Canada coach Marsch banned 2 games for red card vs. USMNT
Canada head coach Jesse Marsch was suspended one additional game for the outburst that earned him a red card during his team's 2-1 win over the United States in the Nations League third-place match last month.
That sending off automatically triggered a one-match ban for Marsch, and CONCACAF said Thursday that his conduct toward referee Katia Garcia warranted additional punishment.
Marsch will now miss his team's first two games at this summer's Gold Cup, against Honduras and Curacao, respectively. He can return to the touchline for Canada's Group B finale against El Salvador.
"After opening a disciplinary case and reviewing the documentation and evidence collected during its investigation, and based on the competition regulations and the CONCACAF Disciplinary Code, the Disciplinary Committee has imposed a one-match suspension on Mr. Marsch for unacceptable conduct towards the match officials and for delaying the restart of the match by refusing to leave the field of play," the governing body said in a statement.
CONCACAF warned Canada Soccer and Marsch that "more severe sanctions could be taken should incidents occur during future matches."
Marsch, still aggravated by the officiating during Canada's semifinal loss to Mexico in the previous game, voiced his frustration with multiple calls made by Garcia during the match against the United States.
The 51-year-old bench boss believed at least one penalty kick should've been awarded in his team's favor for tackles on forward Jonathan David. He briefly stepped on the pitch to make his feelings known, and, after being held back by a member of the officiating crew, delayed leaving the field after the red card was brandished in the 54th minute.
"If I had to do it again, I would," Marsch told The Athletic's Joshua Kloke the morning after the incident.
"It's not like I went into the game thinking, 'OK, I'm going to get thrown out,'" he said. "But I was definitely looking for opportunities to make a point, right?"