The Coaches of CONMEBOL Copa América™: Jesse Marsch

• Took over in May 2024, becoming the latest coach of the CONMEBOL Copa América™ to do so.
• It will be Marsch’s first time coaching a national team.

The Great White North will have a new leader at the helm for its debut campaign in CONMEBOL Copa América™. Jesse Marsch was named coach of Canada just over a month before the start of the tournament, becoming the first American to lead Canada. He takes over from interim coach Mauro Biello, who qualified the team last March.

Canada participated in its second World Cup in 2022 and then qualified for the CONMEBOL Copa América™ through a qualifying playoff, defeating Trinidad and Tobago 2-0.

Marsch assumes the position just over a month before the start of the oldest national team tournament in the world, on June 20th. His new team will face the current FIFA World Cup and CONMEBOL Copa América™ champions, Argentina, at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, in the tournament’s opening match.

He will have two friendly matches in early June to prepare the team before the tournament. Canada plays against the Netherlands on June 6th and then against France on June 9th.

Born in Racine, Wisconsin, in 1973, Marsch played soccer at Princeton University before spending his entire professional career as a player in Major League Soccer. The former midfielder began his journey at D.C. United, moved to the Chicago Fire where he played most of his career before ending his career at Chivas USA. As a player, he won the MLS Cup three times, twice with D.C. United and once with the Fire, and won the U.S. Open Cup four times.

After retiring as a player, he took on the role of assistant coach at the United States Soccer Federation before landing his first job as head coach of the Montreal Impact. He would make a name for himself in his next job with the New York Red Bulls. In New York, he was named MLS Coach of the Year in 2015 and led the Red Bulls to two Supporters Shields. His work in New York earned him a move abroad to Germany, where he became an assistant, still under the Red Bull umbrella, at RB Leipzig.

From there, Marsch was hired as head coach of Red Bull Salzburg in Austria. He enjoyed much success in Salzburg, becoming the first American coach to win a top-flight league title in Europe. He went on to win the Austrian Bundesliga twice before moving to RB Leipzig to become the coach of the Bundesliga team, where he lasted half a season. Marsch would then replace Marcelo Bielsa in his role at Leeds United, another coach who will be at the CONMEBOL Copa América™. With the English team, he managed to stay in the Premier League after a difficult season. With Marsch at the helm, Leeds achieved important victories against Liverpool and Chelsea.

Leeds United, the team he left in 2023, is Marsch’s most recent job before Canada, and his role with Canada will be his first experience as a national team coach.

A veteran of the Red Bull soccer school, Marsch will seek to bring his direct and fast-paced style of play to Canada and showcase it to everyone in the CONMEBOL Copa América 2024™.