Jesse Marsch seems to take subtle jab at USMNT's squad situation after Christian Pulisic requests time off

Canada soccer coach Jesse Marsch seemed to take a direct jab at the United States men's national team's situation during a press conference on Thursday ahead of the Concacaf Gold Cup. Player commitment has been a topic since Christian Pulisic opted not to go to the Gold Cup with the United States men's national team, citing a need for rest and the disappointment with the negative criticism he's received.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Marsch made sure to let people know that his Canucks wanted to be in the squad for these games with a trophy on the line.

"This is the internal pressure we put on each other, there's no time off," Marsch said. "Not one guy called me and said, 'Coach, I don't know, it's been a long year, maybe I don't come to the Gold Cup.' Not one guy. Not even close to that conversation."

Considering that Bayern Munich have called out the Canadian national team for pushing players too hard during breaks with Alphonso Davies suffering an ACL tear with the national team, there is an argument that some of the Canucks should've stayed home during this summer, but there's no questioning their commitment under Marsch.

But even the need for rest hasn't stopped others from calling out Pulisic, including Landon Donovan.

The Canadian national team comes into this Gold Cup seeking their first Concacaf title since winning the Gold Cup in 2000, which is a very different scenario than the United States and Mexico, who have dominated this tournament. Those differences, along with this team being built in Marsch's image, do make a competition like this one more important than it would be to the USMNT, as each nation has its own priorities.

Placed in Group B with Honduras, El Salvador and Curaco, the Canucks will expect to win that group and advance deep into the knockout stages. They'll kick off Gold Cup play on Tuesday, hosting Honduras at BC Place in Vancouver.