Jesse Marsch Hired as Canada HC Through 2026 World Cup After Rumored USMNT Interest

The Canada Soccer Men's National Team announced Monday that former Red Bull Salzburg, RB Leipzig and Leeds United manager, Jesse Marsch, will take over as the club's head coach effective immediately.

Marsch released the following statement:

"It is an absolute honour to represent and lead the Canadian Men's National Team in our preparation for a home World Cup. The combination of the new leadership inside of Canada Soccer coupled with the potential of this dynamic player pool has inspired me, and I am ready and eager to take on this massive responsibility. My excitement and anticipation to get started are immense. One of my main goals will be to help unite the soccer community in Canada to support our efforts to be successful on and off the pitch. All In for 2026!"

Marsch—who also spent time in Major League Soccer as the manager of the Montreal Impact and New York Red Bulls—will be under contract with Canada through July 2026, giving him the chance to lead the team through the 2024 Copa America and presumably the 2026 World Cup.

The 50-year-old was reportedly in the running to get the USMNT coaching gig over the summer but ultimately was bypassed—or pulled his own name out of contention at the last minute—before Gregg Berhalter was controversially reappointed to the position.

Marsch said in March during an episode of his Call it What You Want podcast with cohost Jimmy Conrad that he wasn't interested in the USMNT gig.

He also previously told CBS Sports' Kate Abdo in Nov. 2023 that he believed his future was with a European club (h/t Jacob Schneider of Goal.com):

"I'm focused on what I'm doing here in Europe, which is trying this (punditry work), but I really still think that my future lies here in Europe and finding good clubs to coach here. I'm a little bit more of someone who enjoys the daily grind of being part of a team, and I feel like that's the way to really impact a group. So I mean, let's see what happens. You never know you can never say never, but I'm really happy living here in Europe. I'm really happy with with the challenge of getting to know new cultures, languages, teams, leagues... Champions League, right there's nothing for me bigger than Champions League."

It would appear that Canada was able to change his mind in that regard, however.

"After extensive consultation with expert stakeholders and a rigorous search process, I am delighted to make today's announcement," Kevin Blue, the CEO and general secretary of Canada Soccer, said in a statement. "Jesse is a transformational leader who will drive progress for our men's national team—and for Canadian soccer more broadly—as we enter the most important time in the domestic history of our sport."

Marsch's most recent managerial gigs haven't gone well. He lasted less than half a season with RB Leipzig in the 2021-22 campaign, and he made it through just one year—and parts of two seasons—with Leeds United between Feb. 2022 and Feb. 2023.

He hasn't picked up with another club or country since. Canada will be hoping he can regain the mojo that once made him one of the up-and-coming managers in world football.