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 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.”
