Canada are the first team through to the 2026 World Cup Round of 16 after a narrow victory against South Africa. The host nation were forced to play their first knockout game in the United States of America, but still managed to come away with a 1-0 win.
Jesse Marsch, born in the States, has guided Les Rouges to the last 16 despite being met with extreme doubt ever since his failed spell at Leeds United. Always wearing his heart on his sleeve, the 52-year-old even had to be held back from the referee after a controversial penalty decision in the game.
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Nonetheless, a goal from Stephen Eustaquio in stoppage time was enough to eliminate Bafana Bafana and progress to the next round, where Canada will face the winner of the Netherlands vs Morocco.
Jesse Marsch’s Full-Time Speech vs South Africa
Following the full-time whistle, Marsch and his players showed the extreme emotion they were feeling. The manager got into the middle of a huddle and gave an inspirational speech to his players.
ITV’s cameras and microphones captured the entire monologue. “Guys, think about the two years we’ve been together. Think about how we talked about the plan, sticking to who we want to be, playing aggressive and accessing your qualities,” the animated American said.
He went on to label the playing staff ‘Canadian heroes’ for the influence they’d have on younger generations getting involved in football. He continued:
“You guys showing your character. You guys are Canadian heroes. Canadian heroes for the future children of this country who play the sport. The sport has a big future because of you guys.
“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.”
Watch Jesse Marsch’s full speech below
While everyone involved with Canada, including players and fans, will have loved what they were hearing from the man who just took them to World Cup history, not everyone felt the same.
Marsch often got comparisons with fictional American college football coach Ted Lasso during his time in the Premier League. Supporters of other nations were quick to accuse the Canadian boss of ‘copying’ the TV character.
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Marsch’s behaviour has caused a huge stir.
One X user said: “Jesse Marsch is literally Ted Lasso, isn’t he? Such a strange man, and an American kissing the Canadian badge, wow!”
Another claimed: “The Ted Lasso vibes from Jesse Marsch are overwhelming,” while a fan stated Marsch was ‘leaning into’ the character: “Jesse Marsch really leans into the Ted Lasso thing.”
Others were even harsher on the World Cup boss, with one claiming the real man is more ‘cartoonish’: “Jesse Marsch famously didn’t like being likened to Ted Lasso. It was an unfair comparison. Ted Lasso is much less cartoonish.”
One asked for the ‘performative’ stuff to be kept to a minimum. “Less of this performative Ted Lasso bulls*** please. This team is winning and doing well despite Jesse. Not because of.”