ourselves,” said defender Chris Richards. “It’s time to show that we’re not a team to look down on, regardless of our recent results.”

Varas could be brought in as San Diego’s first MLS coach and is unlikely to be part of Pochettino’s staff. His tenure as interim U.S. coach is likely to end after Tuesday’s exhibition against New Zealand in Cincinnati.

“It is not only the greatest honor of my life, but it is also a huge responsibility that I cherish,” Varas said.

He does not think his short time at the club will affect the way players see him during this training camp.

“There’s nobody bigger than the game and there’s nobody bigger than the badge. And so whoever the coaches are, whether they’re coming long term or short term, we all come here for the badge, for the badge. We come here to represent our country,” he said. “It has nothing to do with who’s standing in front of you and talking.”

Varas, a former coach of the U.S. under-20 team, meditates but doesn’t ask his players to follow his example.

“Meditation and mindfulness is a personal decision for me. It’s something that helps me, and it’s not something I push on anyone else,” he said. “These guys are the best American players on the planet and they have their routines and they don’t need Mikey Varas telling them how to be better prepared.”