| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Troy Lesesne | ||
| Date of birth | (1983-10-27)October 27, 1983 (age 42) | ||
| Place of birth | West Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. | ||
| 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 | ||
| 2022–2023 | New York Red Bulls (assistant) | ||
| 2023 | New York Red Bulls | ||
| 2024–2025 | D.C. United | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Troy Lesesne (/ləˈseɪn/lə-SAYN;[1] born October 27, 1983) is an Americansoccer coach.[2][3]
Born in West Columbia, South Carolina, Lesesne played four years of college soccer at theCollege of Charleston, helping them to 47 wins and a 2004National Collegiate Athletic Association 2nd Round Tournament appearance after winning theSouthern 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.[4] He was named aUnited Soccer Coaches NSCAA Division I All American following his senior season.
In August 2005, Lesesne signed with theCharleston Battery where he made 38 appearances in two seasons and helped the team progress to theUnited Soccer League Championship semifinals in 2006.
From 2005 to 2014 Lesesne spent ten years as an Assistant Coach for theCollege of Charleston where he helped the program compile an 82–76–14 record, along with aSouthern Conference regular-season championship and a second-roundNational 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[5] in 2011 and 2013 and was also selected to the inauguralUnited 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 theCharleston Battery as part of theirMajor League Soccer andUnited Soccer League affiliation, serving as technical staff working with players on loan from theVancouver Whitecaps.[6] 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 expansionUnited 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 theLamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in the club's inaugural season,[5] 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 newUnited Soccer League Championship expansion club,New Mexico United.[7][8] During his tenure withNew 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 helpingNew 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.[9]
On January 25, 2022, Lesesne joinedNew York Red Bulls as an assistant coach.[10]
On May 8, 2023, he was named head coach for the remainder of the 2023 season after the Red Bulls andGerhard Struber mutually parted ways.[11] Lesesne took over with the Red Bulls in last place in the Eastern Conference (1W-6D-4L) and helped lead them to the MLS Playoffs and their first postseason win since 2018 with a 5-2 result vs. Charlotte FC. He also guided the club to the Round of 16 in Leagues Cup, winning their group, along with progressing to the Round of 16 in the U.S. Open Cup. On November 14, 2023, it was announced that the Red Bulls would not be renewing Lesesne's contract[12]
On January 10, 2024, it was announced that Lesesne had signed a three-year contract withD.C. United to serve as the club's head coach.[13] On Decision Day in 2024,D.C. United narrowly missed the MLS Playoffs on goal differential which would have been their first postseason appearance since 2019. In Leagues Cup,D.C. United won the group stage over Atlanta United and Santos Laguna and progressed to the Round of 32. Lesesne helped Christian Benteke to the 2024 MLS Golden Boot, which was the first time since 2011 that the club had a player win this award.
In 2025, Lesesne leadD.C. United to the Quarterfinal round of the U.S. Open Cup, the furthest the club had progressed in the competition since winning it in 2013. On July 9, 2025, D.C. United fired Lesesne with the club in 12th place in the Eastern Conference.[14] After Lesesne's dismissalD.C. United finished the 2025 season in last place, winning only one of it's final 13 matches with a 1W-4D-8L record.
Lesesne holds a USSF Pro License.
In the modern era, Lesesne joins James O'Connor, Marc Dos Santos, Gio Savarese, Paulo Nagamura, and Eric Quill as the only coaches not associated with a second team/affiliate to ascend from theUnited Soccer League Championship or NASL to become an MLS Head Coach.
| 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 | 038.20 | [15] |
| New York Red Bulls | | May 8, 2023 | November 14, 2023 | 32 | 14 | 8 | 10 | 41 | 37 | +4 | 043.75 | [11] |
| D.C. United | | January 10, 2024 | July 9, 2025 | 61 | 16 | 19 | 26 | 83 | 122 | −39 | 026.23 | |
| Total | 182 | 64 | 56 | 62 | 262 | 288 | −26 | 035.16 | ||||