On the other side of the screen, Jesse Marsch impresses us with his very good memory.
“When I went to Little Italy, to Café Olimpico, what was the first thing I saw when I entered, besides the coffee? », asks the new coach of Canada during a fifteen-minute interview with The PressTuesday afternoon.
” There Gazzetta dello Sport, answers the first head coach of the Impact in MLS to his own question. The way people were discussing Serie A and the Italian football team, it really stuck with me. »
The irony is that he is speaking to us today from Italy, where he took up residence eight months ago with his family after his wife obtained her Italian citizenship. Marsch plans to commute in the coming months to Toronto, where Canadian soccer is located, as well as across Europe to watch the matches of the team’s players based on the other side of the Atlantic. .
For him, the example of Café Olimpico constitutes one of the biggest “challenges” awaiting the Canadian selection between now and the next World Cup, partially organized in the country, in 2026.
We need to make the team culturally viable and exciting enough that Canadians of all backgrounds see it as as important as theirs.
Jesse Marsch
In this sense, he is closer to his predecessor John Herdman, who hammered this same point into press conference after press conference during the 2022 qualifications, with a view to the Cup organized in Qatar.
“There is certainly a pool of players electrifying and talented enough to bring out this passion,” assures the talkative and friendly coach, who passed through New York and the Austrian, German and English first divisions after his year and a half in Montreal.
“I chose this”
There was a lot of talk about identity during this interview with the representative of your newspaper, the day after the announcement of his appointment by Canada Soccer. Montrealer. Quebecois. Canadian.
And American. Because despite the general enthusiasm in reaction to the arrival of Marsch at the head of the selection, certain commentators have not overlooked the symbol of seeing an American, whose nation is the great rival of the maple leaf in CONCACAF, see leading the Reds.
We didn’t expect to receive such a passionate response when asked about the subject.
“I understand it,” he begins by saying, before laughing. By the way, this isn’t the first time I’ve been treated differently because I’m American! »
It is believed that this refers us to the numerous references to Ted Lasso expressed towards him when he was in charge of Leeds, in the Premier League, from February 2022 to February 2023. It was his last job as a coach.
“I embark on a project realistically. That’s why it took me so long [avant d’accepter un autre poste]. It cannot be underestimated how much I care about this relationship with this national team and this pool of players. It took me a while, and I had countless discussions about what I wanted to do in the future. And I chose this. »
All I can say is that my ultimate goal is to make this country proud. When the national anthem plays before the matches at the 2026 World Cup, I want the entire stadium, including the players, to shout at the top of their lungs. Let us be proud of who we are and the way we play. That’s all that matters to me. I want to represent this country, and the mentality of its people, and channel all that power into the way we play football.
Jesse Marsch
“Being Canadian means so much more”
His skills as a speaker are, for Patrice Bernier, one of the great qualities of Canada’s new coach.
“Jesse Marsch is a very good communicator,” said the former number 8 on the phone. I had moments at the beginning that could be described as tense or turbulent, because I didn’t play much. What I remember is that he always maintained the lines of communication. He was clear in stating his position. »
The time he spent in Montreal was a pivotal moment for Jesse Marsch.
“I learned a lot about Canadian culture,” he says. I almost made the mistake of thinking that Canada and the United States were very similar! When I started living and working in Canada, I realized that it was very different. The biggest difference is that although we consider ourselves multicultural in the United States, there is a lot of pressure to be American. Being Canadian means so much more, it’s more complex. We allow people a lot more to express who they are, through their origin and their personality. »
Which brings us to his learning of French. Almost from his first day in Montreal, he felt that he was going to have to make it his duty.
“I remember my first press conference,” he says. I had French lessons at school, so I had the basics. The journalist, I think it was Philippe Crépeau [de Radio-Canada], asked me if I was going to learn French. I said yes. He said: “What makes you different from all the other English speakers who say they want to learn French when they arrive in Montreal?” »
“I said, ‘I give you my word I’ll try.’ He almost challenged me, and I respond better to criticism than compliments! I took this seriously. »
Marsch was hired in August 2011. The Montreal Impact broadcast a video on May 7, 2012 showing the coach doing quite well in Vigneault’s language alongside his teacher Louis-André Bastien. Here is an excerpt.
