Canadian national soccer team head coach and Wisconsin native Jesse Marsch is drawing significant criticism from Fox Sports soccer analysts Clint Dempsey and Thierry Henry over some recent comments.
Speaking ahead of Canada’s 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday, Marsch claimed he had to beg American players to sing their anthem during his stint as a USMNT assistant coach at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
‘In the US sometimes we had to beg players to sing the national anthem,’ Marsch said Thursday. ‘These guys belt it out to the top of their lungs because they want to show the country how proud they are to be here, to be Canadians and to represent what Canada is.’
Dempsey, a member of the 2010 US squad that reached the Round of 16, disputed that version of events.
‘He really said that?’ Dempsey said Friday. ‘Man, I can’t take this guy too seriously. It was an honor for me growing up [to] represent my country,’ the native Texan continued.
‘When the national anthem happened, I wasn’t someone who normally would sing. I put my hand over my heart, and I’d pray to the good man upstairs. I’m someone who’s bled for this country. I broke my nose playing for this country. I’ve come back from two heart procedures and played for this country.’
Clint Dempsey didn’t sing during the anthem, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t proud, he said
Marsch made his comments before Canada’s 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina
Marsch said American players didn’t sing their anthem prior to games during the 2010 World Cup. Here those players are seen with their hands on their hearts during the anthem
Then Dempsey questioned Marsch’s loyalty as an American citizen coaching one of his country’s biggest rivals.
‘I’m not going to take advice from someone who switched to the other side and is singing another country’s national anthem,’ Dempsey added. ‘And as my boy [Henry] would say, stay in your own lane. It looks like he’s in a dang moped, so worry about your own team.’
Henry also took issue with Marsch, whom he criticized for portraying his team as an underdog.
Team Canada currently boasts Bayern Munich star left-back Alphonso Davies and Juventus forward Jonathan David, although Marsch’s record with Les Rouges is just 12-12-5 since taking the job in 2024.
And because of Canada’s rising profile in international soccer, Henry is tired of what he views as false modesty. Instead, the legendary Frenchman told the Fox panel, Marsch should get used to facing expectations.
‘You got to walk the walk and talk the talk. You can’t hide behind the fact that you are a decent team,’ Henry said before Canada’s draw. ‘You took a job, by the way, that someone started… That team was already there when he arrived. Yes, he elevated them. Let’s see what he can do today against Bosnia [and Herzegovina].’
French former Arsenal FC player Thierry Henry also criticized Marsch on Fox’s pregame show
Speaking with reporters after Friday’s draw, Marsch did take the blame for the disappointing result by saying he ‘didn’t do enough’ to prepare his team for Bosnia. As a result, he felt his team looked stiff in the first half, which ended with Canada trailing 1-0.
Fortunately for Marsch & Co., Cyle Larin scored the equalizer in the 78th minute.
‘I’m disappointed with the first half,’ Marsch said. ‘I just felt we were tentative. We didn’t play as aggressively as I would have liked.
‘I got to figure out how to get a little bit more out of some of the starters too, and make sure that we have a better performance from the start,’ Marsch said.
Canada faces Qatar on June 18 following the latter’s impressive 1-1 draw with Switzerland on Saturday.
