KANSAS CITY, Kansas — Jesse Marsch has said repeatedly that he was unhappy with the treatment he received from the U.S. Soccer Federation when he interviewed last year before Gregg Berhalter was rehired. 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 me, 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 who has coached in the Premier League and Bundesliga, was hired by Canada in May and led it to a fourth-place finish at the Copa America.
Berhalter was fired in July after the U.S. was eliminated in the first round of the Copa America. Mikey Varas, Berhalter's assistant, is the U.S.'s interim coach while the USSF negotiates a deal with former Tottenham, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino to lead the U.S. through the 2026 World Cup.
“We all know that the Copa America was not good enough. We understand that and we take responsibility for that,” Varas said. “There is not a single person in that room who is not willing to look in the mirror and take responsibility for that.”
Marsch played in Major League Soccer from 1996 to 2009 and coached Montreal and the New York Red Bulls. He said Pochettino, an Argentine with a long career in Europe, will likely have to learn how American soccer systems are different from those in more established countries.
“I hope he can come in and have a real positive impact, and I'm pretty sure he will,” Marsch said. “He's a good coach. He's done very well with his teams in Europe. It was difficult to prepare him when he was in Leipzig. I wish him all the best.”
Following losses to Panama and Uruguay, the U.S. is hoping to avoid losing three straight games since 2015 against Brazil, Mexico and Costa Rica. It has not lost to Canada at home 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 be looked down upon, regardless of our recent results.”
Varas could be hired as San Diego's first MLS coach and is not likely to be part of Pochettino's team. His stint as U.S. interim coach is likely to end after Tuesday's friendly against New Zealand in Cincinnati.
“It is not only the greatest honor of my life, but also an enormous responsibility that I appreciate,” Varas said.
He doesn't think his short tenure will have an impact on how players view him during this training camp.
“There's no one more important than the game and there's no one more important than the badge. So whoever the coaches are, whether they're in charge long-term or short-term, we all show up here for the badge, for the badge. We show up here to represent our country,” he said. “It's got nothing to do with who's standing in front of you and talking.”
Former coach of the United States under-20 team, Varas meditates but does not ask the players to follow his example.
“Meditation and mindfulness is a personal choice for me. It's something that helps me and it's not something I impose on other people,” 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.”
