When will an American coach crack the Premier League?

It has been nine months since an American coach served as a manager of a Premier League club. In the grand scheme of things, that is not an overly long time. There have only been three American managers in Premier League history. The most recent was Jesse Marsch, who succeeded Bob Bradley and David Wagner. Each of those three struggled in the English top flight. They added to the stigma that an American coach cannot make it work in the Premier League.

That generalization will fall eventually. American coaches are growing in frequency in Europe. Also, the continued development of American coaches in Major League Soccer will extend into Europe. There are already a handful of managers plying their trade in Europe with American backgrounds.

Wagner remains in England with Championship side Norwich City. New Jersey native Pellegrino Matarazzo is overseeing Hoffenheim with relative success after a strong stint with Stuttgart. Then, Bob Bradley remains in Europe with Norwegian club Stabæk. Stabæk is currently battling relegation in the Eliteserien. The Premier League hires managers from varying backgrounds. However, none of the current American bosses in Europe seem to be on the cusp of a Premier League move.

The most likely option remains Jesse Marsch, who has been out of a job since Leeds let the American go last season before relegation. Marsch had links to several European clubs including Southampton and Leicester City last season in the Premier League. Neither of those panned out. Consequently, the status of an American coach in the Premier League stalled.

What must change for an American coach in the Premier League?

The first major step would be improving the quality of coaches. Having so few coaches in Europe would be a testament to the quality of American coaches. Gregg Berhalter, despite widespread disagreement on his ability as a coach, presented one of the best chances for an American coach to make the move over to Europe. Berhalter had links to the vacant Swansea job when he was not under contract with US Soccer. Still, the Championship is far different from the Premier League.

Jesse Marsch could provide an example of how more coaches could get to the Premier League. As the head coach of the New York Red Bulls, Marsch entered the Red Bull coaching tree. That allowed him to move to RB Salzburg, where he was successful. Champions League and domestic success in Austria allowed him to rise the ranks in Red Bull again with a move to RB Leipzig. Regardless of his record in the Bundesliga, he at least did enough to woo the interest of Premier League sides.

Matarazzo at Hoffenheim presents a chance for an American coach in the Premier League should a club come calling. Still, with more frequency from coaches, Matarazzo and Marsch will not be rare occurrences.

MLS can be a major tool for coaches

If Marsch proves anything, it is that MLS coaches have what it takes to be strong coaches in Europe. Currently, Major League Soccer has several coaches who have had strong careers at their respective clubs. For example, Jim Curtin was in the running for the USMNT job. He has built himself into one of the high-profile coaches in Major League Soccer. However, he has spent his entire soccer career in the United States. European clubs and the Premier League may worry about an American coach who has only been in the American game.

However, if Curtin, or a coach like Josh Wolff of Austin FC or Steve Cherundolo of LAFC, can make a move to Europe, they may open the door for more MLS coaches to have a future down the road that may reach the Premier League.

PHOTO: IMAGO / PA Images.