Jesse Marsch headed for Southampton, out of running for USMNT manager

Doug McIntyre

Soccer Journalist

Just over a week after being fired by Leeds United, Jesse Marsch is back in the Premier League.

Marsch is expected to be introduced as the new manager of last-place Southampton, a source close to the American confirmed to FOX Sports on Tuesday morning. The Athletic was the first to report the news.

The 49-year-old from Racine, Wisc., will replace Nathan Jones, who was fired Sunday following the Saints’ 2-1 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers. That defeat left Southampton at the bottom of the 20-team standings with just 15 points, four behind 17th-place Leeds. The bottom-three finishers in the Prem will be relegated to England’s second tier Championship when the 2022-23 campaign wraps up in May.

Marsch was dismissed by Leeds on Feb. 6 after 11 months in charge at Elland Road. He previously led German Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, Austrian power FC Salzburg and MLS clubs New York Red Bulls and CF Montreal. He’s the second American coach to be fired and then rehired this season in one of Europe’s top four leagues. Last week, New Jersey native Pellegrino Matarazzo was named the new boss of Hoffenheim; he was let go by fellow Bundesliga struggler Stuttgart in October.

Both Marsch and Matarazzo were considered obvious candidates to fill the vacant United States men’s national team job before landing their new club gigs. Interim coach Anthony Hudson is expected to lead the USMNT through the CONCACAF Nations League and Gold Cup tournaments this summer before a new U.S. Soccer sporting director – incumbent Earnie Stewart leaves his post Wednesday for a similar role with Dutch club PSV Eindhoven – selects someone this autumn to helm the Americans through the 2026 FIFA World Cup. That tournament will be co-hosted by the U.S. and North American neighbors Canada and Mexico.

Marsch began his coaching career in 2010 as an assistant to then USMNT manager Bob Bradley. He was perhaps the favorite to replace 2022 World Cup coach Gregg Berhalter (who ostensibly remains in contention to come back) but, like Matarazzo, is apparently now out of the running to lead his country this cycle.

Marsch will become the first American to coach multiple Premier League teams whenever Southampton makes his appointment official. The Saints’ next match is at Chelsea on Saturday.

Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.

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