After his fiery pre-game comments hitting out at American arrogance, Canada head coach Jesse Marsch showed his national team still has work to do to move past their southern neighbors.
The latest installment in the United States-Canada soccer rivalry went by way of the Americans as a goal from Orlando City striker Justin Ellis proved enough to seal a 1-0 USMNT win.
It’s the fourth win from four games for Mauricio Pochettino, who saw four players that were previously uncapped score during this window.
That includes the 19-year-old Ellis, who bagged his second USMNT goal after scoring on his debut earlier in the international break against Peru.
As for Marsch, this marks his first loss since Canada’s Round of 16 elimination to Morocco at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Marsch was once again at the center of attention as the Wisconsin native faced his home nation after delivering some rather pointed criticism about the American mentality and how it translates to their global perception.
The United States completed a sweep of their international break with a 1-0 win over Canada
The result came after some pointed comments by US native and Canada coach Jesse Marsch
Marsch said Americans are propagandized and hated by the rest of the world for their belief that they’re the best nation on Earth: ‘We feel like we deserve to be treated differently.’
‘We, as Americans, have been inundated with propaganda since we were young,’ Marsch told The Guardian. ‘We’re the No 1 country in the world, we deserve everything, we dominate everything, No 1 in every aspect of life.
‘This is what we’ve been told. So, when things happen and we don’t feel like we’re in control of it … we feel like we deserve to be treated differently because we’re Americans.
‘That is one of the things that infuriates the rest of the world about Americans. And Americans don’t know that if they don’t ever leave the country.’
However true it may be, at least in the eyes of anyone that has never recited the ‘Pledge of Allegiance’ to begin their day in American public schools, it doesn’t help Marsch’s perception of being a man that cannot get past being snubbed by the federation he hoped to lead.
Marsch was considered the favorite to take over the USMNT after the 2022 World Cup, but was passed over for a second ill-fated tenure under Gregg Berhalter. It left a sour taste in the mouth of the former Leeds United boss, who has routinely fielded questions about his thoughts on the future of US Soccer and where he may fit in it.
Last March, the 52-year-old admitted to feeling ‘devastated and angry’ by the snub. After being branded as ‘performative’ for the hype speech he gave his Canada players after beating South Africa in the World Cup knockouts, Marsch told Time that he ‘doesn’t give a s***’ about his critics.
In that same interview, he went out of his way to say, unprompted: ‘Let me make it really clear: I will never coach the US national team. Ever. And that’s no problem. There was the possibility of me at one point, but I’m done with it. I don’t even care anymore.’
Despite these previous statements pointing towards unresolved anger, Marsch made it clear in Monday’s pre-match press conference that there’s ‘definitely not a grudge’ against the USSF: ‘People want to take it that way, which is fine.’
Ellis’ goal came off a simple cross from his Orlando City teammate, Alex Freeman
While Marsch blasted his players, Mauricio Pochettino preached humility for his debutants
Marsch may have been without some of his best players – including Cyle Larin, Tajon Buchanan and Alphonso Davies – but Les Rouges still managed to out-shoot their rivals. Despite their effort, none went past Nashville SC keeper Brian Schwake.
The deadlock was broken early when Orlando City fullback Alex Freeman found his club teammate Ellis with a simple cross that required only a simple touch to land in the net.
Marsch, who expressed his anger throughout the match, blasted his players in the post-game, saying: ‘We can’t just look like a group of hard workers who don’t put it together enough.’
Pochettino called up 13 players who had never been capped before and gave debuts to all of them throughout this window. The last of those players, Cole Campbell, earned his first cap off the bench against Canada.
With Pochettino in the beginning of his second era, the coach was asked if he felt any differently of the new members of his roster.
‘I don’t feel differently, no. I’m worried,’ Pochettino joked. ‘They need to keep being humble in their clubs and they need to be desperate again to earn [the right] to come [to camp].’
The coach added, ‘I think if we keep that mentality, that mindset, I think everything is possible.’
