After just one season, Jesse Marsch is out as head coach of the Montreal Impact.
Marsch led the team to a record of 12-16-6 in its inaugural MLS campaign. The Impact's total of 42 points was good enough for seventh in the Eastern Conference, though it would have left the team just one point short of the playoffs in the Western Conference.
The official release from the team claims that "the club and head coach Jesse Marsch have mutually agreed to part ways", while team president Joey Saputo is quoted as saying, "While we had the same long-term objectives for this team, we realized over the past few weeks that we did not share the same philosophy as how to get there."
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Given Marsch's long-time involvement with the North American game (over 300 games played in MLS, and a brief stint on the coaching staff of the U.S. men's national team), contrasted with Saputo's acquisition of four ex-Serie A players over the age of 30 this year, it's not difficult to imagine where those philosophical differences may have originated.
A trio of assistant coaches will take charge of the Impact until a full-time replacement is found.
More coverage and reaction to come.