Jesse Alan Marsch is an American professional soccer coach and former player who is the head coach of the Canada men’s national team. He played 14 seasons as a midfielder in Major League Soccer (MLS) with D.C. United, Chicago Fire, and Chivas USA, winning three league titles and four U.S. Open Cup titles, as well as earning two caps for the United States national team.
โฝ Playing Career
Marsch played college soccer for Princeton University, where he was an All-American in 1995 after scoring 16 goals as a midfielder and forward. He was drafted by D.C. United in the third round of the 1996 MLS College Draft.
Marsch spent the next two seasons with D.C. United, but played in only 15 games. He was signed by Chicago Fire and immediately became a regular, helping the Fire to the 1998 MLS Cup and winning the U.S. Open Cup in 1998, 2000 and 2003.
After the 2005 season, Marsch was transferred to Chivas USA. He is one of three players to have played in each of the first 14 seasons of Major League Soccer.
๐ Early Coaching Career
In 2010, Marsch retired from his playing career and became a coach, first serving as an assistant with the U.S. national team under Bob Bradley. He then became the inaugural head coach of the Montreal Impact upon its entry to MLS in 2012.
In 2015, Marsch was hired as head coach of the New York Red Bulls. In his first year coaching the team, the Red Bulls won the Supporters’ Shield and Marsch was named MLS Coach of the Year.
๐ช๐บ European Coaching Tenures
In 2018, Marsch was appointed as an assistant coach at German Bundesliga club RB Leipzig under Ralf Rangnick. The following season, Marsch was appointed coach of Red Bull Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga; he led the club to a league and cup double in two consecutive seasons.
He returned to RB Leipzig as club coach for the 2021โ22 season, leaving by mutual consent in December. He joined Leeds United in February 2022 and was sacked by Leeds in February 2023.
๐จ๐ฆ Canada National Team
On May 13, 2024, Marsch was appointed as head coach of the Canada men’s national team, the first American to coach Canada. His contract lasts through the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where Canada will be a co-host.
At the 2024 Copa Amรฉrica, Marsch led Canada to finishing fourth place. On May 25, 2026, Canada Soccer announced that Marsch had signed a four-year contract extension to remain head coach through the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
| Team | Role | Years | Key Achievement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal Impact | Head Coach | 2012 | Inaugural MLS head coach |
| New York Red Bulls | Head Coach | 2015โ2018 | MLS Coach of the Year (2015) |
| Red Bull Salzburg | Head Coach | 2019โ2021 | Two league and cup doubles |
| Canada Men’s National Team | Head Coach | 2024โpresent | Fourth place at 2024 Copa Amรฉrica |