Atlanta Soccer News: Art, Music and Culture: Marsch named head coach for Impact jump to MLS

Impact name Marsch as head coach for jump to MLS

MONTREAL -- Jesse Marsch will lead the Montreal Impact when the club makes the jump to Major League Soccer next season.

The Impact named the 38-year-old former midfielder as their new head coach Wednesday.

Marsch, who played 14 MLS seasons with three teams before retiring last year, will take over in time for the 2012 campaign.

The Impact currently play in the North American Soccer League but will join Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps in the MLS in 2012.

Marsch, who signed a three-year deal with Montreal, was an assistant coach with the U.S. men's national team.

Sporting director Nick De Santis has acted as interim coach since Marc Dos Santos was fired 12 games into the season.

De Santis will coach the team for the rest of this season. Marsch will be with the team to evaluate players and prepare for his first head coaching job.

The Impact are enduring a terrible final campaign in the NASL with a 3-10-6 record.

The move came a day after the Vancouver Whitecaps named Martin Rennie of the NASL's Carolina Railhawks as their coach for 2012.