Jesse Marsch is the current head coach of the Canada national team and former boss of Premier League side Leeds United and Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig.

The three-time MLS Cup winning midfielder made over 300 career appearances for clubs including Chicago Fire and Chivas before moving into management in 2010.

March kicked off his career in coaching by becoming the assistant manager of the United States men's national team.

After his short spell on the international scene, the Racine-born manager spent seven years in the MLS working with Montreal Impact and New York Red Bulls.

Following a successful spell at the Big Apple, Marsch moved to Europe where he managed Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig.

During his time in Austria, he became the first American manager to coach a team in the Champions League. His impressive record in Salzburg quickly led to a move to Leipzig - a job which wouldn't last long.

After being sacked by the Bundesliga club in December 2021, he took two months off before replacing Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds United - becoming just the third American to manager in the Premier League.

Marsch kept Leeds in the top flight on the final day of the 2021/22 season, but was sacked in February 2023 after less than a year in charge and on the back of seven games without a Premier League victory.

In May 2024, Marsch was appointed Canada head coach on a deal until 2026.

 

Playing career

Marsch first began to make a name for himself while playing college soccer for Princeton University. In 1995 the midfielder became an All-American after bagging 16 goals in a single season.

His coach at Princeton was Bob Bradley - the man who would go on to lead the United States national team. When Bradley made his first big coaching move by joining DC United as an assistant, he convinced the club to sign Marsch during the 1996 MLS College Draft.

Playing time was scarce in DC as Marsch made just 15 appearances in two years at the club. Nevertheless, he was part of a team which won back-to-back MLS Cups, one Supporters Shield and one US Open Cup.

Unsurprisingly, when Bradley was named as the new Chicago Fire manager, Marsch was quick to follow as he was once again drafted by his former college coach.

This time, the midfielder became a first-team regular and would stay at the club from 1998 to 2005.

His first season went down in history as Fire claimed the season double by winning the MLS Cup and the US Open Cup.

More successes were to follow including two more US Open Cups and a Supporters Shield in 2003.

When Marsch left Chicago, he held the record for the most club appearances (200) - a number which has since been broken by a number of players.

After the 2005 campaign, Marsch once again followed Bradley who was now managing Chivas USA. The midfielder stayed at the club for four years before announcing his retirement in February 2010.

It's also worth noting that Marsch made two appearances for the United States men's national team. His first outing took place in 2001 when he came off the bench in a World Cup qualifier against Trinidad and Tobago. The second came six years later in a friendly with China.

 

Early coaching career

Considering Marsch built a very close relationship with Bradley during his playing career, it was no surprise to see the former midfielder make his coaching debut as an assistant to his long-time boss.

Bradley was managing the United States men's national team at the time and Marsch joined him in time for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The pair remained in their posts until the time of Bradley's sacking in July 2011.

From then on, Marsch was given an opportunity to become the first manager of Major League Soccer's newest franchise, Montreal Impact.

The team joined the league in 2012 and managed a 12th place finish with 42 points to their name.

The club's hierarchies were happy with the job Marsch had done but a difference in coaching philosophies led to a split and the American left after just one season.

 

Six-month break

Instead of jumping straight back into management, Marsch spent six months backpacking around the globe with his family.

From starting in Hong Kong, the family went to Singapore, India, Nepal, Dubai, Egypt, Israel, Jordan and then finally Europe.

Upon his return, Marsch went back to Princeton to work as a volunteer assistant coach for the team's long-tie head coach - and Marsch's former teammate - Jim Barlow.

Speaking to MLS.com about his return to college soccer, he said: "Working with Jimmy at Princeton is hopefully going to help me continue to improve as a coach. A lot of people have said to me, 'That's nice you're helping him,' but I don't look at it that way.

"I think there's a lot I can learn being with him and his team on the field every day. And, yeah, when all is said and done, I hope someone else will give me an opportunity in MLS."

 

New York Red Bulls

Marsch would eventually return to MLS in January 2015 after being named the new head coach of New York Red Bulls, replacing Mike Petke.

His first season in charge proved to be a historic one as Marsch led the club to the MLS Supporters' Shield following a campaign which saw 18 league victories and 60 points. The American was named MLS Coach of the Year at the end of the season.

