Jesse Marsch will be the boss of his third Red Bulls team in as many countries. (Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports)
By Michael Lewis
FrontRowSoccer.com Editor
Jesse Marsch has pulled off a rare and unique hat-trick.
By assuming the role as head coach of RB Leipzig for the 2021-22 Bundesliga season, Marsch will have directed Red Bull’s three top franchises – Red Bull Salzburg (Austria) and the Red Bulls (United States).
Marsch was appointed Leipzig boss Thursday morning. He will replace Julian Nagelsmann, who will join Bayern Munich for the next campaign.
The 47-year-old Marsch is quite familiar with Leipzig, having been assistant coach to Ralf Rangnick in 2018-19 before moving to Salzburg. He directed Salzburg the Austrian Bundesliga and Cup double in 2019-20 as the team is on course to capture the league crown this year.
“Jesse has done outstanding work everywhere he has worked so far,” Leipzig’s head of soccer Oliver Mintzlaff said. “He has kept developing and it is obviously an advantage that he has worked at RB Leipzig for a year in the past.
“Jesse knows the club, the city, but most of all the philosophy of the team and the playing style,” he said.
Marsch knows one Leipzig player quite well – U.S. men’s international midfielder Tyler Adams, who was given an opportunity to play with the Red Bulls as a teenager in 2016.
During his Red Bulls tenure, Marsch directed the squad to the MLS Supporters’ Shield in 2016 before he left the club to become a Leipzig assistant coach early in the 2018 season. That Red Bulls side also won the Supporters’ Shield with Chris Armas at the helm that year.
Marsch is the Red Bulls’ all-time winningest coach with a 75-32-44.
It will be interesting to see if Marsch tries to bring over some Salzburg players, including midfielder Brenden Aaronson, who had a fine debut season with the Austria club.
