Official: RB Leipzig sack Jesse Marsch

RB Leipzig have officially parted ways with American coach Jesse Marsch. This comes after reports on Saturday revealed the board were growing impatient due to lack of results in his time in Saxony.

The club made the official announcement Sunday morning.

In his place, former Köln and Mainz boss Achim Beierlorzer will be promoted from assistant coach to serve as caretaker manager.

Marsch had previously enjoyed success in the United States and Austria before making the jump to Germany. He had won the MLS Supporter’s Shield with New York Red Bulls in 2015 before making the jump to Austria and winning back-to-back Austrian Cup and Ö. Bundesliga titles with FC Red Bull Salzburg. He was announced as manager of RB Leipzig toward the end of the 2020-21 season when then-boss Julian Nagelsmann departed for Bayern Munich.

Under his watch, Leipzig were unable to produce any great results, despite Marsch’s claim this was “the deepest squad in the entire Bundesliga.” Whether Marsch grossly overestimated his side’s ability or grossly underestimated the impacts that the losses of players like Dayot Upamecano, Marcel Sabitzer, and Ibrahima Konate would have on his side is up for debate.

Regardless of what you believe, the results spoke for themselves. Leipzig currently sit 11th in the table with a 5W-3D-6L record. All six of those losses came to teams that are currently above Leipzig in the table, but many of them (Mainz, Hoffenheim, Union Berlin) haven’t been sides that were competitive with Die Roten Bullen over the last four years.

Outside of the league, Marsch’s men failed to impress on the continent — currently sitting third in their Champions League group behind powerhouses Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain. The squad is still in the DFB-Pokal and face Hansa Rostock in the next round.

Americans can be forgiven for feeling defeated at this news — or even for feeling deja vu. Echos of former USMNT boss Bob Bradley’s time at Swansea City reverberated around Europe for years, casting doubt on the shoulders of U.S. managers for years. Marsch’s failure at Leipzig is not one that is entirely his fault, but that point will need some convincing. The mantle of “Best American Coach Abroad” now falls to VfB Stuttgart gaffer Pellegrino Matarazzo.