Former New York Red Bulls and CF Montréal head coach Jesse Marsch has been named the manager at English Premier League side Leeds United, the club announced Monday.
Marsch joins Leeds United after renowned Argentine manager Marcelo Bielsa was let go, with the 48-year-old American on the market after last leading German Bundesliga side RB Leipzig.
Marsch, whose MLS career included nearly 300 regular-season games, becomes the second American to manage in the EPL after now-Toronto FC head coach/sporting director Bob Bradley led Swansea City in 2016 for several months.
“Jesse is someone we identified a number of years ago during his time at Red Bull Salzburg and we believe his philosophy and style of football aligns with that of the club and will suit the players very well,” Leeds United director of football Victor Orta said in a release.
Marsch left RBNY in July 2018 after leading them to the 2015 Supporters’ Shield, when he was also named Sigi Schmid Coach of the Year. He was initially an RB Leipzig assistant coach before taking over at Austrian Bundesliga sister side Red Bull Salzburg, where he won both the Austrian Bundesliga and Austrian Cup in consecutive seasons.
Upon leading RB Leipzig for the 2021-22 campaign, mixed league and UEFA Champions League results led to his departure last December. Ultimately, he went nearly three months without a managerial role before Leeds came calling.
“He had a great deal of success with New York Red Bulls and Red Bull Salzburg and has demonstrated during our many meetings that he is a great fit with the footballing culture of Leeds United,” chief executive Angus Kinnear said in a release.
Leeds United are staving off the possibility of relegation to England’s Championship. They’re currently 16th in the EPL standings, only two points above the drop zone (teams Nos. 18-20 are relegated). One of the country’s most storied clubs, they’ve been in the top-flight since 2020-21 after nearly two decades in lower divisions.
Marsch will manage an old Hudson River Derby foe, as ex-New York City FC winger Jack Harrison is one of their key players. It’s the third European managerial stop where he’ll coach a former MLS player, as he worked with Philadelphia Union homegrown product Brenden Aaronson at Red Bull Salzburg and New York Red Bulls homegrown product Tyler Adams at RB Leipzig.
During his MLS playing days, Marsch had 31 goals and 40 assists across 321 regular-season matches from 1996-2009 for D.C. United, Chicago Fire FC and Chivas USA. He’s a three-time MLS Cup winner and four-time U.S. Open Cup winner.
