If you’re an American who wants to manage in the Premier League, your best shot is to go through Princeton.
Jesse Marsch ’96, who most recently served as the manager of RB Leipzig in the German Bundesliga, was hired by Leeds United of the English Premier League as their manager on Monday. Marsch joins Bob Bradley ’80, who managed Swansea in 2016, and former Huddersfield Town manager David Wagner as one of only three Americans to ever manage a team in the English top flight.
During his time at Princeton, Marsch was a member of the men’s soccer team. Over the course of his career, he netted 29 goals, 16 of which came in his senior season. He was named as an All-Ivy selection and All-American in his final year with the Tigers.
After his graduation, Marsch was drafted into Major League Soccer by D.C. United, where his former Princeton coach, the aforementioned Bob Bradley, was serving as an assistant. Marsch spent just one year in the nation’s capital before moving to the Chicago Fire, where he scored 19 goals in 200 appearances.
Shortly after the conclusion of his professional career in 2010, Marsch began coaching as an assistant for the U.S. Men’s National Team, where Bradley was serving as manager. He then managed in Major League Soccer until 2018 when he made the jump to European football, taking the job with German RB Leipzig. Marsch spent two seasons in Leipzig before moving to sister club RB Salzburg in Germany, where he managed 20 games.
Marsch will have his work cut out for them at his next job, as Leeds currently sit 16th in the Premier League, with just one point from their last five matches, and just two points clear of relegation to England’s second division. Leeds have 12 matches left on their Premier League calendar, during which Marsch will have the chance to save the team from being demoted, as well as to prove his own worth as a manager in what is arguably the world’s most talented domestic league.
Wilson Conn is a co-head editor for the Sports section at the ‘Prince’ who typically covers football, basketball, and breaking news. He is also a senior writer for the Podcast section. He can be reached at wconn@princeton.edu or on Twitter at @wilson_conn.
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