Unsurprisingly, Marsch was given a multi-year deal with the club and he continued to work with New York in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

It was during that final year when offers from elsewhere began to arrive. One of those was from Austrian side, Red Bull Salzburg - a sister club of New York. Nothing transpired from those offers, but it was clear that Marsch wouldn't stay in the MLS for much longer.

Marsch would ultimately end up leaving, but he did so having won more games with New York Red Bulls than any other coach in the club's history.

 

Conquering Austria

The American helped the club to a historic third-place finish in the Bundesliga before reaching the DFB Pokal final in that same season.

Ultimately, Bayern Munich prevailed in the final and Marsch was on the move again - this time to Austria where he would become the new manager of Red Bull Salzburg.

Marsch officially took over in June 2019 and went on to enjoy an incredible first season, winning the double with incredible ease.

Salzburg won more than a third of their league games and finished 12 points ahead of the next best team. What's more, they thrashed Austria Lustenau 5-0 in the cup final. The American was named Austrian Bundesliga's coach of the year at the end of the season.

Marsch also gave Liverpool a fright in the Champions League after threatening to beat the Reds away at Anfield. Jurgen Klopp's side prevailed 4-3 in a match that has gone down in Salzburg's history. Marsch also became the first manager to lead a team in the top tier European competition.

In truth, it's not surprising Salzburg were able to threaten the likes of Liverpool. During the 2019/20 season, the club had a host of players who were on the cusp of becoming major stars.

These include: Erling Haaland, Takumi Minamino, Patson Daka, Hwang Hee-chan, and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Marsch was hoping to replicate his first-season achievements in the following campaign and that's exactly what he did. Another Austrian Bundesliga title was followed by yet another cup win.

The one negative was their poor performance in the Champions League group stages, although they were drawn with Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid.

 

RB Leipzig tenure

The Red Bull family made another internal change ahead of the 2021/22 campaign as Marsch moved from Salzburg to Leipzig - this time in a managerial capacity.

The American was replacing Julian Nagelsmann and got off to a positive start as his side beat SV Sandhausen in his first competitive game in-charge.

On this occasion, things didn't go to plan for Marsch who endured a disappointing run of results - including a 6-3 defeat to Man City in the Champions League.

In December 2021, Marsch was sacked with a record of seven wins, four draws and six defeats.

 

Taking over from Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds

Following a run of four straight defeats, Leeds United decided to sack Marcelo Bielsa during the final stretch of the 2021/22 campaign.

Leeds, who had been eyeing Marsch as a potential future replacement, now had the opportunity to bring the American to Elland Road and that's exactly what they did.

In February 2022, Marsch signed a three-year-deal but faced defeat in his first game, losing 1-0 away at Leicester City.

They beat Norwich and Wolves consecutively in the American's third and fourth games in charge in March, and finished the 2021/22 season with a win at Brentford which kept Leeds in the Premier League for another season after finishing in 17th, just three points off the relegation places.

Leeds continued to struggle in the 2022/23 season and Marsch was sacked in eary February after a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest, which made it seven games without a Premier League victory.

Marsch left the club sitting in 17th place in the table, above the relegation zone only on goal difference.

The American won less than 30 per cent of his games in charge of Leeds in all competitions, 11 out of 37 (29.7 per cent).

His side drew 10 and lost 16 matches and, in league action, took just 33 points from 32 games, with eight wins, nine draws and 15 defeats.

They scored a total of 52 goals and conceded 60, with only six clean sheets.

 

In May 2024, Marsch was appointed Canada head coach on a deal until 2026.

Marsch will lead Canada at the Copa America in the summer and his contract includes the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.

“It is an absolute honour to represent and lead the Canadian men’s national team in our preparation for a home World Cup,” Marsch said in a Canada Soccer statement.

“The combination of the new leadership inside of Canada Soccer, coupled with the potential of this dynamic player pool has inspired me, and I am ready and eager to take on this massive responsibility.”

 

Personal life

Marsch was born in Racine, Wisconsin. He attended Jerome I. Case High School before going on to collage at Princeton University.

The American is married to wife Kim and together they have three kids - Emma, Maddux and Lennon.

Marsch speaks fluent German which he picked up during his travels. He further developed his language skills while at RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg.

 

Net worth

It is estimated that Marsch's net worth is in the region of £2million.