Former Leeds boss Marsch becomes Canada’s men’s national team coach through 2026 World Cup

American Jesse Marsch was hired Monday as coach of Canada’s men’s national football team and signed to a contract through the 2026 World Cup.

The 50-year-old takes over Canada ahead of the Copa America, where Canada plays defending champion Argentina in the tournament opener on June 20. Marsch replaced John Herdman, who left last year to become coach of Toronto in Major League Soccer. Assistant Mauro Biello had served as interim coach.

Canada has an automatic World Cup berth as co-host along with the United States and Mexico. The Canadians reached the World Cup in 2022 for the first time since 1986 and went 0-3, losing to Belgium, Croatia and Morocco.

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The Canada Soccer Association said owners of Canada’s three MLS teams — Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver — had made financial contributions that enabled Marsch’s hiring.

After playing for Princeton and then D.C., Chicago and Chivas USA in MLS, Marsch became a U.S. national team assistant under Bob Bradley in 2010-11, then became the first head coach of MLS’s Montreal Impact (2011-12).

He coached the New York Red Bulls (2015-18), Red Bull Salzburg (2019-21), RB Leipzig (2021) and Leeds United (2022-23).