Peak leaf hasn’t yet arrived in Montreal but the bursts of gold and butterscotch up on the hill that gave this place its name still mushroom out by the hour. Sitting in a glass-panelled hotel mezzanine at the foot of Mount Royal, Canada men’s coach Jesse Marsch has his mind on another harvest. When this extended autumnal international window ends, he will decamp to Italy, where the olive crops at his Tuscan villa are ready for reaping.
Flight paths between Canada and Europe have been busy lately, and figurative transatlantic distances are closing fast. As Canada’s relations with the noisiest neighbour to the south stretch and fray, Canadian prime minister Mark Carney is forging alliances with the EU so close that the bloc is apparently inventing new membership categories. As an American residing in Europe who is also a Canadian leader with robust approval ratings, Marsch is watching.
Right?” Marsch tells the Guardian. There’s talk of [Canada becoming an associate EU member] even actually happening. You can see that Canada is not just a North American country any more, you know?
That bodes well for our sport and for the makeup of our team, the makeup of our fans.” Having led Canada’s men to historic highs at this summer’s World Cup, Marsch is feeling his way into his second act in the job. Some of his sideline displays – we’ll get to that meme – may have irked outsiders, especially in his homeland, during the tournament. Yet, having extended for four more years, Marsch is someone an overwhelming majority of Canadians are happy to have at the helm.
There are more than a few cross-points between Marsch and Carney. I’ve met Clinton, George Bush Sr, Obama, Trump, Biden. Carney, compared to all of them, the closest would be Obama.
A real air of intelligence, but a real air of being a regular guy. I think that that’s perfect for this country and this moment. I made a joke with him that ‘I heard you’re an Everton fan?’ and he goes, ‘Yeah’.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
