The style and system Jesse Marsch has moulded for the Canadian men’s national team is predicated on pressure; hemming in and harrying opponents until they are deprived of options. It is lovingly labelled the ‘maplepress,’ and it turns out its principles also apply to wedding planning.
Alistair Johnston, one of the spiritual leaders of Marsch’s rapid Canadian revolution over these past 10 months, will tie the knot this summer. When his fiancée Peyton Pesavento looked for time, she was immediately hemmed in. “I only had one date that I could give her in the next two calendar years!” the Celtic defender says with a smile.
Johnston rarely quiets his conscience. Last summer he hit back at a right-wing troll targeting the background of this Canada team. There’s a sliver of irony in him being refreshingly open, an engaging thinker and speaker, yet also a magnet for cliches. Student of the game. Ultimate team player. All used frequently. All fit. A snapshot: when Alphonso Davies buried a second-minute header beyond Dominik Livakovic at Qatar 2022 for Canada’s first-ever men’s World Cup goal, teammates sprinted to Davies, engulfing him. Not Johnston. He first ran to Tajon Buchanan whose perfect cross had found Davies on the button.
Earlier on Tuesday Johnston was, typically, first out at LA Coliseum as a gorgeously still Southern California morning sun kissed the bermuda grass. The training surface doubles as hallowed ground for Canada. It was in that stadium that the country won that last prize, the 2000 Gold Cup. The right-back looked around at training and saw a group ready to meet the moment.
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“It’s funny because a lot of players when they win a trophy go ‘that box is checked.’ That’s almost the North American way,” says Johnston, who has won six medals since joining Celtic in 2023. “But [at Celtic] I look at James Forrest and Callum McGregor and I see how driven they are to pick up every trophy.
“We’ve thought a lot about it. Just thinking about two years ago we were in Las Vegas lining up for a Nations League Final and I’m thinking about how different a position we’re in now. We’re two years older, two more years of guys playing in big European competitions, big leagues. There’s a quieter sense of belief that yeah we’re here again but this time we’re ready. That brings almost a calming influence.”
Moments of calm have been shorter in supply during the hectic European season. Last weekend, Celtic’s loss to crosstown rival Rangers in the Old Firm Derby was a jolt in an otherwise terrific campaign, serving as a reminder of the demands on Johnston.
“That’s the pressure that you need to enjoy. That is the Celtic standard. It is taxing mentally but it means so much when you’re at a club like that,” he says. “I see what the club means to people. I understand that if I’m a fan of a club like this, what would I like to see from my players? I’m honest with my work, defensively love a tackle, love being physical. I’m a bit football mad. I love the city. [It’s] the biggest fish bowl in all of Europe. Everyone knows who you are. You don’t know if they love you or hate you but you know they know who you are. I’m not famous outside of maybe a 30-mile radius of Glasgow city centre … but what a radius.”
Johnston credits Marsch and his Celtic managers Ange Postecoglou and Brendan Rodgers for his growth and form, which has caught the eye of Premier League sides. A new contract ties him to Celtic until 2029 and he insists his family, with beloved black lab Salem, is very settled
“I’m in no rush to take a Scottish dog out of Scotland,” Johnston says. “That’d be its own challenge. I don’t take for granted what an unbelievable opportunity this club has [given me].”
Opportunity knocks first in Thursday’s semi-final against Mexico. A potential Sunday decider against the US would be a tantalizing opportunity for a Canadian riposte. That said, Johnston has got out ahead of any chatter about anthem booing. He shared the flight to LA with Celtic teammate and England-born US defender Cameron Carter-Vickers.
“At this stage, I’m more American than CCV!” Johnston grinned. “He probably doesn’t even know the anthem.”
