Timing is everything in every way. That’s especially true in the case of Jesse Marsch and the United States Soccer Federation.
Marsch was fired as manager of Leeds United on Monday, after a streak of just two wins in his last 18 games Premier League matches. With the position of manager for United States men’s national team empty, it looks like Marsch’s availability is coming at the right time.
But while it’s perfect for Marsch, it’s not necessarily perfect for US Soccer.
USSF currently finds itself without two more senior sports executives, with Sports director Earnie Stewart prepares to leave for a similar role at PSV Eindhoven in just over a week, and USMNT GM Brian McBride is gone. Sportsology consulting firm Sportsology has been brought in by USSF president Cindy Parlow Cone and CEO JT Batson to lead the search for both positions.
While Cone said she hopes to get the position of sporting director before the start of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in July, it could be “late summer” before both positions. is filled. That timing may not have been effective in capturing Marsch.
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Clearly, the USSF should cast as wide a net as possible in its search for the next USMNT manager. If it can attract a training whale like Jose Mourinho, it should by all means explore that path, but for now, it’s something of a dream. More realistic candidates need to be identified, and include those born in this country.
Marsch’s candidate certainly has its pros and cons. Currently, he’s the most experienced US contender available, having coached teams in Europe since 2018, the past four years he’s spent managing teams like FC Salzburg, RB Leipzig and Leeds. It’s a coaching resume unmatched in American football.
While other managers like Kansas City Sportsof Peter Vermes worked longer, their tenure was spent entirely in MLS. This is also true for LA Galaxy manager Greg Vanney and Philadelphia Unionby Jim Curtin.
LAFC‘Steve Cherundolo is another contender, but he has had only a lone season managing a first-class team – albeit a hugely successful one – under him. Before VfB Stuttgart manager Pellegrino Matarazzo is an interesting possibility due to his US upbringing and training. Bundesliga experience.
But for Marsch, the fact remains that his previous two stints with Leipzig and Leeds ended with him not lasting even a year in either position, and while his spell In Salzburg successfully, recent results call for closer scrutiny by hiring managers. decision. There are also questions about the method by which he got married, a method that relies heavily on creating chaos through the press. Can Marsch adjust his approach to international matches, a tournament where the amount of time spent on the training ground is significantly less than at the club level, and where the best teams can make it through? be that situation?
Former US quarterback Sacha Kljestan played under Marsch while with New York Red Beef from 2015 to 2017 and feels that Marsch is truly committed to his beliefs.
“I think Jesse is very – I think ‘determined’ is a good word – in his belief in his system,” he told ESPN. “He doesn’t change himself or what he believes in. I think that’s a very admirable quality in a coach.”
But Kljestan added that this does not mean that Marsch cannot change quickly.
“His philosophy hasn’t changed, but tactically, he can change everything,” he said.
Kljestan recalls how New York primarily played 4-2-3-1 under Marsch, but the Red Bulls also played with three defenders at times in 2017, and with 4-2-2-2 later in his career. he.
City of St.Louis defender Tim Parkerwho also played under Marsch in New York, recalls a more rigid system.
“Honestly, there’s not much flexibility,” Parker told ESPN. “The whole system is made so that everyone always agrees with each other and obviously has to make the machine work properly. It’s like if everyone thinks the same, has the same mentality and has the same views. point”. the same approach to the game, everyone will be able to click and stay on the same page.”
Is that philosophy suitable for the American attacking players? With the team’s relatively young force, Kljestan believes it can be done.
“He likes working with young guys because I think he believes he can get more out of them physically,” he said of Marsch. “So to the generation I see between the midfield of Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah And Tyler Adams, that will be there for the next four years. You have [Christian] Pulisic, [Giovanni] Reyna And [Timothy] Weah that’s going to be there for four years, basically the entire group that I expect to be there in 2026 is now between the ages of 22 and 26, like the top guys. So yeah, I think that group of players might fit his ideas and tactical philosophy.”
Parker notes that if Marsch ends up with the USMNT and deploys his system, then players will have to commit strongly.
“In terms of his system and how he wants it to be run, I think it requires a spirit of total consent,” he said. “Especially when I played with him at the Red Bulls, it was like that. It was almost like starting on a whiteboard and forgetting what you know and believe in his methods. But it did. brings us success while we’re there, so when you can reap the rewards of it, I think you can see the success you can have, so that makes too much the buying process just got a whole lot easier.”
Another consequence of Marsch’s sacking is what it means for Leeds’ contingent of American players, one of whom – McKennie – has only been joining the club for a week. That will ultimately depend on who is hired to replace Marsch.
Adams has been widely praised for his performances since arriving at Elland Road last summer, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, but should the new manager opt for a control-based approach more ball then Adams could find himself eliminated as he did in Leipzig. Brenden Aaronson’s lack of end product – one goal and two assists – could also put his place in the starting lineup at stake.
Ironically, McKennie’s versatility — his box-to-box running, his ability to tackle set pieces and his late runs into the box — very good signal that he will have more playing time. The fact is that Leeds’ director of football, Victor Orta, has been a longtime admirer of him. Orta also negotiated a deal to bring Aaronson to West Yorkshire before Marsch arrived.
However, with the transfer market closed, whoever the new manager is will have to do with what he has. With the club’s existence in the Premier League at stake, that seems to preclude making major changes.
For Marsch, the coming months will determine the extent to which his respective goals will align with those of the USSF.
