Jesse Marsch, Ex-Leeds Coach, Won’t Be Next USMNT Manager, Agent Says

The national team has been looking for someone to fill Gregg Berhalter’s spot since the end of the 2022 season.

Jesse Marsch, an American soccer coach who most recently led the Premier League’s Leeds United last season, was once thought to be one of the main candidates to take over the United States men’s national team.

However, his agent Ron Waxman tweeted on Thursday that Marsch will not be the next USMNT manager.

Marsch was fired from Leeds United in February after a disappointing season for the club up until that point. The manager only led the team to four wins and they remained in the bottom half of the Premier League standings for much of the time he was at the helm, which was for less than a year. 

Reports suggested that Marsch could take over at Southampton, but no such deal came to fruition and he still hasn’t started a position with a new club.

With Marsch out of the running, the USMNT will still be looking for a new manager to help lead the group ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Earlier this week, it was reported that former Arsenal legend and Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira is a candidate for the job, according to ESPN’s Julien Laurens. No deal with Viera has been reported.

The USMNT manager position has been vacant since the end of the 2022 season when Gregg Berhalter’s contract ended and was not renewed. Since then, the team has had Anthony Hudson and B.J. Callaghan serve as interim coaches.

Berhalter was the subject of an investigation by U.S. Soccer into a domestic violence incident from 1992 involving his now-wife, which began following accusations from the parents of USMNT midfielder Gio Reyna. After the conclusion of the investigation, U.S. Soccer deemed that Berhalter was honest during the inquiry and that he remains a candidate for a contract renewal.