Is Wisconsin native Jesse Marsch the top candidate to lead the U.S. national soccer team? What are soccer writers saying?

Racine native Jesse Marsch was ousted as manager of Leeds in the prestigious English Premier League this week, marking the second time he's been sacked from a high-profile position in the past 14 months. But what he does next will interest many in the soccer world.

Already a name that's been bandied about as a possible leader for the United States men's soccer program, Marsch — who's been a pioneer as an American in overseas soccer — will certainly get discussed. The U.S. team must first decide if it will bring back Gregg Berhalter, who just coached the Americans into the Round of 16 at the World Cup but who's also part of a bizarre behind-the-scenes story and isn't under contract.

Could a Wisconsinite lead the next men's soccer team when it competes in the 2026 World Cup on native soil? National writers have mixed perspectives on the matter; here's what they are saying:

First, who is Jesse Marsch?

The 1991 graduate of Racine Case High School became the first American to coach in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League in 2019, when he guided RB Salzburg of Austria into the fray — a major achievement for Austrian soccer.

He also won the "double" for Salzburg, claiming the league and domestic cup in Austria, a particularly impressive feat considering Marsch was in his first season as manager. It made Marsch the first American manager to win a European title.

From there, he was hired as manager of RB Leipzig, a squad in the prestigious German Bundesliga, but he was fired in December of 2021 after only eight months on the job. In late February of 2022, Marsch became the third American to coach a Premier League club when he was hired by Leeds, but on Monday, that partnership came to an end.

Marsch played college soccer at Princeton, where he played for coach Bob Bradley, who then coached Marsch again with the Chicago Fire and Chivas USA in California. In 2009, when Bradley was coach of the U.S. national team, he invited Marsch onto the staff as they prepared for the 2010 World Cup.

Marsch went on to coach the Montreal Impact and New York Red Bulls in MLS after his 14-year playing career ended.

Fox Sports

Doug McIntyre sees Marsch as a highly viable candidate, even though he's been twice fired during the middle of the season for a club in a top European league.

Marsch, 49, still "checks a lot of boxes," including his early service as an assistant coach to Bob Bradley in the 2010 World Cup. He also has more experience than Berhalter did when Berhalter was hired to take the job.

"While boldface international names like Zinedine Zidane and Jose Mourinho have been linked to the U.S. opening, there’s a sense that having an American at the helm is preferable to a mercenary for the USSF in the leadup to the 2026 World Cup, which the U.S. will co-host with Canada and Mexico," McIntyre wrote. "That Marsch is an engaging, charismatic personality who understands the opportunity that the tournament presents, and who can sell the sport to a still-skeptical mainstream audience is another mark in his favor."

Yahoo! Sports

Henry Bushnell also sees the strength of Marsch's candidacy, pointing out that a month ago he was a fan favorite to succeed Berhalter, with the major stumbling block that Marsch was committed to what seemed like a more attractive gig in the Premier League. But Bushnell also acknowledges that Marsch is "no longer a home-run hire" after his ouster at Leeds.

"His act and his tactics wore thin rather quickly in each of his two most high-profile jobs — both of which suited his style far more than a national team gig would," Bushnell wrote. "His teams press intensely and relentlessly. They succeed only when players work in tandem with one another and with Marsch daily. They rarely adjust at scale or adapt to circumstance.

"Marsch, therefore, would face many of the same challenges Berhalter did. How would he instill his philosophies and implement his system in short international windows? Would his intensity invigorate players or wear on them?"

GOAL

Ryan Tomlick of the international football website GOAL said even if it's a "clear and obvious marriage," the two sides should resist partnering up.

"Some would say national team jobs can be boring," Tomlick wrote. "They're generally pretty hands-off, very dependent on scouting and roster decisions, and provide little time to actually build an on-field identity. You only work with players for a few weeks out of a year, which is a massive change for a coach so used to the club level, and would be a huge hurdle for a coach like Marsch, who is — despite his reputation in England as a Ted Lasso clone — a coach whose identity is so focused on tactics."

Tomlick added that Marsch's intention of coaching at the highest level and helping pave the way for other Americans is an unfinished product, even with his success in Germany and England.

The Athletic

Sam Stejskal writes that whatever the decision winds up being, it's not likely to happen anytime soon, pointing out the organizational restructuring within U.S. soccer likely means a monthslong process getting to the hire. That wait could be a problem for a USMNT-Marsch union.

"Though there’s plenty of runway between now and the 2026 World Cup, which the U.S. will co-host with Canada and Mexico, there isn’t an abundance of competitive matches scheduled for the American men ahead of that tournament," Stejskal wrote. "Not having a permanent head coach in place in time for the two competitions on tap this summer would be two fewer opportunities for a manager to get to know the player pool, implement and experiment with tactics and familiarize themselves with how the federation operates."

Waiting until the end of the summer could also allow time for Marsch to find a sweeter opportunity.

ESPN

Jeff Carlisle talked to those who knew Marsch and his system well. Former U.S. midfielder Sacha Kljestan, who played under Marsch, told Carlisle it requires complete buy-in from players, but the young projected U.S. roster could fit well into Marsch's tactical philosophy.

Like other writers, Carlisle cautioned that Marsch not lasting a year at his previous two posts diminished his candidacy.

"... while his spell in Salzburg was successful, recent results demand a closer look by those making the hiring decision. There are also questions about the methodology to which he's wedded, one that relies heavily on creating chaos via the press. Can Marsch adapt his approach to the international game, one in which the amount of time spent on the training ground is significantly less than at club level, and the best teams are adept at overcoming such a setup?"

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Could Racine native Jesse Marsch coach USMNT and into 2026 World Cup?