‘I turned down Leicester thinking I was going to get the USA job. But they rehired Gregg Berhalter, having previously made it very apparent I was going to get it’ Jesse Marsch on missing out on the USMNT job

Manager Jesse Marsch looks on during the FA Cup fourth round match between Accrington Stanley and Leeds United at the Wham Stadium on January 28, 2023 in Accrington, United Kingdom. — Jesse Marsch turned down the Leicester City job (Image credit: James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)

As Jesse Marsch prepares to lead co-host Canada at this summer’s World Cup, he has reflected on the sliding doors moment which led to him landing his current post.

Back in the spring of 2023, the former USMNT midfielder was coming off the back of an 11-month stint in charge of Leeds United that ended with the Whites one place off the relegation places ahead of the run-in.

Marsch on how missing out on the USA job changed his path

Now, as Marsch prepares to fulfil a long-standing ambition to manage at a World Cup, he explains the path that has led him to this point.

“In 1991, Bora Milutinovic was the coach for the US senior team and I was in the under-18s,” Marsch tells FourFourTwo. “The senior team came and played in Chicago, and the physio for my team was also physio for the seniors – he invited me to training, the match and the post-game.

Jesse Marsch — Marsch spent 11 months at Leeds United (Image credit: Getty)

“I went back to the hotel with the team, then helped Bora pack! He had to get a plane, needed someone to help and asked me, so I went upstairs and helped him pack, then saw him off in the taxi.

“At the time, I thought that was really cool! Then at the 2010 World Cup, I was assistant to Bob Bradley – I liked the idea of gaining experience by helping him, and adding to my resume so that maybe some day I could be the US national coach.

“I was more thinking about working my way to being national team coach rather than going to Europe, because that just wasn’t a viable option for most Americans then.

“But my career took different twists and turns, including being turned down for the US job when I thought I had it in my pocket.”

So what did happen when he believed he was on the brink of coaching his country?

“It was 2023,” Marsch reveals. “When they gave the job back to Gregg Berhalter, I turned down Leicester, thinking I was going to get the US gig.

“But they ended up rehiring Gregg, having previously made it very apparent that I was going to get the job.

“But I’m thankful I didn’t, because of how glad I am to be the Canadian coach. I think I’m a better fit for what we’re doing in Canada.”

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For more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others and worked at FourFourTwo throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown.

With contributions from

Richard Edwards