Jesse Marsch clinches double with Salzburg
- by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Jun 29, 2020
The former Montreal Impact and New York Red Bulls coach arrived from RB Leipzig, where he served as an assistant in 2018-19.
Marsch celebrated Salzburg's first game back following the 10-week lock-down with a 5-0 win over second division Austria Lustenau in the OFB-Cup final to become the first American-born and -bred coach to win a trophy in a European country.
The league season turned during the lock-down when first-place LASK Linz, which led Salzburg by six points at the end of the regular was docked 12 points -- six points it would have taken into the championship round -- for breaking the Austrian sports ministry's social-distancing rules. It was caught on tape training as a team when safety rules limited training to groups of six players.
Salzburg has a nine-point lead over second-place Rapid Vienna with two games to play in the championship round, where it has won six games and tied the other two. LASK dropped to third place with just three wins in eight games since the return to play.
Marsch joined one of the most talented and ambitious small clubs in Europe -- but a club that lost two of its biggest stars during the winter break. Norwegian teenager Erling Haaland joined Borussia Dortmund, and Japanese Takumi Minamino was transferred to Liverpool.
Salzburg has made a name for itself by aggressively recruiting young players and then moving them on. Naby Keita and Sadio Mane are also at Liverpool while French defender Dayot Upamecano is at RB Leipzig after signing with Austria Lustenau at the age of 16.
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Another feather in the cap for Marsch. Looks like his supposed 'backwards' move from HC at NYRB to AC at RBL - already proven to be a good move - has paid unexpected dividents b.c. U.S. sport and MLS is still in abeyance due to the ongoing struggles with the COVID pandemic while Europe and Austria expecially have been able to shake the bug and restart sports. Maybe he never comes back. Well done Jesse! Keep it going!
How about a little appreciation for another American, Rino Matarazzo, who just managed Stuttgart into the Bundesliga for next season. Jesse is not the only successful American coach in Europe. Good luck to him!!