“If I have a message for our President, it is to “lay off the ridiculous rhetoric about Canada being the 51st state; as an American, I’m ashamed of the arrogance and disregard we’ve shown one of our historically oldest, strongest and most loyal allies,” said Canadian national team coach Jesse Marsch before the match against Mexico in the CONCACAF Nations League. His statements resonated across the country in the following days.

Marsch acknowledged that many people applauded his courage for not holding back and responding to the current president of the United States, Donald Trump, who indicated that Canada would become a state of the United States. However, he also received some warnings.

During an exclusive interview with The Athletic, Marsch confessed, “Shortly after that, someone told me I was really brave. I was like, ‘It’s freedom of speech,’ and then this person said, ‘Yeah, but aren’t you worried someone’s going to come after you?‘”

Marsch warned over anti-Trump comments

At first, it caught his attention, but Marsch noted that when 50 people came forward to say the same thing, he stated, “What kind of world are we living in? And what does that mean about the interpretation of what the U.S. government is right now? If that’s the response that 50 different people give me within one week, that’s a concerning theme among people that are Americans.”

Marsch, who took over the Canadian national team in May 2024 and led the Maple Leafs to a historic fourth-place finish in the Copa América just months later, defended the national team he leads, saying, “I feel like they deserve to be truly appreciated and celebrated for who and what they are.”

Trump’s combative rhetoric about the US annexation of its northern neighbor, Canada, and the push to impose high tariffs on Canadian imports has created a tense atmosphere that has spilled over into sports.

One such moment occurred in hockey, when the United States national anthem was booed in Montréal before a match between the two countries in the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey tournament.

Marsch acknowledges that it could affect preparations for the 2026 World Cup, especially since Canada is co-hosting the tournament with the United States and Mexico. Despite this, the coach is focused on the national team arriving in top form for next year’s tournament. Canada finished third after losing to Mexico in the semifinals and then winning the third-place match against the United States.