Coaching Great Players (Jesse Marsch on Tyler Adams)

December 15, 2022

Here’s a quote from Leeds United coach Jesse Marsch, on his player (and current USMNT captain) Tyler Adams. It’s about helping talented people do their best work, and it just might bring a lump to your throat too. 

Find people of outstanding character who know who they are, and who they want to be. Invest time and energy in them. Go find more people. 

In Marsch’s words, first on describing Tyler’s character:

He’s true to himself. For a young man his age, I think he’s gotten comfortable with exactly who he is. There’s times when you’re a footballer that you have to say the right things but say them in a way that represents yourself, and then there’s other times where you just have to say what you think. And his balance of understanding how to do that and get that balance right and represent himself both ways is really good.

And second, on his passion for coaching:

This is the beauty of young players and then the experiences you can have if you’ve been in this business a long time. You can take all of the different people and players that you’ve either played with, or played against, or worked with, or see – and you can start to create these little building blocks and pathways of the potential of what that person, given their gifts, and talents, and limitations, and how to see where they can end up at its best. That’s almost what I enjoy the most. Other than match day and having big wins and big moments- the connection you can have with people to help them really be their best, that’s what is often the most fun.