In his 11 Major League Soccer campaigns, Jesse Marsch has been mostly a part of successful clubs.
He was a member of the first three championship teams as he played for D.C. United in 1996 and 1997 before joining Chicago in 1998 and helping the expansion Fire win MLS Cup '98.
In fact, Marsch has been on five clubs that have reached MLS Cup - roughly half of all MLS Cups - and has walked away with three championship titles.
Success has helped Marsch maintain his durability in the league as the Chivas USA midfielder prepares for his 12th campaign.
"There have been several factors," Marsch said of his durability. "I've been healthy -- knock on wood -- most of my career. I've been on good teams so I've had the opportunity to be on the field and not have my position in jeopardy because my teams normally do well. I try and harbor a lot of responsibilities, do a lot of dirty work, organize things and making sure that it's not just me who is playing good but it's the other guys around me that are playing well. I feel like that's one of the reasons I've been able to have longevity."
Marsch, 33, did not play in either of United's first two MLS Cup wins but played all 90 minutes in the Fire's 2-0 upset win over United at the Rose Bowl in 1998. He was also on Chicago Fire squads in 2000 and 2003 that fell just short of the championship.
With D.C. United, Marsch played in just four games and 92 minutes in 1996 but he did score a goal in that short amount of time. He earned his first start in 1997 but did not become a regular until 1998. Since his first season with Chicago, Marsch has played in at least 27 games per year, save for the 2003 and 2004 seasons.
In his first season with Chivas USA, Marsch started all 30 games he played in and logged 2,604 minutes - 54 minutes shy of his career high.
Along with teammate Ante Razov, Marsch is one of eight players in the league who have played in every MLS season. Of the group, Cobi Jones - who recently announced that 2007 will be his final campaign - is the oldest player at 36 while Steve Ralston is the youngest at 32.
With each passing year, Marsch said certain aspects of the game take on greater meaning.
"The older you get, the more important fitness is," he said. "I don't think I've necessarily lost a step because I didn't necessarily have a step to lose but I think that I know that my fitness is important because as much as I can't run guys down I need to be able to stay tuned in the whole game and be in places that I need to be in so that I'm not stuck in foot races or physical battles or whatever you will so I can see plays kind of happening ahead of time and see the plays that I need to make."
With longevity have come added responsibilities. Marsch is one of Chivas USA's leaders both on and off the field and has honed those skills over the past 11 years.
"In terms of what it means this year or next game or whatever, I just try and be a guy that everybody can trust and rely on and be a good teammate and push guys the right way and make sure that our group is going forward just like a coach," Marsch said. "That's what it gets to be like once you're an older guy and you've been around a long time. Those are the qualities I try and bring."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
