Twenty-four hours after Canada’s historic victory at the World Cup — a 1-0 win over South Africa, clinched via an unforgettable Stephen Eustaquio goal in the match’s final moments — the Red and White appear to be the talk of the tournament.
But it hasn’t been the Canadians’ incredible run that’s garnered chatter from pundits abroad — a march that’s seen the Canadian men advance to the Round of 16 for the first time in the program’s history — it’s head coach Jesse Marsch who’s been in the spotlight.
The Canadian squad’s leading man made waves after his group booked their ticket to the last 16, gathering his players in a huddle on the pitch and heaping emphatic praise upon them.
“This sport has a big future because of you guys,” Marsch told his players post-game. “You should be so proud of who you are. You should be so proud of this game. You never lost belief. You went after it, point after point, moment after moment.
“You are Canadian heroes.“
Marsch’s lauding of his players after what was undoubtedly the biggest victory in Canadian men’s soccer history has drawn plenty of criticism among pundits, particularly south of the border. Let’s see what the soccer world is saying about the Canadian squad and its leader.
CBS Sports: Deeney, Balboa criticize timing of Marsch’s speech, call it ‘performance'
Former Watford striker and brief Forest Green Rovers coach, Troy Deeney, was particularly critical of Marsch, arguing the timing of the speech felt off.
“It’s not necessarily wrong, but also, it’s moments like this when Jesse Marsch comes under pressure. Because yes, they’ve gone so far, but they’re treating this as if they’ve won the World Cup,” Deeney said of the speech during a CBS Sports segment. “Whatever comes next now, it’s a super, super bonus. … That’s like a motivational speech for once you’ve lost. That should’ve been, ‘Hey, we knew we could be here. This is what we’ve worked towards. Great job. Enjoy tonight. Let’s watch a couple of games and get back to work.’
“I think it’s just a bit too much. At certain times, I think he’s just a bit too much.”
Deeney spent a half-decade in the Premier League as a player and the rest of his career in England's lower-tier leagues. The striker did not represent his country on the international stage.
“They’re just telling me in my ear that was all on the pitch — now I lose all respect for it,” Deeney continued later in the segment. “Because that’s all performance, that’s all rehearsed, ‘If we win, this is what I’m going to do.’ I lose all respect for it. Because there’s certain times, there’s certain moments, that things are for the dressing room. They just stay in the dressing room.”
Fellow pundit Marcelo Balboa, who represented the U.S. at two World Cups, similarly criticized the timing of Marsch’s speech.
“He does like to put on a show,” Balboa said. “I’m not a fan of speeches like that, only because the job’s not done. It’s like when you walk around and every player’s a legend now, everybody’s a legend, and you overuse that word. Everybody’s world-class. I get it, he’s trying to keep the guys motivated — I guess I would’ve been more like, ‘Listen, we didn’t play great and we found a way to win. Good teams find ways to win, and you move on.’
“To say ‘Canadian heroes,’ yes, they are going to be the most recognizable faces in Canada, which is fantastic — this is what they want for their sport, just like what we want for our sport. But at the end of the day, that speech maybe goes down the road a little bit. When you get knocked out, you tell everybody that.
“But this is Jesse — Jesse’s emotional. He wears his emotions on his sleeve, and this is just who he is.”
The Guardian: Butler calls Canada-South Africa match a ‘snoozefest’
The Guardian’s Michael Butler critiqued everything that came before Marsch’s speech, too.
“What a match it wasn’t, as South Africa and Canada played out an absolute stinker, with the first knockout tie containing more missed passes than an episode of Love Island, and fewer shots than James Milner on a stag do,” Butler wrote. “Mercifully, after nearly 100 minutes of goalless anti-football, we were spared an additional half-hour of tedium as Canada’s Stephen Eustáquio struck in stoppage time to send the co-hosts through to the last 16 at the expense of Bafana Bafana.”
While Butler joined in on poking fun at Marsch’s excitement, he also acknowledged the immense weight of Canada’s win over South Africa.
“That his side were about as watchable as a Liz Truss YouTube show will not matter one jot to Canada’s USA USA USA head coach Jesse Marsch, who at least kept us entertained just off the pitch by belting out the anthem and literally kissing the badge of his adopted nation. While there will be some snobbery aimed at Marsch’s performative post-match speech to his players on the pitch — “You guys are Canadian heroes today, Canadian heroes for the future children of this country who play this sport,” he Ted-Lassoed — it’s important to remember that despite the absolute snoozefest in Los Angeles, the result for Canada is unprecedented.
“The 1-0 victory over South Africa was Canada’s first game, first win and saw their first goal in the knockout stages of a men’s World Cup. Marsch’s men now have passage through to the last 16, where they will face one of Netherlands or Morocco. Chapeau, as they presumably say in Quebec.”
talkSPORT’s Brian T. Smith: Praises Marsch, calls him ‘most hated man in the World Cup’
Then there's talkSPORT’s Brian T. Smith, who appears to be on board with Marsch’s emphatic embrace of his new nation and the results he’s found so far.
“Congratulations to Jesse Marsch on becoming the most hated man in the World Cup, and definitely the most hated man in America right now,” Smith said. “Look, I want to say that I hate what Marsch is doing — [that] I can’t stand it, it’s outrageous, oh my God — [but] honestly, I don’t believe that at all. I love what Marsch is doing. I think it’s hilarious. He has become the ultimate heel. Turncoat, that’s a term we used to hear back in the day — Jesse Marsch is one step away from getting on the top rope and leaping onto the mat, onto an American flag. … And he’s doing it all to win in the World Cup, to get the best out of his team.
“Look, Marsch is from Wisconsin. He couldn’t get the main job with USMNT, so he goes to Canada. He’s done a pretty nice job with that team. He’s giving the fiery speeches, and that’s why we’re talking about him. He’s taking the badge and he’s kissing it — he is from Wisconsin! He is not a Canadian! But he’s doing what he has to to win in the World Cup. And this is what I love about the World Cup, and why I have no problem with what Marsch is doing. He’s getting the best out of his team.
"If you’re the head coach of Canada, and the whole world is talking about you, in the World Cup, you’re probably actually doing something right.”
For Marsch’s part, the Canada coach made clear he remains unfazed by outside opinions of his methods.
“Look, people like to say it’s performative to meet on the pitch, and frankly, I don’t give a s*** what people have to say,” Marsch said following Sunday’s win. “All I care about is our own team and what we do together. In these moments, it’s hard because after the game, everyone gets pulled in a million different directions by media, and you don’t really have a chance to be with your team unless you take that moment right there.
“I always try to get the leaders to speak, because they’re Canadian, this is their national team. But I wanted to be able to voice to them how important a moment this will prove to be, for the sport and the country and the national team program.”
