United States men's national team legend Clint Dempsey fired back at Jesse Marsch after the Canada coach said U.S. players needed encouragement to sing their national anthem during his time as a coach with the program.
Marsch, who served as an assistant to Bob Bradley with the USMNT from 2010-11, told reporters Thursday that the coaching staff sometimes had to "beg" American players to recite the anthem before matches.
Dempsey, serving as an analyst for Fox Sports during this summer's World Cup, offered a feisty response to the comments Friday.
"Man, I can't take this guy too seriously," Dempsey said of his compatriot Marsch. "It was an honor for me growing up and representing my country. When the national anthem happened, I wasn't someone who normally would sing. I put my hand over my heart, and I'd pray to the good man upstairs.
"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. So, I'm not gonna take advice from someone who switched to the other side and singing another country's national anthem. And as my boy (Thierry Henry) would say, stay in your own lane."
“I can’t take that guy too seriously."@clint_dempsey responds to Jesse Marsch's recent comments about his time with the USMNT pic.twitter.com/x4JvlDHRkh
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 12, 2026
Marsch has been open about his displeasure with the U.S. Soccer Federation since being snubbed for the national team's head coaching position in 2023. The Wisconsin native, who has said previously that there was a verbal agreement in place for him to replace Gregg Berhalter, eventually took the Canada job in 2024 after U.S. Soccer made the surprising decision to rehire Berhalter.
Marsch referenced his time with the USMNT in an effort to highlight the passion shown by his Canadian squad.
"(The Canadian players) sing the national anthem, belt it out to the top of their lungs, because they want to show the country how proud they are to be here, to be Canadians, and to represent what Canada is," Marsch explained ahead of his team's tournament opener.
With Marsch at the helm, Canada earned its first-ever World Cup point Friday with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
