Jesse Marsch will be the second American managing in the Bundesliga after being hired by RB Leipzig.
Kartik Krishnaiyer
Jesse Marsch’s rise to become Manager of an emerging European power in RasenBallsport Leipzig was a massive breakthrough for Americans at the international stage. Perhaps more important than any success by a player, Marsch’s rise has shown Americans can and will be taken seriously if they develop consistent management principles and work hard to integrate themselves into the footballing cultures of the places they manage. Marsch has done that and his appointment opens a new chapter for American abroad.
Marsch becomes the second American currently managing in the German Bundesliga. Pellegrino Matarazzo, the Manager of Stuttgart is the other. New Jersey born and bred, Matarazzo is often forgotten about because he stopped playing long ago (though I remember his name always showing up on the lists of Yanks Abroad performances in the 2000’s when he, like most Americans outside England, was toiling in the reserves or lower divisions in Germany. Matarazzo’s coaching career has been completely in Germany as well and until Stuttgart was promoted in June, at a lower division level. Matarazzo is an important case study for us because he demonstrates that an American can go abroad after a decorated college career and toil in the obscurity of Italy and Germany’s lower divisions while developing an understanding of the game that leads them to becoming a top-level coach.
Germany’s Bundesliga in many ways embraces Americans more than other leagues do. Some of this is cultural: there are more Americans living in Germany than any other country in the European Union, and by some distance. But this is also demonstrated by the number of Americans who play in the league and the opportunities given Americans in Bundesliga world feed English-language broadcasts. While the Premier League tends to stay away from those who do not have accents reflective of the British Isles on their broadcasts, the Bundesliga world feed has in recent seasons featured a potpourri of other accents including Australian, Canadian and yes American. Kasey Keller is the latest American to get an opportunity to offer co-commentary for the league and has excelled in the role, most recently during Bayern’s 2-1 loss to Mainz on April 24.
Pulisic form… and his evolving USMNT role?
Earlier in the week, I asked a question on Twitter about how England can accommodate both Mason Mount and Phil Foden going forward. Mount and Foden for my eye this Premier League season are arguably the two best English players in the division not named Harry Kane or Jamie Vardy (who long ago retired from international play). While pondering this, I realized we have a similar dilemma with our US men’s team. The US are overloaded in some attacking midfield positions but lacking in striker depth. The thought occurred to me watching Foden for Manchester City versus PSG that if Josh Sargent isn’t firing on all cylinders, could Christian Pulisic move to a “false 9” role therefore freeing up an attacking position behind the striker for the likes of Tim Weah or Brenden Aaronson and allowing Gio Reyna to remain central?
My most vocal critique of Pulisic’s play the last few seasons has been his lack of awareness at critical times in terms of his positional play. This is particularly pronounced defensively, when he is often caught too far up the field to provide meaningful help.
But at Chelsea recently, with Mount playing on another level and covering a ridiculous amount of midfield space in the process, Pulisic has developed a bit of a freer role, in which he’s excelling. I realize in hindsight my criticisms of Pulisic while valid were often centered around when his team did not possess the ball. But what about when the USMNT does have the ball?
Giving Pulisic the ability to drift while playing Reyna centrally in a playmaker role could give the Chelsea man the sort of freedom to pop up in attacking positions the way Foden has for Manchester City in the matches where Pep Guardiola has chosen to play without an out-and-out striker. It’s worth a thought since the USMNT is overloaded in attacking midfield and wide areas and severely lacking up top.
A longtime American soccer journalist, communications director and executive, Kartik Krishnaiyer is an Editor of The Yanks Are Coming. Follow him on Twitter @kkfla737.