[Note: The following article was written in 2019]
In Salzburg, he coaches the greatest Hungarian talent of our time. Now 45, Jesse Marsch was named Major League Soccer (MLS) Coach of the Year in North America back in 2015, after turning around the New York Red Bulls at the age of 41 as a relatively green coach. After the departure of world stars such as Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill, he rebuilt the club by relying mostly on young homegrown players. Fans expected a drastic decline, but instead they won the 34-round MLS regular season in his first year with the team. Some of his former players were signed by Chelsea, others by sister club RB Leipzig. In 2018, he himself moved to Leipzig, where he was the assistant coach under Ralf Ragnick for a year. And this summer, he was given the bench at Red Bull Salzburg, where he became the coach of 18-year-old Hungarian talent Dominik Szoboszlai. Marsch's team will have a chance to prove themselves in the UEFA Champions League group stage. He will be the first American coach in the history of the competition. I had the pleasure of interviewing Jesse Marsch in Salzburg after the pre-season match against Chelsea (3-5).
I've read that before you started coaching in New York, you travelled the world as a backpacker tourist with your family. Have you ever been to Hungary?
I had the opportunity to visit Budapest about 6-7 weeks ago. I loved it, it has become one of my favourite cities. I went with two friends. We went to the Széchenyi Baths in the city park (Városliget), which is a real architectural jewel. We also went to the Parliament, which I think is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. The Hungarians were friendly, it was a very pleasant experience.. Oh yeah, and we also went to Lake Balaton, where I had a taste of good Hungarian cuisine!
Now, as coach of Salzburg, you will be the first American to coach in the UEFA Champions League. You were appointed in June, what has your experience been like so far?
I feel great. It made it easier for me that I already knew a lot of people at the club before I got the appointment, so it was not difficult to acclimatise. I feel like we have a great group of people here, working towards the same goal. My family and I moved into our flat a few days ago, the kids are getting ready for school, so everything is on track in that respect as well. The city is beautiful and the Austrian people are very welcoming. So far I can only say good things.
Your team has a Hungarian national team player, Dominik Szoboszlai. What do you think of him?
Dominik is a really excellent player, a huge talent. He is a universal footballer who can play in several positions in midfield. He is destined to have a great season here and a great career later on. I'm sure that Salzburg will not be the peak of his career, he can play for even bigger teams in the future. But for the time being we are very happy that he is playing for us, he is a good guy who will develop a lot this year.
It's not the first time you've worked with Hungarians, at Leipzig you worked with Péter Gulácsi and Wili Orban. What memories do you have of them?
They are both top-class professionals and were among the most outstanding leaders of the team. I think that Wili, as a dual German-Hungarian citizen, made the right decision in choosing the Hungarian national team. It was an important decision for him and Hungary has been very good to him. He is a very good player, a reliable defender, who rarely makes mistakes. And Peter was the best goalkeeper in the Bundesliga last year. They are both great guys who were great to work with.
You came to Europe from MLS, how much have you been following the league since then?
I follow it regularly, as much as my time allows it. I'm in almost constant contact with the New York Red Bulls staff and people I know there. I try to watch as many of their games as possible.
How well do you think the North American league has prepared you for the European game?
It was very important for me, I became a coach there. Before that, I played in MLS for 14 years. I am very proud to have been part of the development that this league has shown in the recent years. We have come a long way in a relatively short period of time. And we are still a long way from the finish line.
In MLS, as coach of the New York Red Bulls, you faced several Hungarians. You have coached your team against Krisztián Németh (Sporting KC), Nemanja Nikolic (Chicago Fire) and Dániel Sallói (Sporting KC). What was your experience of them?
Nikolic had a fantastic first season, when he won the Golden Boot by becoming the top scorer. He scored almost every time against us back then, so he's not my favourite player (laughs). And Sallói scored the winning goal against us in the US Open Cup final, so I really don't like him (laughs again)! Németh also scored a few goals against us, but I prefer him because we were usually more successful defending against him.
But on a more serious note, these three are great players who are assets to MLS and they benefit from playing there. I've seen all of them get a call-up from MLS to the Hungarian national team, and that means that the head coach of the Hungarian national team also respects the league, which hasn't been the case for all European national team head coaches in the past.
Let's get back to American soccer and the United States National Team. The other day Christian Pulisic scored two goals in a pre-season game against your team. What do you think of his transfer to Chelsea and what can we expect from him in the future?
Christian is a decent young man with a really bright future ahead of him. He is a huge asset to the American soccer and the national team. Perhaps Pulisic is the greatest American talent ever. He is almost unstoppable in the counter-attacking game. But what's also very important: he's a humble guy. He's got his heart and his head in the right place. He cares about his country, the American soccer and the US national team. When he signed for Dortmund, it was already a significant step in his career, but signing for Chelsea is another big step for him. In the Premier League he will really be on the world stage, which will be very important for his development.
Who are the other American players to watch out for in the near future?
I think our second best player after Pulisic is Tyler Adams, who signed for Bundesliga side Leipzig from New York. He is a very talented midfielder with top-class mentality. I have no doubt that he will play at the highest level for many, many years to come. And of course there is Weston McKennie from Schalke. Together with Pulisic, the three of them are the best at the moment.
What do you think about the next generation of youngsters who reached the quarter-finals of the U20 World Cup, like Tim Weah, Sergino Dest or Chris Richards?
Their careers are off to a good start, but the really important years are just coming, they are 17-18 years old, their professional careers are just starting. They can be evaluated in a few years.
Do you have any message for the Hungarian fans of MLS and the American soccer?
I think it's wonderful that Hungarian people are interested in our league. Of course, the fact that there are Hungarian players playing in the MLS also plays a role in this. But I think it's still an interesting league for Hungarian fans. What's really cool is that when we've already watched the matches of the European leagues on a Saturday afternoon and it's 9.30 at night, the MLS-weekend is just starting. So the "crazy" Hungarian MLS fans still have something to watch, while others are already asleep.
[This interview was conducted in August 2019 by Tamás Kun, author of the YankeeFootie blog.]
