Montreal Impact coach steps down after 1 year

MONTREAL (AP) -- Jesse Marsch is out as coach of the Montreal Impact after one season in Major League Soccer.

The announcement Saturday came days after the club ended its expansion season with a better-then-expected 12-16-6 record.

"This is not a dismissal or a resignation, rather an amicable parting of ways," said team president Joey Saputo, adding that Marsch and team management had differences of opinion on how the team would be run. "Although the decision was a tough one to make, it was made mutually for the benefit of the club."

Goalkeepers coach Preston Burpo and conditioning coach Adam Rotchstein also left the team, while assistant coaches Mike Sorber, Mauro Biello and Denis Hamlett will remain.

The 38-year-old Marsch thanked the team and the fans and called the move "the right decision." He was signed away from an assistant coaches' job with the U.S. national team in August 2011 to lead Montreal into its first year in the MLS.

Marsch was a fiery presence on the sidelines and was fined twice and suspended one game for disputing officials' calls.

There were also questions during the season about his game management. Montreal conceded a league-worst 17 goals in the final 15 minutes of games.

But he was popular with fans and the media. He hired a French tutor before the season and by the end, granted an interview in French on a local TV station.