Flight paths between Canada and Europe have been busy lately, and figurative transatlantic distances are closing fast. As Canada\u2019s relations with the noisiest neighbour to the south stretch and fray, Canadian prime minister Mark Carney is forging alliances with the EU<\/a> so close that the bloc is apparently inventing new membership categories.<\/p>\n As an American residing in Europe who is also a Canadian leader with robust approval ratings, Marsch is watching. To him, it feels right.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve always thought Canada was a little bit more European than the US anyway. Right?\u201d Marsch tells the Guardian. \u201cBut certainly now there\u2019s enough happening politically and economically that you would say, we\u2019re looking much more like that. There\u2019s talk of [Canada becoming an associate EU member] even actually happening<\/a>. I like that aspect.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a uniqueness to Canada in terms of how truly multiethnic this country has become. 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Having led Canada\u2019s men to historic highs<\/a> at this summer\u2019s World Cup, Marsch is feeling his way into his second act in the job. Some of his sideline displays \u2013 we\u2019ll get to <\/a>that<\/a> meme<\/a> \u2013 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.<\/p>\n \u201cMy impression is that first of all, he is a really smart guy, but a really normal guy,\u201d Marsch says of Carney, who attended a number of Canada\u2019s World Cup matches. \u201cSometimes you meet a US president, and you\u2019re overwhelmed, maybe by their presence, the position itself. I\u2019ve met Clinton, George Bush Sr, Obama, Trump, Biden. Oh, and Carter. Six in person. 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\u2019s perfect for this country and this moment.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has shown great support for us. I made a joke with him that \u2018I heard you\u2019re an Everton fan?\u2019 and he goes, \u2018Yeah\u2019. And I go, \u2018I\u2019m sorry about that\u2019. He replies: \u2018Why does everybody say that? Everybody has to pick their team and stick by them.\u2019 I said, \u2018I appreciate that you don\u2019t switch from Everton to Arsenal or Liverpool, like everybody else\u2019. There\u2019s something so genuine [about] that. Could a president of the US ever be an Everton fan? No chance.\u201d<\/p>\n Canada prime minister Mark Carney greeted Marsch\u2019s team in the locker room after the team\u2019s win over Qatar at the 2026 World Cup. Photograph: Jared C Tilton\/Fifa\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Circumstances, as well as natural impulses, have led Marsch to play statesman during this prolonged cooling of relations between Canada and his home country. He\u2019s been defiant \u2013 lashing out at Donald Trump\u2019s \u201c51st state\u201d barbs \u2013 then more deft. Sometimes, especially when it comes to the US Soccer Federation he said led him on with a job offer only to renege, he finds it hard to hide his disdain.<\/p>\n This window is the start of turning the page to the next phase of his Canada project. He admits, with a chuckle, that the four years stretching ahead feel long but there are imminent goals \u2013 a first trophy in 25 years, cracking and consolidating inside the world\u2019s top 24.<\/p>\n A win over Chile in Toronto and 2-0 win over Peru here on Saturday afternoon in games billed as The Homecoming made for a solid start. New caps have been handed out. Key players arrived thriving in new surroundings, none more than Jonathan David at Atl\u00e9tico Madrid. Extended injury absences and the awkward non-attendance of captain Alphonso Davies (skipping the window to honeymoon) have been overcome.<\/p>\n But Tuesday\u2019s clash with the US in Saint Paul means more American questions are coming. Looking back, the Folarin Balogun affair feels absolutely tailor-made for a Marschian verdict. He, of course, has thoughts.<\/p>\n
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