Dempsey Blasts Marsch Over USMNT Anthem Comments
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- Clint Dempsey fired back on Fox Sports at Jesse Marsch's claim that USMNT players sometimes had to be "begged" to sing the national anthem, saying he put his hand over his heart and prayed during anthems growing up.
- Dempsey invoked his physical sacrifices for the US, noting he broke his nose playing for the country and returned from two heart procedures to continue his international career.
- Jesse Marsch made the original comments Thursday while previewing Canada's World Cup opener, using the US anecdote to contrast the passion he sees in his Canadian squad.
- Dempsey delivered a pointed personal jab, saying he wouldn't take advice from "someone who switched to the other side and singing another country's national anthem" and referencing Marsch being in a "moped."
- Dempsey and Landon Donovan are tied as the USMNT's all-time leading scorers with 57 goals, and both were on the 2010 World Cup squad where Marsch served as an assistant under Bob Bradley.
- Marsch has a contentious history with US Soccer, having been passed over for the national team head coach job in 2023 after Gregg Berhalter's contract expired, and publicly airing frustrations about his treatment by the federation in May 2024.
Why it matters: The public feud highlights Marsch's unresolved friction with US Soccer after being passed over for the 2023 head coach job, now playing out on a Fox broadcast during the World Cup. With Dempsey trading jabs on live TV, the spat risks overshadowing Marsch's actual milestone: guiding Canada to their first-ever World Cup point via a 1-1 draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina.