En quête d’une « identité commune »
Lors de sa présentation au côté du secrétaire général de Canada Soccer, Kevin Blue, la veille, La Presse a demandé à Marsch comment se portait son français, aujourd’hui.
« Très mauvais ! », a-t-il répondu en riant, ajoutant par la suite qu’il avait « bien sûr » l’intention de reprendre son apprentissage.
« Ça m’a permis de m’intégrer à la communauté et de représenter ce qu’elle estime important. J’ai essayé de faire ça au cours de ma propre vie. »
Après son départ de Montréal et ce que plusieurs ont décrit comme des divergences d’opinions avec le propriétaire Joey Saputo – plus ça change… –, les Marsch sont partis faire le tour du monde. Leur blogue, mis à jour pour la dernière fois en septembre 2013, est toujours en ligne.
Le voyage illustre pour Jesse Marsch « ce que représente le football ». Comment la culture, la langue, la nourriture font partie de l’identité de chaque individu, explique-t-il.
« Je dis toujours : “Comment ces différences peuvent-elles nous rendre plus forts, et non plus faibles ?” C’est normal que si des choses nous rendent mal à l’aise, nous soyons tentés de les repousser. Ce qui est important, c’est qu’à travers nos différences, on crée une identité commune, et on trouve ce qui nous unit en tant que groupe. »
« Maximiser le potentiel » des individus
Jesse Marsch a connu du succès avec les Red Bulls de New York, les menant au Supporter’s Shield en 2015, ce qui lui a valu le titre d’entraîneur de l’année en MLS. Il a ensuite fait son chemin à travers la grande organisation des Red Bulls. Il est passé par Salzbourg, en Autriche, où il a connu ses plus grands succès jusqu’à maintenant, avec quatre titres en deux ans. Avec Leipzig, en Allemagne, ça a été plus succinct : il a quitté le club d’un commun accord en décembre après une fiche de sept victoires, quatre matchs nuls et six défaites à sa première saison à la barre.
Arrivé en Premier League en février 2022, il est parvenu à sauver Leeds de la relégation cette année-là, puis a été limogé un an plus tard.
Grâce à son « éducation » et ses « expériences, il se dit aujourd’hui « pas mal différent » de l’entraîneur qu’il était à Montréal, en 2012.
« Ce n’est pas juste d’être entraîneur de soccer, dit-il. C’est aussi d’apprendre à connaître les gens, de vouloir en apprendre plus, et d’aller chercher leur meilleure version. En maximisant le potentiel de qui ils sont en tant que personne, cela va se transmettre sur le soccer qu’ils jouent. »
Biello… et Bernier ?
Depuis le départ de John Herdman, c’est Mauro Biello qui a été à la tête de la sélection, à titre intérimaire. Biello est encore un membre de Canada Soccer, nous confirme-t-on. Et Jesse Marsch affirme lui avoir parlé depuis l’annonce de sa nomination, lundi. Les deux ont travaillé ensemble à Montréal, à l’époque.
« C’était bien de prendre de ses nouvelles, de lui parler de sa famille, et de voir Alessandro jouer son premier match avec le CF Montréal… puisque ça ne s’appelle plus l’Impact de Montréal ! On a parlé de la possibilité de retravailler ensemble dans l’avenir. On va voir comment ça va se passer. J’espère continuer d’avoir ce dialogue avec lui. »
Patrice Bernier, justement, pourrait-il être considéré pour le rejoindre sur son personnel d’entraîneurs ?
« Je n’avais pas pensé à Patrice ! C’est une bonne idée [this is a good shout] ! I have to contact him anyway, to hear from him. »
Marsch nevertheless concedes that he must “navigate” through tight “financial resources,” and find a way to “maximize” them. In other words: “You can’t do everything you want to do at once, you have to establish a process and rely on it. »