Former Cougar Lesesne Named Head Coach of New York Red Bulls
5/8/2023 12:34:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Lesesne was a standout player for CofC and an integral member of the 2004 Southern Conference champion team which advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He was named to the NSCAA/Adidas All-American team as well as the NSCAA/Adidas All-South first team. He then spent nine years as an assistant coach for the College of Charleston, where he helped guide the program to a 82-76-14 mark as well as a Southern Conference regular season title and a second round NCAA Tournament appearance in 2010.
Lesesne joined the New York Red Bulls ahead of the 2022 MLS regular season.
He previously served as New Mexico United Head Coach and Sporting Director for three years. Lesesne was appointed Head Coach and Sporting Director of New Mexico United of the USL Championship on August 14, 2018. He became the first head coach in the club's history and led New Mexico to back-to-back postseason berths in 2019 and 2020. Lesesne earned his and New Mexico's first postseason victory in 2020. He was named 2020 USL Championship Coach of the Year after he led his team to the playoffs after playing the entire season on the road. In 2019, he coached New Mexico United to the quarterfinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Lesesne amassed a 36-27-26 record in his three seasons with New Mexico.
Prior to New Mexico, Lesesne joined Charlotte Independence in 2015 and spent three seasons there, where the club posted a 49-37-34 record. They reached the playoffs in back-to-back years and the Independence advanced to the Round of 16 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup after defeating the New England Revolution in the fourth round. The West Columbia, South Carolina native spent one season with the Charleston Battery as an assistant coach and worked closely with the Vancouver Whitecaps, as Charleston and the Whitecaps had a partnership agreement.
