American coach makes his mark by winning Austrian title
Marsch led Salzburg to this season’s Austrian league title, the most significant trophy won by an American coach in Europe.
“My main emphasis in coming to Europe — of course, ambition was a part of it — but it was more to see if my idea of leadership could thrive in this competitive setting of our sport,” the Wisconsin native told The Associated Press. “And, you know, I mean, it’s very sink or swim in Europe.”
In his first season as coach of Salzburg, Marsch had little trouble staying afloat despite a raft of problems. He had to contend with both the coronavirus shutdown and a mid-season rebuild after the club sold Erling Haaland to Borussia Dortmund and Takumi Minamino to Liverpool.
Marsch also became the first American to coach a team in the group stage of the Champions League, and he drew plenty of praise for his team’s all-action style in European soccer’s biggest club competition.
Against Liverpool in October, Salzburg bounced back from a 3-0 hole in a battling 4-3 loss at Anfield. Footage of his halftime talk was widely shared on social media. In a mix of German and English, laced with expletives, he urged the players not to show Liverpool too much respect.
