Jesse Marsch acquires first win in EPL

Jesse Marsch captures first victory as Leeds United's new manager against Norwich City in a 2-1 victory. Leeds has won their previous two matches leaving a foot in the door for future American managers.

    Leeds United took the pitch against Norwich City at Elland Road in an absolute thriller last Sunday which resulted in a 2-1 victory. Although both teams are out of contention for the league title, neither team disappointed in their efforts to secure another win for their respective clubs. In the 14', Rodrigo Moreno initiated the scoring for Leeds from inside the box after a lucky deflection off of a Norwich defender. Norwich players pleaded with the referee to erase the goal as they believed an offside penalty was deserved seconds before the deflection, but the goal stood.  Regretfully, Leeds continued their attack with three more unsuccessful opportunities leaving an opportunity for Norwich's Milot Rashica to score after being taken down in the open field. Stuart Attwell would reverse the decision after reviewing the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) and deciding no penalty was deserved. The first half belonged to Leeds as Norwich managed only one shot on target which was handled easily by Meslier, Leeds keeper. 

    The second half of the match continued similarly to the first as Leeds bombarded Norwich with shots. James, the Welsh international, put one in the back of the net for Leeds following a rebound save by Krul in the 52', but would be called offside. As the match pursued, angst could be felt penetrating both clubs as a Norwich substitute hit the crossbar in the 70'. A few moments later, Raphinha of Leeds would strike the cross bar for the second time leaving Leeds supporters feeling helpless. Leeds emerged to be victorious as the game was coming to a conclusion with the referee allowing only six minutes of extra time. Norwich's McLean would put forth one final effort to will a draw when he scored off a cross from the right side of the field in the first minute of extra time. Leeds dreams of winning their first game in the last seven matches slowly dwindled after Norwich recorded the equalizer. Tactically, Marsch brought on Joe Gelhardt in stoppage time to close out the nail biting match that was now tied. Gelhardt would win a header in the final minute of play and send it through to Raphinha who would dribble past the keeper returning the ball to Gelhardt for a wide open shot on net. Leeds would win the game 2-1 in heart stopping fashion giving Jesse Marsch his first victory in the English Premier League.

Who is Jesse Marsch?

    Many onlookers seem to be skeptical of the new manager as not much was perviously known of the American. Marsch attended Princeton University where he played under coach Bob Bradley. He would leave Princeton in 1995 after being drafted by D.C. United and was reunited with his former Princeton Coach. Marsch would go on to win back to back MLS Cups in 1996 and 1997 with D.C. United although he was not a starter. The following year, Marsch would transfer to the Chicago Fire following his former Princeton and D.C. United coach. With Jesse starting for the Fire, they would go on to win the 1998 MLS Cup securing his third successive MLS Cup. In addition to Marsch's MLS career, he would be capped twice by the United States Mens National team in 2001 and 2007. He would eventually retire in 2010 at the age of 36 after playing 14 seasons in the MLS. 

    

    Following his playing career, Marsch would become an assistant coach under, you guessed it, Bob Bradley for the United States national team. That summer the team was preparing for the 2010 World Cup group stages with Jesse being tasked to scout England. He would go on to get his first head coaching opportunity for the Montreal Impact, a MLS expansion team, in 2012. The position in Canada was short lived, but Marsch would make the most of his second opportunity as the head coach of the New York Red Bulls in 2015. In New York, Marsch would win the MLS Supporters' Shield twice, an award for topping the regular season table, and would also be named the MLS coach of the Year in 2015. Next, Marsch would be named assistant coach at RB Leipzig in 2018 under head coach Ralf Rangnick. The following season Jesse was given control of Red Bull Salzburg in Austria, which featured players such as Erling Haaland and several other known faces in the futball world. The team would turn heads in the Champions League Group stage, but Marsch would eventually return to Red Bull Leipzig as head coach in the summer of 2021. A few months after being named coach of Leipzig, the club would be knocked out of contention for the Champions League and was in the middle of the table in Germany. Marsch would be sacked until he found his new home at Leeds United. Marsch has won six trophies as a head coach. 

      Leeds United announced the appointment of new manager Jesse Marsch in replacement of Marcelo Bielsa following a 4-0 loss to the Tottenham Hotspurs. In the previous eight contests, Leeds has conceded 24 goals and lost six matches in the English Premier League. Marsch has been head coach for the last four matches conceding the first two and winning the final two against Norwich City (2-1) and Wolverhampton Wolves (3-2). As Leeds is currently safe from relegation, Marsch hopes to finish the season strong with the club having eight matches left. Marsch hopes to excel with the club in the future as his contract does not expire until 2025. Marsch gives hope to American managers everywhere as he is a prime example of how persistence and hard work can pay off. As it is rare for an American to be a manger of a premier league team, Marsch is inspiring many Americans with hopes of managing a club. He could open the flood gates to Americans becoming involved European soccer as a manager or even a player. Leeds seems to be turning a new page with the American leading the way, but only time will tell if the recent success is a fad or a culture change for the club.