After delivering a fiery pre-match critique of American arrogance, Canada coach Jesse Marsch was reminded that his side still has ground to make up against its southern rival.
The latest chapter in the United States-Canada soccer rivalry belonged to the Americans, with Orlando City forward Justin Ellis scoring the only goal in a 1-0 USMNT victory.
The result gave Mauricio Pochettino a perfect four wins from four matches, while four players who had yet to earn an international cap found the net during the window.
Ellis, just 19, was among them. The Orlando City striker claimed his second USMNT goal after opening his account on his debut against Peru earlier in the international break.
For Marsch, the defeat was his first since Canada were eliminated by Morocco in the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Wisconsin-born coach again became a central figure before facing his home country, having made pointed comments about the American mindset and the way it shapes the United States’ reputation around the world.
The United States capped its international break with a 1-0 victory over Canada
The win followed sharp pre-match remarks from US-born Canada coach Jesse Marsch
Marsch said Americans are shaped by propaganda and disliked around the world because they believe the United States is the planet’s top nation: ‘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 the message we’ve received. So, when events unfold and we no longer feel in control of them … we believe we should be treated differently simply 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.’
Whatever truth his remarks may contain, particularly for those who have never started the day by reciting the ‘Pledge of Allegiance’ in an American public school, they do little to dispel the impression that Marsch remains frustrated after being overlooked for the job he wanted.
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Marsch was viewed as the leading candidate to take charge of the USMNT after the 2022 World Cup, only for the federation to choose Gregg Berhalter for a second, ultimately unsuccessful spell. The decision clearly lingered with the former Leeds United manager, who has repeatedly been asked about the direction of US Soccer and whether he might one day be part of it.
Last March, the 52-year-old said he felt ‘devastated and angry’ after being passed over. And when critics labeled the motivational speech he delivered to his Canada players after their World Cup knockout victory over South Africa as ‘performative,’ Marsch told Time that he ‘doesn’t give a s***’ about their opinions.
During that interview, he also volunteered a firm rejection of any future return to the USMNT: ‘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.’
Even with those comments suggesting lingering resentment, Marsch insisted at Monday’s pre-match news conference that he has ‘definitely not a grudge’ against the USSF. ‘People want to take it that way, which is fine,’ he said.
Ellis finished a straightforward cross from Orlando City teammate Alex Freeman to decide the match
As Marsch criticized his players, Mauricio Pochettino urged humility from his international newcomers
Canada were missing several key players, including Cyle Larin, Tajon Buchanan and Alphonso Davies, yet Les Rouges still recorded more shots than their rivals. Their pressure ultimately produced no goals, however, as Nashville SC goalkeeper Brian Schwake kept every attempt out.
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.’