As the June 12 Group B kickoff brings Canada into its first-ever World Cup home match, Jesse Marsch and Bosnian midfielder Esmir Bajraktarević—both tied to Wisconsin—say their paths feel personal, even if they’ve never met. Bajraktarević, born in Appleton and
When the biggest World Cup ever begins, the storylines won’t just be on the pitch. They’ll also be in places people carry with them—names, hometowns, and the kind of memories that land differently once a match actually starts.
On June 12. Group B gets underway with Canada hosting its first World Cup match. and Jesse Marsch finds himself in a familiar kind of neighborhood. even if he’s never met the opponent he’ll be watching closely. The Canadian men’s national team coach said he and Esmir Bajraktarević—his counterpart on the Bosnia and Herzegovina side—have never crossed paths. Still. if they were to link up after that Group B kickoff. Marsch said they’d likely start with what Wisconsin means to both of them.
“Maybe we’ll get together and talk about the Packers and Cheeseheads and all that kind of stuff,” Marsch said at a June 12 news conference. “I hope he still remembers that.”
Bajraktarević’s connection to Wisconsin runs deeper than a nickname or a shared fandom. He was born in the United States—Appleton, Wisconsin, specifically—after his parents left war-torn Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2001. Despite coming up through the U.S. national team’s system, he switched allegiances to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a move approved by FIFA in 2024.
“It’s just very proud for me every time I play for Bosnia,” Bajraktarević told ESPN Netherlands. “It’s a different feeling. It’s where my parents come from and it’s what I always thought of myself as – as a Bosnian. It’s the best feeling.”
“In (my) heart, I always knew since I was little that it was going to be Bosnia at the end of the day. There’s videos of me wearing (Bosnian legend) Edin Džeko’s jerseys growing up. He was my favorite player growing up, and it’s just something you dream of.”
For Bosnia, the dream became real in dramatic fashion. Bajraktarević was dubbed “The Milwaukee Messi” after he netted the game-winning penalty kick against Italy to send Bosnia and Herzegovina to its second-ever World Cup—and its first since 2014. He described that moment as something he’s still trying to put into words.
“It was like a dream come true,” he told FOX Sports. “It sounds (cheesy), but that’s the only way I can explain it.”
In Wisconsin. the circles are often close-knit—and Marsch’s familiarity with that network is part of why he speaks about Bajraktarević with a coach’s focus rather than a tourist’s curiosity. Marsch, a native of Kenosha, said there is plenty of crossover between people they both know from the Badger State.
More importantly for scouting, Marsch knows those who have coached the 21-year-old at his professional stops: the New England Revolution and PSV in the Netherlands.
Bajraktarević left Wisconsin at 16 to start at the Revolution’s youth academy. He then made 48 appearances with New England from 2022-24. Since joining PSV, he has logged 38 caps and scored 7 goals with 5 assists across all competitions.
Marsch said he’s proud of what Bajraktarević represents for the state, but the pride comes with a practical edge. Bajraktarević is the kind of player a national team can’t afford to give time and space to.
“Certainly, as a Wisconsinite, I’m proud of what a great player he is. He’s one of, if not the best, player to ever come out of that state,” Marsch said. “I maybe held that for, like, a three-week period.”
“He’s a very talented young man. I still think he has a big future. And he is one of the players that we’re keying in on to make sure he doesn’t have an easy day, because we know when he has time and space, that he can be a creator, he can be a contributor. He’s an important guy for them for sure.”
For all the global scale of the tournament—48 teams and three host countries—the meeting point between Marsch and Bajraktarević feels like it could be closer than most people expect: a Wisconsin connection that now runs straight through a World Cup moment. with Canada’s home opener on the calendar and a midfielder carrying Bosnia in the way he talks about his own origins.
Jesse Marsch Esmir Bajraktarević Wisconsin Canada World Cup Bosnia and Herzegovina FIFA 2024 switch Appleton Kenosha New England Revolution PSV Milwaukee Messi