Jesse Marsch, the current head coach of the Canadian men's national soccer team and a former player for the U.S. national team, has stated that he "doesn't really care" whether the United States advances to the Round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup. Marsch, who is from Wisconsin, spoke following Canada's World Cup progress.
Canada secured its first World Cup knockout stage victory recently, and Marsch indicated he is not focused on the U.S. team's prospects against Bosnia-Herzegovina. "I know a couple of players on their team, and Bosnia is a group of fighters, so they were not easy to play against," Marsch said. "I was very complimentary of them after the game. I thought we could have been better in the match, but I think that whoever they play, they will give a really hard match."
Marsch's remarks come as U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino aims to lead the United States to its first World Cup knockout stage victory since 2002. "It's up to the U.S. to figure out, and they can learn from the matches that Bosnia played," Marsch added.
Marsch had a playing career primarily in the United States, including stints with the Chicago Fire and D.C. United. He also made two appearances for the USMNT, one in a 2001 World Cup qualifier and another in a 2007 friendly. His coaching career includes a period as an assistant to Bob Bradley with the United States.
Earlier in the tournament, Marsch drew attention for comments about national anthem singing. He claimed he "had to beg" U.S. players to sing the anthem during his coaching tenure, contrasting it with the Canadian players who he said "belt it out to the top of their lungs" to show pride in representing Canada. Canada and Bosnia played to a 1-1 draw on June 12, a result that prevented Canada from winning its group and advancing to the Round of 32 on home soil.