Canada coach Jesse Marsch: ‘Will MLS owners dictate selection? Come on man!’

Until very recently, Jesse Marsch had plenty of time. The clock didn't crunch, it ticked. Not now. He has landed in another country, this time Spain, checked into another hotel room and has to get refreshed for a dinner date.

That it is Cyle Larin, the Real Mallorca striker and Canada's record male goalscorer, who will be joining him for the meal hints at why time has become a precious commodity in Marsch's world.

Last week, the 50-year-old American became the newest head coach of the Canadian men's national team, a nine-month search ending with an appointment that was close to stunning. Not because Marsch doesn't hit the mark but the opposite: the former Leeds and Leipzig manager was overqualified for the role given the financial parameters that Canada Soccer was operating in.

That was until a new CEO found a unique workaround (more on that soon). And so the man who many had hoped would lead the host nation into the 2026 World Cup will indeed do so. Just not the hosts they'd been thinking of.

"It's been a crazy few days," Marsch tells the Guardian. "I'm trying to travel to see the players, trying to go here, there and everywhere and a lot of logistical things to sort out in between. So it's been a little crazy but hey, I made it to Mallorca. It's felt great - like I thought it would."

Before heading out to dine with Larin, he's shaving off time to dig into some implications and observations around Monday's announcement. In an instant Marsch became the most high-profile hire in Canadian football history and not a moment too soon with the nation's Copa America in a month, the World Cup two years away and so, so much to be done. But in some hearts and minds south of the border, he is also something approaching a traitor.

Marsch is as worldly as coaches come. Stints in Canada, the US, Austria, Germany and Yorkshire are just part of it. He's visited 80 countries, calls Tuscany home and all three of his children study abroad. Perhaps those who reacted to the American taking over Canada with jibes about loyalty or treachery need a few more stamps in their passport?