Leeds fans derided him. The United States federation passed him over. Jesse Marsch heard all of it, took a job with Canada, and is now the most interesting story of this World Cup's early knockout rounds.
This is not a redemption arc - redemption arcs are for people who made mistakes. What Marsch did at Leeds was manage a difficult club through a chaotic period and get sacked for it, which is not the same thing as failing. What the USA did when they overlooked him for the national job was a process decision, which is also not the same as a verdict on his ability.
Canada are his evidence. And right now, Canada are heading into the last 16 of a home World Cup.
What Marsch has built
The thing about coaching in the Red Bull system - which Marsch did for years across RB Salzburg, RB Leipzig, and New York Red Bulls - is that it teaches a specific way of pressing and transitioning that either fits a squad or it does not. With Canada, it fits.
This is a Canadian squad that has pace, athleticism, and players who can press relentlessly. Alphonso Davies is the most obvious piece. But Marsch has built something around the collective rather than depending entirely on any single player. The system holds when individual moments do not come off.
The question coming out of the group stage is how deep Canada can go at a tournament held partly on their own soil.
What this means for Marsch
The Leeds narrative had stuck. In football media, the last impression tends to become the dominant impression - and being booed at Elland Road, getting sacked, watching the club eventually get relegated regardless, had become the story people reached for when his name came up.
Canada changes that. Not because one good tournament wipes everything clean, but because it forces a more accurate picture. Marsch knows how to build a team. He knew it before Leeds. He has proven it again.
Our take: Write off Jesse Marsch at your own risk. Canada are in the knockout stages. He put them there.