—Even seven years after leaving the New York Red Bulls, Jesse Marsch can’t seem to get himself away from the team’s training facility in Whippany, New Jersey.
This week, he’s back as head coach of the Canadian men’s national team, taking the next steps towards the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a friendly against No. 13-ranked Colombia on Tuesday night.
His jacket drips as he addresses reporters after coming inside from a training session amid a fall storm on Canadian Thanksgiving Monday.
Yet, if there’s anything he’s thankful for, it’s the opportunity to lead the already-qualified hosts through a dutifully planned World Cup preparation schedule.
“World Cup qualification builds character, but we’ve been able to do that internally and really focus on our process, our style of play, and making sure we understand what those are like,” he said, with Canada facing friendlies in place of enduring the rigors of Concacaf World Cup qualifying.
“We’ve been able to face African nations, some European nations and now a South American [nation]… from an understanding of what those games, from a football perspective, will require, we will have a real good sense of that once we get to the World Cup.”
