Twelve years, five coaching jobs and one unwanted nickname later, Jesse Marsch takes a moment to catch his breath.
It's been ten months since he was sacked by Leeds and for the first time in a long time he's content to recharge and recalibrate.
“Where I am in my life now… I don't need a job,” he tells Mail Sport in an exclusive interview. 'My need is to find the right job and the right situation and the right people.'
Marsch has no shortage of interest: he was close to Leicester and Southampton earlier this year and has had 'many discussions' with clubs in the Championship and elsewhere in Europe. Rumor has it that some national teams are also sniffing around. He even considered jobs in Saudi Arabia, but kept a close eye on potential vacancies in England.
A lot has changed for the Wisconsin native since he left Yorkshire.
The 50-year-old moved to Italy with his family, joined CBS Sports as a Champions League analyst and now has a podcast with the network also.
Jesse Marsch is taking his time before taking his next leap into football management
He became known for his fiery personality during his time at Leeds United from 2022 to 2023
The coach spoke exclusively to Mail Sport via Zoom in an extensive interview
Marsch was replaced by Javi Gracia in February, with the club above the relegation zone only on goal difference, after a run of four wins in twenty league games. For him, however, the blame for Leeds' relegation lies with Andrea Radrizzani.
“What went wrong is that we were just a few results away from actually getting everything moving in the right direction, and I believe everything was already moving in the right direction,” he says, calling Leeds an “incredible club'.
'But in the end the owner just lost his nerve. And he paid the price for it.'
Marsch's year in England certainly brought mixed fortunes.
In May 2022, he dramatically escaped relegation on the final day, but 'Ted Lasso' jokes persisted throughout, with a post-match chat and his use of quotes from Gandhi and Mother Teresa causing some eyes to turn rolled in England.
Nevertheless, Marsch has no regrets about brandishing his unmistakably American attitude in the Premier League.
Marsch said ex-Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani 'lost his nerve' when he sacked him in February
“I actually think being myself has helped me,” he says. “I think the limiting factor in the end was that we didn't get the results that, quite frankly, we should have gotten many times.”
Marsch adds, “There are things that come with this work…whether it's internal language, external language, barriers, experiences. And I don't consider anything as barriers. I see everything as opportunities. When I go to a new country, I want to acclimatize. I want to learn languages, I want to learn cultures.
'I want to understand why the people of certain clubs think in a certain way, I want to represent that in the right way in the way we play football, I also want to always stay true to myself. I never want to play boring football again.'
Marsch's football training and his penchant for a frenetic, demanding style came about within the Red Bull system. He played as head coach for the New York side of Major League Soccer before taking on the same role at Salzburg and later Leipzig.
In Austria, Marsch worked with Erling Haaland for six months. The striker quickly earned a move to Borussia Dortmund, but he stuck around long enough to leave a mark on his former coach.
In mid-2019, the attacker left for the Under-20 World Cup with Norway, where he scored a record number of nine goals in one match against Honduras. Haaland deserved a summer break but preferred to report early for pre-season training.
'Erling asked to come back after ten days and I was hesitant to say yes. But he was young and wanted to join the team,” Marsch recalled.
'That was a signal to me that this boy is serious. And then it was probably 20 minutes into the first practice where you could see his energy, his talent, his mobility, his strength and his football mentality.”
Marsch coached Erling Haaland at Red Bull Salzburg before the striker moved to Germany
The coach has since taken a job with CBS Sports as a TV Champions League analyst
Now, as one of three voices 'Call it whatever you want' – the podcast he co-hosts with former US internationals Charlie Davies and Jimmy Conrad – Marsch can enjoy stars like Haaland from a more comfortable vantage point than from the bench.
What drew him to the microphone as he plotted his next move?
“I'm not so sure,” he admits. “I thought it was a chance for me to enjoy some banter and entertainment about football, because I'm still football crazy, and yet try to add some good content about what's actually happening to these players.
'What their experiences are like and try to translate from my experiences: what are the possible things that those boys experience during their adventures in Europe?
“I'm still looking forward to getting back on the sidelines and being involved with teams and players again,” he added. “So I guess this is a way to just keep me active.”
Marsch may now live in Italy – Tuscany to be precise – but he still keeps an eye on football at home. And he's not alone after Lionel Messi made his stunning move to Inter Miami last summer.
MLS won't be stealing local attention from Serie A anytime soon, but Marsch believes this is seeping into the European consciousness. He remembers seeing Messi's pink Miami shirt next to traditional Italian kits on a recent trip to Pisa.
Lionel Messi's successful move to Inter Miami has increased interest in Major League Soccer
“The biggest challenge for MLS is not the fans, not the investments. It's not about the level of the game. It is geographical in many ways; it's a big world, apart from where we are here in Europe,” he says. “(But) I think people and players and coaches and everyone in football realizes that the league is coming alive.”
It's easy to forget that Marsch, who has coached two Champions League clubs and managed one of England's biggest clubs, began his professional football journey in the humble first generation of MLS.
But as he takes some time away from management, it's clear he cherishes the journey that got him to this point.
'To have a break, where I can recharge, dedicate myself to the things that are important in my life, so that I can be sure that when I come back in, I am completely ready in every way, I I think it has been very good and very important for me,” he says.
'I'm better where I am now. I'm a better person, I'm a better coach than when I first went to Leeds.'