It was anything but another ordinary Saturday in Vancouver on January 31st as The Coaches Site had the immense pleasure of hosting a fireside chat with Jesse Marsch, Coach of Team Canada’s Men’s Soccer Team.
The event, held at SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 250 people, featured Marsch being interviewed one-on-one by Aaron Wilbur, Founder of The Coaches Site. The two discussed a wide range of subjects, including Marsch's childhood spent falling in love with the beautiful game, his own pro playing career, and a coaching mindset that’s infectious for his soccer players and, fairly soon, all of Canada.
This list could be 15 or 20 points long, but here are five pillars that define who Marsch is as a person and a coach, and how we can all buy in to his philosophy in advance of the World Cup of Soccer.
1. The Power of Diversity
One of soccer's primary advantages is the access children all over the world have to a ball, a net, and a group of willing pals. This is how Marsch grew up, in a classroom filled with kids who didn’t necessarily look exactly like him, but shared his passion.
“Excellence isn’t cultural, it’s human.”
2. Honest Feedback & Coachability
We’re all looking for players who are coachable. Marsch recalled a story in which his father was particularly tough on him after a game in which his team won 3–0 and he had all three goals. Skill is one thing, but every player must run hard, every player can do extra before and after practice. As coaches, it’s our job to deliver the message. According to Marsch, every elite athlete wants to know what they can do better. The little things make the biggest difference.
3. 2026 is the New 1994
Where were you when Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal in overtime in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver? Marsch remembers where he was during the 1994 World Cup, hosted by the United States. That tournament was a catalyst for the life Marsch and thousands of others went on to pursue. For Marsch, 2026 will do the same. We all have an opportunity to rally around Team Canada and an exciting, high-pressure style of soccer that’s sure to catch some powerful nations off guard.
4. The Standard
The last two points speak to Canada’s relatively small stature on an international stage of giants - the United States, Mexico, and Brazil, to name a few. For Coach Marsch, it’s simple: why not us?
“We (Canada) can be a little bit too nice. If we really want to be good at the international level, we have to put bigger demands and bigger standards on everything we do.”
Marsch says that he’s blown away by the brotherhood of this version of Team Canada. But he can also define what the best games on earth look like and how they feel. The attention to detail required can push this team to new heights.
5. The Mindset
That mindset shift of what excellence looks like comes from the standard. You don’t get to be an elite country in one of the world’s most popular sports just because you have a snarly, relentless, true north attitude. But for Team Canada, once the standard shifted, the mindset followed. Marsch has planted that growth mindset in different clubs throughout his coaching career, and now he’s planting it in an entire nation.
The question remains simple for Team Canada: why not us?
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