Canada head coach Jesse Marsch reacts on the sideline during a Copa America quarterfinal soccer match between Venezuela and Canada, Friday, July 5, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
JC ALEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) 鈥 Having led Canada to the semifinals of the Copa America, coach Jesse Marsch said he didn't need success to prove his ability after he was fired by Leeds and overlooked by the U.S. Soccer Federation.
鈥淚 felt how strongly they wanted me here, and I鈥檓 at a point in my life where I don鈥檛 need all the other bull----,鈥 Marsch said during a news conference ahead of .
He laughed as Monday's news conference was being simultaneously translated.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how you say that in Spanish, OK?鈥 he explained with a grin.
with the team two points above the relegation zone and led it to a 17th-place finish, three points above the drop. He was with the team in 17th, above the relegation zone on goal difference, and Leeds finished 19th and .
He interviewed with the USSF last year before Gregg Berhalter was rehired, and Canada gave the 50-year-old Marsch its national team job in May. While Canada advanced in its first Copa America appearance, the host U.S. was eliminated in the group stage.
鈥淚 never doubted my ability as a coach,鈥 Marsh said. 鈥淲hat I鈥檝e always doubted in this business is how do you find the right people to work with? And so the best thing about where I鈥檓 at right now is it feels home to me. It feels like I鈥檓 working with a group of players that I think value the things that I bring. I value the things that they鈥檙e about.鈥
Canada had not reached the World Cup since 1986 when it qualified for the 2022 tournament under coach John Herdman. It went 0-3 in Qatar. to coach Toronto in Major League Soccer after saying the Canada Soccer Association did not provide the national team with the necessary financial support and resources.
Marsch was hired after Peter Augruso replaced Charmaine Crooks as CSA president.
鈥淚 think the Canadian Soccer Association is a humble but professional organization and that the new leadership is fantastic,鈥 Marsch said. 鈥淭he people in the country have been 100 per cent behind us in what we鈥檙e doing with this team and you could take out the victories and the successes that we鈥檝e had at this tournament.
"From day one, I鈥檝e felt that. It鈥檚 the reason I came. It鈥檚 because I felt how strongly they wanted me here.鈥
Marsch's first two games were a pair of friendlies in Europe, a 4-0 loss at the Netherlands and a 0-0 draw at France.
Canada opened the Copa America with a , for its first win over a South American team in 24 years and advanced to the knockout rounds with a .
Canada won its after a 1-1 tie.
鈥淚 want to do things I want to do," Marsch said. "I want to get back to loving the game that I love, and this team has helped me finding that, and I鈥檓 very thankful for that.鈥
A standout college player at Princeton, Marsch made two appearances for the U.S. and was an assistant to Bob Bradley with the national team in 2010-11.
He coached Montreal (2011-12) and the New York Red Bulls (2015-18) in Major League Soccer, then moved up to coaching sister teams, Red Bull Salzburg in Austria (2019-21) and RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga, which midway through his first season.
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AP Copa America coverage:
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