'USMNT had the chance to hire me and now it's over' - Canada's Jesse Marsch insists he's no longer interested in U.S. job, enjoying role with the Reds

Jesse Marsch is America's most successful coach abroad, taking on three first division managerial roles with RB Salzburg, RB Leipzig and Leeds before eventually joining Canada. Prior to Canada's third-place match against the USMNT Sunday night, where they would win 2-1, Marsch spoke with CBS and defended himself against recent insults in the U.S. about being a traitor for coaching the Reds.

"This is not about being a traitor," Marsch said in the interview. "If I would have said, 'I'm not taking the U.S. job. I'm going to Canada?' Right? That's an important [distinction] then maybe you could say, yeah. But like, you know U.S. had the chance to hire me, and now it's over."

Long-rumored for the U.S. job, the team interviewed Marsch while investigating Gregg Berhalter for violent conduct. The USMNT elected to bring back Berhalter and a year later, Marsch reflected on the process saying he wasn't treated very well by U.S. Soccer.

READ MORE: Marsch talks to GOAL about Canada's growth and U.S.

"You know it's over, trust me, it is over. It is over," Marsch said of future interest in the USMNT role. "I'm enjoying my time in Canada entirely. Like, I'm thinking more about what could this look like long term, you know? And working with the game in the country, working with the coaching elements, trying to build a more robust youth national team program, trying to connect the dots of what the game is and what the sport is in the country. And I find that there's a lot of people that really want to work together and that part's been really nice."

Marsch's arrival in Canada heightened the rivalry between the Reds and the Americans. Canada have beaten the U.S. in their last two outings, including Sunday night, for the first time since 1985. And Marsch now wants Canada to continue to progress ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

"We had a good 2024, we did well at Copa America, all these things. And I just said, 'Look, culturally, the game is nowhere near what it is in Mexico, right?' So it's not just, do we have a good player pool and is our do we, you know, do we have a good foundation for what the team is," Marsch said. "Yes, we do. We can say that we're creating some high-level talents in these countries, but to put it all together culturally, right? To really understand how to be the best, to beat the best, to be amongst the best - like this is where the challenge lies."

Marsch has a 7-5-4 record as Canada's manager (WLD).

Canada will reconvene in June to play Ukraine and Ivory Coast in friendlies ahead of 2025 Gold Cup.