The Red Bulls announced on Friday that they extended the contract of head coach Jesse Marsch. Terms of the multi-year extension were not disclosed.
Marsch earned 2015 MLS Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Red Bulls to the best regular season in franchise history, and an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in his first year with the club.
Marsch and the Red Bulls captured the 2015 Supporters’ Shield with an 18-10-6 record and the best goal differential in the league (+19), setting new franchise-highs in wins (18) and home wins (12). The Red Bulls also scored the most goals in MLS and allowed the fewest in the Eastern Conference
With a 24-17-7 regular season record, Marsch has the fifth most wins of any coach in club history, behind Mike Petke (30), Bob Bradley (32), and Octavio Zambrano and Hans Backe, who each have 41 regular season wins.
Marsch’s Red Bulls currently sit in second place in the Eastern Conference, with the second-most goals scored in MLS this season. The club is riding a three-game league-winning streak, and is 5-1-1 over the last seven matches.
“Jesse is an excellent person and the perfect coach for this club,” said Red Bulls Sporting Director Ali Curtis, who hired Marsch ahead of the 2015 season. “I am excited that we agreed on a new contract. I enjoy working with Jesse every day and he continues to have an exceptional impact on the success of our club.”
Before joining the Red Bulls, Marsch was the head coach of the Montreal Impact during the club’s inaugural season in 2012. Marsch led the Impact to 12 wins in the club’s first season, tied for the second-most wins by an expansion club in league history, behind only the 1998 Chicago Fire team that Marsch was part of.
The Racine, Wisconsin native enjoyed an impressive playing career, winning three MLS Cups and four US Open Cup Championships during 14 years in the league with D.C. United, Chicago Fire and Chivas USA. Marsch made 321 appearances in 14 seasons, scoring 31 goals and adding 40 assists. He also recorded three goals and three assists in 39 playoff games. He remains among the Chicago Fire’s all-time leaders for games played and assists.
Marsch said of his contract extension, “This has been a great place for me, no doubt. I think that the contract is a reflection of two things, first the organization’s belief in me, everything from Red Bull Global and back in Europe to then here, and the leadership team like Marc de Grandpre and Ali Curtis, and then it’s a reflection on the fact that we have a huge community of people here that are all pushing together and believe in being one team and believe in being all in together. The fact that I am a leader in that aspect, I think, means that it makes sense to keep me around. So, I’m very thankful but it doesn’t mean anything in terms of what I put in to every day. I still am hungry as ever and I think this whole organization is hungry as ever to prove ourselves. We have got a long way to go but I am very appreciative to continue to work here for many years.”
“What’s nice is when you find something that is the right fit, and when you work with people that have the same value system,” Marsch said of being in the Red Bulls organization. “And so from the minute that I met Marc de Grandpre, Ali Curtis and Oliver Mintzlaff, I knew there was symmetry and there was a common belief in what it was going to take to be successful. This business can be funny because you can get bounced around at different times and you’re not sure if, you know, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever find the right place again, but to find a place like this where there are great resources and a great commitment to being successful, I feel very lucky. Again, it is also a huge responsibility, a lot falls on my shoulders to make sure that this continues to move in the right direction and that this team is a reflection of the entire organization and the commitment that they have to success, and to being a community and to all working together. It’s what I like to do, so again, I am very thankful.”