Jesse Marsch’s claim that he had to beg American players to sing the national anthem during the 2010 World Cup has sparked a pointed dispute involving Clint Dempsey and Thierry Henry, amid Canada’s build-up to Qatar.
The exchange landed hard enough to travel with Canada into its latest match.
On Friday. as Jesse Marsch watched Canada settle for a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina. the Wisconsin-born head coach was still dealing with the fallout from comments he made earlier this week about the 2010 World Cup. Marsch said he had to beg American players to sing their national anthem while he was a USMNT assistant coach in South Africa.
“In the US sometimes we had to beg players to sing the national anthem,” Marsch said Thursday. He added that the American players “belt it out to the top of their lungs” because they want to show they are proud to represent their country.
Clint Dempsey—an integral part of that 2010 US squad that reached the Round of 16—did not accept that version of events. “He really said that?” Dempsey asked Friday. The native Texan then pushed back with a direct sense of who he was during national anthems and what pride looked like to him. “It was an honor for me growing up [to] represent my country,” Dempsey continued.
Dempsey said he wasn’t someone who normally would sing during the anthem. saying he put his hand over his heart and prayed. He also framed the issue through his own commitment to the shirt: “I’m someone who’s bled for this country. I broke my nose playing for this country. I’ve come back from two heart procedures and played for this country.”.
The argument didn’t stop at the anthem.
Dempsey questioned Marsch’s loyalty after Marsch. an American coach now leading one of the United States’ biggest rivals. described an American-team behavior that Dempsey clearly felt was misrepresented. “I’m not going to take advice from someone who switched to the other side and is singing another country’s national anthem. ” Dempsey added. He urged Marsch to focus on his current job. saying. “And as my boy [Henry] would say. stay in your own lane. It looks like he’s in a dang moped, so worry about your own team.”.
Thierry Henry joined the friction from the Fox Sports studio, turning the spotlight onto a different accusation: that Marsch was talking Canada down instead of meeting the expectations the team now faces.
Henry said Marsch should stop hiding behind being a “decent team.” “You got to walk the walk and talk the talk. You can’t hide behind the fact that you are a decent team. ” Henry told the Fox panel ahead of Canada’s match. He argued that Marsch was hired into a squad that was already taking shape. saying. “You took a job. by the way. that someone started… That team was already there when he arrived. Yes, he elevated them. Let’s see what he can do today against Bosnia [and Herzegovina].”.
Canada enters this stage with notable names, including Bayern Munich star left-back Alphonso Davies and Juventus forward Jonathan David. Yet Henry pointed at results and tone in the same breath. Marsch’s record with Les Rouges is listed at 12-12-5 since taking the job in 2024.
After the 1-1 draw on Friday, Marsch did not avoid the football side either. He spoke to reporters about the disappointment of the match itself and accepted blame for what he felt didn’t happen early enough. He said he “didn’t do enough” to prepare the team for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Marsch explained why the first half looked so controlled but not sharp. Canada trailed 1-0 after the opening period, and Marsch said the team appeared stiff—feeling “tentative” and not playing “as aggressively as I would have liked.”
“I’m disappointed with the first half,” Marsch said. “I just felt we were tentative. We didn’t play as aggressively as I would have liked.”
He then added that he needs to get more production out of starters and that Canada must improve from the start: “I got to figure out how to get a little bit more out of some of the starters too, and make sure that we have a better performance from the start.”
The match swung in Canada’s favor late. Cyle Larin scored the equalizer in the 78th minute, turning a difficult first half into a draw.
With the anthem feud continuing to simmer off the pitch, Canada now turns immediately to the next test. Marsch’s team faces Qatar on June 18, following Qatar’s impressive 1-1 draw with Switzerland on Saturday.
For Canada’s coach, the week has become two jobs at once: keep the group focused after a scrappy first half—and survive the kind of public, personal pushback that follows any claim about pride, loyalty, and who represents what.
Jesse Marsch Clint Dempsey Thierry Henry Canada vs Bosnia and Herzegovina Cyle Larin Alphonso Davies Jonathan David Qatar vs Switzerland World Cup 2010 USMNT assistant coach