Whether over the phone from his home in Tuscany or on short trips around Europe, Jesse Marsch has taken on a new role in his profile as the Canadian men’s national team head coach—an agent.
Since taking over as head coach of Canada midway through 2024, Marsch has not only instilled a high-paced tactical identity into the team but has also emerged as a leader for each player’s footballing career.
Although Canada has risen in global soccer, Marsch’s player pool remains minimal. For him and his predecessor, John Herdman, there has been a clear focus on developing depth beyond 40 or 50 names, but there’s significant room to grow.
For Marsch, getting more from what he has, whether it be offering guidance to Jonathan David on his move from Lille to Juventus, Tajon Buchanan on his move to Villarreal, or Ismäel Koné’s loan to U.S. Sassuolo, following a dramatic fallout with Olympique Marseille.
“I’ve enjoyed this work; it’s been busy the last four weeks, maybe I should have become an agent instead of a football coach, but this is something that I care about. I want to see these guys put themselves in situations to succeed,” he told Sports Illustrated and other media after naming his most recent Canadian squad.
At least six players called up to the Canadian team for the September friendlies against Romania and Wales have since switched clubs, following the team's elimination from the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinals.
While he has yet to see a player sign for one of the clubs he has coached outside of MLS, the 51-year-old has leveraged his unique network to benefit the national team and help his players secure clubs.
The decisions, though, cannot be rash. With the World Cup looming, players from all countries know they need to be in form—not just at a big club—and that comes with calculated decisions.
“I'm having discussions every day with agents, clubs and coaches, trying to support our guys and help with my connections, while also giving feedback to clubs and players about the potential of what a new club could mean for their future, especially ahead of next summer,” Marsch added.
“I love that our guys are intelligent enough and worldly enough on how the game works to think very carefully about these decisions in terms of what's best for them in their careers. It’s usually not about the finances or the fame or the idea of what playing at the biggest clubs could be like, and it’s more about how they create a career path for themselves to have the best chance to achieve their potential and be the best they can be, which I think is absolutely the right strategy.”
Changes in the National Team
Finding the right club is crucial in the lead-up to the World Cup, and it also involves an adjustment from the national team side, as the staff adapts to players’ new and evolving profiles.
At one point, it was Herdman finding Davies as a more attacking option rather than his left back role at FC Bayern, and more recently, it could be adapting the highly contested second striker role alongside David to best mirror what develops in his early days at Juventus.
Yet, that adaptation ultimately comes down to the players. CF Villarreal’s Tani Oluwaseyi, who recently moved from Minnesota United, had played a counter-attacking style with Minnesota and a more possession-based role with Canada.
“The biggest thing for me is that I know what the national team requires. So that’s always in the back of my mind,” the striker told Sports Illustrated about adapting with club and country at the Gold Cup. “Even in Minnesota, in the moments when I have the ball, I try to keep the touches clean, and to do the things that I know that I’ll have to do with Canada, so every time I come here, I don’t have to adjust.”
For Marsch and his staff, that has meant emphasizing the best move for players, even if it means staying in MLS, as seen with Mathieu Choiniére returning to the league with LAFC after struggling for minutes in Switzerland’s top flight.
“Most of our guys are really conscious about making calculated decisions on what’s best for their career,” Marsch said. “Before it was just guys trying to get to Europe, and now you see that a lot more of our guys are thinking about how each club is like, where do they want to go how to get there, and things like the tactical fit, the coach, the style of football in the league, and what the club represents, and then seeing what fits.”
With all of the new moves, though, it comes down to the September window and four others in the lead-up to the World Cup, as the roster not only becomes clear but also the style in which Canada will play after heartbreak at the Gold Cup.
“I’m really proud of our team and our guys, so I want to support them as much as I can,” Marsch said, all eyes focused on the June 11 World Cup opener in Toronto, with forthcoming looks at Romania, Wales, Australia and Colombia in the fall.
“To a man, I think the guys have understood the reasons and the strategies behind what we’re trying to do here, and they’ve tried to put it into practice in the best way they can. Frankly, as fans and supporters of theirs, it’s been really fun to watch week-in and week-out their performances, progression, and development as the opportunities grow for our players.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Maybe I Should Have Been an Agent’ – How Jesse Marsch Pushed Canada Soccer Through the Transfer Window.