Jesse Marsch for US men's national team head coach? The RB Leipzig manager considers the possibility “incredibly interesting” – if the timing is right.
On ESPN’s Futbol Americas, Marsch was asked by Sebastian Salazar if that's a goal of his for the future.
“I would hope so,” Marsch, 47, said. “I would hope there's timing where it comes together, that there’s people that believe I’m the right person to lead the national team, that believe my coaching philosophies and my leadership philosophies are what we need. I don’t know when that is, I don't know what that would mean in terms of timing again.”
To be clear, in the same interview Marsch lauded Gregg Berhalter's handling of the USMNT's young core of players, so he wasn’t outwardly campaigning for the currently occupied position.
While it appears premature to pull the trigger on a coaching change after a pair of draws in the first two matches of Concacaf World Cup Qualifying heading into Wednesday's showdown in Honduras (10:30 pm ET | Paramount+, Universo, Telemundo), the temperature is rising among a nervous fanbase.
Marsch’s résumé would certainly put him atop any potential candidate list. After winning the Supporters’ Shield with the New York Red Bulls, he’s been a trailblazer in Europe with title wins and Champions League runs with Austria's RB Salzburg before taking over Leipzig in the German Bundesliga when Julian Nagelsmann left to lead Bayern Munich.
The USMNT program is also close to his heart, with Marsch representing his country as a player before serving as an assistant coach to his mentor, now-LAFC boss Bob Bradley.
“Certainly being part of the national team as a player and as an assistant coach, I know how important the job is to the sport in our country,” said Marsch, who played in 321 MLS games from 1996-2007. "I appreciate how important it is and I would love the opportunity to try and lead the group in a way that would represent the country and the fans and everything to the best of my abilities and the best of our abilities.”
So consider Marsch interested if, or when, that job becomes open.
“I love the US, I love the American mentality, I love our desire to try to be the best in every way, in everything we do even if it's naive sometimes," Marsch said. "And in our sport, I think there's so much more room for growth and potential. Yeah, of course that project is one that is incredibly interesting.”
