USA soccer fans are SPLIT on the rumored hiring of former Leeds boss Jesse Marsch

USA soccer fans have hugely varied opinions on the federation’s rumored intention to hire Jesse Marsch as the new coach of the men’s team.

Marsch lasted less than a year at Leeds and also experienced a hasty exit from RB Leipzig, but previously had success with the New York Red Bulls in MLS and impressed with his work at Red Bull Salzburg.

Now, USMNT fans are debating whether or not he’s the right choice to succeed Gregg Berhalter.

‘I would not be excited if Jesse Marsch was named USMNT manager,’ wrote MLS Buzz, a prominent American soccer account on Twitter.

‘But there is 0 question that he has accomplished more at a higher level than Gregg Berhalter. It’s a step forward but not the drastic step a lot of us wanted.’

Jesse Marsch was fired from his role at Leeds United in February after less than a year there

‘Jesse Marsch is not a bad hire,’ another user said. ‘We just had better options. Patrick Vieira was one of them.’ 

‘I just think Jesse Marsch has taken too many steps way too soon…how did he go from being an RB Salzburg and failed Leipzig manager to managing Leeds United and now the USMNT?,’ a different fan asked. ‘Just doesn’t make sense.’

Some were more enthralled by the possibility of Marsch coaching the national team.

‘If Jesse Marsch gets the right staff around him we are gonna cook. Don’t listen to the hate,’ one said.

‘Jesse Marsch seems like and absolute slam-dunk, no-brainer USMNT coaching hire and I can it wait to see all of the new and insane ways people find to get mad about it,’ another Twitter user said.

‘I am excited for this. Now let’s go win the World Cup on home soil!’ a different fan said, referring to the 2026 World Cup set to be hosted in the US, Mexico and Canada.

The debate over Marsch’s candidacy was spurred by a report from Chicago Fire site meninred.com which said that he was ‘very close’ to being appointed as the USMNT coach. Marsch played for the Fire between 1998 and 2005.

While the article fueled a conversation regarding Marsch’s abilities as a manager, it also raised questions about the timeline that the USSF is operating on.

The piece claimed that Marsch could begin after this June’s Gold Cup – rather than taking charge for that tournament and the CONCACAF Nations League before that.

That decision would be curious to many USA fans, including Alexi Lalas, as Marsch has been unemployed since February following his firing from Leeds.

‘If true, I’m sure there are reasons, but [not having a coach start until after the Gold Cup] seems even sillier if it’s Jesse Marsch,’ Lalas said. ‘

‘At this point I just want a #USMNT coach decision and a warm body, whoever it is, so we can move forward. 1,119 days until the 2026 FIFA World Cup.’

The former USMNT defender is not the only one with that line of thinking. 

Alexi Lalas doesn’t understand why a USMNT coach would start after this June’s Gold Cup

‘I am sorry, what am I missing here?’ another asked. ‘If he’s the pick, why wait until after the Gold Cup? It seems to me that every day he’s not evaluating talent and shaping his system around the best players in the pool for the system seems like a day that is wasted.’

‘It’s genuinely hilarious that while Marsch has been out of a job for months, we took all that time to bring in a sporting director to do ‘due diligence’ and ‘follow the process’ to get the best possible coach – only to ultimately hire Marsch anyways,’ another Twitter user added.

Indeed, the USSF recently hired ex-Southampton director of football operations Matt Crocker as its new sporting director.

The Briton is not starting full-time in his role until August 2, but said he would immediately start the search for a new USMNT head coach.

The team has been without a permanent coach since Berhalter’s contract expired on December 31, with Anthony Hudson serving as a caretaker manager afterwards.