Troy Lesesne (/ləˈseɪn/ lə-SAYN;[1] born October 27, 1983) is an American soccer coach[2][3][4] who is the head coach of Major League Soccer club D.C. United.[5]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Troy Lesesne | ||
| Date of birth | October 27, 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | West Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | D.C. United (head coach) | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2001–2004 | College of Charleston Cougars | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2005 | Charleston Battery | 7 | (0) |
| 2005 | Wilmington Hammerheads | 4 | (0) |
| 2006 | Charleston Battery | 23 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2018–2021 | New Mexico United | ||
| 2023 | New York Red Bulls | ||
| 2024– | D.C. United | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
editBorn in West Columbia, South Carolina, Lesesne played four years of college soccer at the College of Charleston, helping them to 47 wins and a 2004 National Collegiate Athletic Association 2nd Round Tournament appearance after winning the Southern Conference Championship. He graduated from the Department of Communication with a Bachelor of Arts in 2004 and a Masters of Arts in communication in 2010.[6] He was named a United Soccer Coaches NSCAA Division I All American following his senior season.
Professional
editIn August 2005, Lesesne signed with the Charleston Battery where he made 38 appearances in two seasons and helped the team progress to the United Soccer League Championship semifinals in 2006.
Coaching career
editFrom 2005 to 2014 Lesesne spent ten years as an Assistant Coach for the College of Charleston where he helped the program compile an 82–76–14 record, along with a Southern Conference regular-season championship and a second-round National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament appearance in 2010. During his tenure, he was named one of the top-20 assistant coaches in the nation by CollegeSoccerNews.com [7] in 2011 and 2013 and was also selected to the inaugural United Soccer Coaches NCAA “Top 30 Under 30” coaches program in 2013.
In 2014, Lesesne ascended from the college game to the professional coaching ranks spending the season as assistant coach and liaison with the Charleston Battery as part of their Major League Soccer and United Soccer League affiliation, serving as technical staff working with players on loan from the Vancouver Whitecaps.[8] The Battery finished the 2014 campaign fifth in the regular-season standings, earning the club a spot in the playoffs.
In 2015, Lesesne was named the first assistant for the new expansion United Soccer League Championship team, Charlotte Independence, where he spent four years coaching under Mike Jeffries. He assisted in the team qualifying for back-to-back playoffs in 2016 and 2017, along with advancing to round 16 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in the club's inaugural season,[7] which was the furthest for any lower league team.
On August 13, 2018, Lesesne was announced as the first Head Coach and Technical Director of the new United Soccer League Championship expansion club, New Mexico United.[9][10] During his tenure with New Mexico United, the club posted a 34W-29D-25L record with two playoff appearances in 2019 and 2020. In 2019, New Mexico United advanced to the Quarterfinals of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. In 2020 the club secured its first playoff win and Lesesne was named USL Co-Coach of the Year. Lesesne also played an integral role in helping New Mexico United establish the Diversity Fellowship Program and a fully-funded youth academy, which produced its first-ever homegrown signing in Cristian Nava in 2021. He declined the club's contract extension offer and announced his resignation on November 5, 2021.[11]
On January 25, 2022, Lesesne joined New York Red Bulls as an assistant coach.[12]
On May 8, 2023, he was named head coach for the remainder of the 2023 season after the Red Bulls and Gerhard Struber mutually parted ways.[5] On November 14, 2023, it was announced that the Red Bulls would not be renewing Lesesne's contract, rather looking for coaches that maximize the change in approach with their youth players.[13] The Red Bulls also fired sporting director Denis Hamlett the same day.
On January 10, 2024, it was announced that Lesesne had signed a three-year contract with D.C. United to serve as the club's head coach.[14]
Managerial statistics
edit- As of match played October 19, 2024
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | Ref | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||||
| New Mexico United | August 13, 2018 | November 15, 2021 | 89 | 34 | 29 | 26 | 138 | 129 | +9 | 38.20 | [15] | |
| New York Red Bulls | May 8, 2023 | November 14, 2023 | 32 | 14 | 8 | 10 | 41 | 37 | +4 | 43.75 | [5] | |
| D.C. United | January 10, 2024 | present | 37 | 11 | 11 | 15 | 59 | 75 | −16 | 29.73 | ||
| Total | 158 | 59 | 48 | 51 | 238 | 241 | −3 | 37.34 | ||||
References
edit- ^ Day in the Life of...Assistant Coach Troy Lesesne – YouTube (via Charlotte Independence). Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ "USA - T. Lesesne - Profile with news, career statistics and history". Soccerway. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
- ^ "Troy Lesesne". newmexicoutd.com. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
- ^ "Troy Lesesne named head coach of USL New Mexico expansion club". thecharlottepost.com. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
- ^ a b c Bulls, New York Red. "New York Red Bulls, Gerhard Struber Mutually Agree to Part Ways". New York Red Bulls. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ Shirley, Samantha. "Communication On and Off the Field". College of Charleston. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
- ^ a b "Troy Lesesne Named Among Top-20 Assistant Coaches In America". College of Charleston Cougars. January 31, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
- ^ "Troy Lesesne". New Mexico United. New Mexico United and SportsEngine. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
- ^ USLSoccer.com Staff (August 14, 2018). "Former Independence, Battery Assistant Will Also Serve As Club's Technical Director". United Soccer League Championship. United Soccer League Championship and SportsEngine. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
- ^ Mahoney, Ashley (August 14, 2018). "Troy Lesesne named head coach of USL New Mexico expansion club Independence assistant spent 4 years in Charlotte". The Charlotte Post. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
- ^ Sickenger, Ken. "Lesesne, NM United are parting ways," Albuquerque Journal, Friday, November 5, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ New York Red Bulls Name Troy Lesesne Assistant Coach
- ^ Rueter, Jeff (November 14, 2023). "New York Red Bulls won't renew interim coach Troy Lesesne's contract, fire sporting director: Why the shakeup?". The Athletic. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ "D.C. United Name Troy Lesesne as Head Coach". DCUnited.com. D.C. United. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ Bulls, New York Red. "New York Red Bulls, Gerhard Struber Mutually Agree to Part Ways". New York Red Bulls. Retrieved May 8, 2023.