Jesse Marsch is available, but US Soccer’s convoluted recruiting process may mean he misses out on the chance to become USMNT’s next head coach.
Earlier this week, Leeds sacked Marsch after a slump has put Leeds back in relegation contention this season. While US soccer fans may be disappointed to see the US team in Leeds take a hit, the sacking opened up a huge opportunity for US Soccer. The USMNT remains without a head coach. In fact, he is left without a sports director, general manager and head coach. In other words, the USMNT seems to be going aimlessly.
Jesse Marsch seems like a logical fit for that role. He has coaching experience in the Premier League, Bundesliga and Champions League in his last two jobs. He comes from Red Bull’s school of training philosophy, which means he has a plan in place. However, the effectiveness of that plan came under scrutiny at Leeds and RB Leipzig.
Worse still, US Soccer may delay the hiring of Jesse Marsch, a trend for the federation in hiring a new head coach. If US Soccer can’t come up with a plan, it may miss out on one of America’s most promising coaches to coach the game.
Don’t pull the trigger
When US Soccer parted ways with Brian McBride and Earnie Stewart, he said his priority would be to find a sports director to replace Stewart. The incoming athletic director would play a role in choosing the next head coach.
However, Cindy Parlow Cone, president of US Soccer, said she only hopes to name a new sporting director before the Women’s World Cup this summer. That, by itself, is five months away. The search for a head coach would probably go beyond that.
Unfortunately, the laborious hiring process of trying to name a head coach, who will then hire a general manager, who will then decide on a men’s national head coach is cumbersome. Crawling to make hiring decisions is a mistake. That’s especially true in the topsy-turvy world of club management, where head coaches may be available for a brief stint before moving on to their next job.
This isn’t the first time US Soccer has waited until the last minute to bring in a head coach. After the 2006 World Cup, Sunil Gulati began his first head coaching search for the USMNT as the president of US Soccer. The Federation had no remaining coaches from the previous staff as Gulati and his team scoured the world in search of coaches. Neither candidate bit, and Bob Bradley got the job on an interim basis. Bradley also took charge of the Under-23 team, as there was no one supervising that. A win against Mexico and other results secured a permanent role.
During that time, without coaches from the end of the World Cup in 2006 until the end of the year, the USMNT did not play any games. World Soccer Talk’s Kartik Krishnaiyer says the time he took would be unacceptable for other countries. Also, 2023 brings more challenges.
“The whole process took longer than would be acceptable in other nations,” Krishnaiyer said. “And the United States in 2023 faces a similar dilemma. One key difference, though, is that the USMNT maintains a full game schedule during the process as opposed to 2006.”
Interim head coach Anthony Hudson is leading the team through friendlies and potentially into the CONCACAF Nations League.
A gamble that pays off for US Soccer on Jesse Marsch
This is arguably the most important three-year stretch in USMNT history. Not only is talent and potential abound throughout the squad, but it is poised for a number of major competitions. The CONCACAF Nations League and Gold Cup are nothing new. However, the United States is hosting the World Cup in 2026.
It’s highly unlikely that Anthony Hudson will be the head coach then. Of course, if a couple of results pan out and he can lead the USMNT to success, he could get the Bob Bradley treatment in 2006. Even then, Jesse Marsch is there waiting.
Not only does he have experience in Europe, he also understands the American football system. Marsch played in MLS for the entirety of his career as a 13-year-old. Marsch then managed Montreal before coaching the New York Red Bulls for four seasons. Even then, he had a stint as an assistant coach with the USMNT under Bob Bradley.
Marsch sits among the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Pep Guardiola, and José Mourinho when it comes to USMNT coaching rumors. Those are elite names, yes, but maybe not the right names.
Former USMNT goalie Brad Friedel wrote in his column for the Daily Mail about the importance of hiring an American for these positions.
“Pep is great, he’s phenomenal, so is Zinedine Zidane. But the system here, and I’m not talking about the game system, is different, and it has to be someone who knows it inside and out and can come in, make the team competitive and make the players available to them better. Friedel. he wrote.
“Our soccer system in the United States is different, very different, and it takes the best of the best a minimum of two years to learn the lay of the field here,” Friedel added. “Then they will want to instill their own differences into the system and we are supposed to build a team to compete at a high level by 2026.”
time flies
Jesse Marsch could be that person for US Soccer. Still, if US Soccer stays true to that belief of waiting until a sports director is named, Marsch will almost certainly not be available.
There are examples of top coaches who became unemployed after being laid off. Mauricio Pochettino has been out of work since the end of last season with PSG. Chelsea sacked Thomas Tuchel quite early this year. None of those names are doing the rounds.
However, in all likelihood, both managers, as well as Jesse Marsch, may have jobs before next season. That could be anywhere in the world, but clubs and nations tend to be drawn to these names with experience at top clubs and in top competitions.
If US Soccer continues to hold out on signing, it could lose the opportunity to hire an American coach of the caliber of Jesse Marsch.
PHOTO: IMAGO / Action Plus
