Leander Schaerlaeckens has been a lecturer in sports communication at Marist since 2017, teaching sports communication and journalism and specializing in writing classes. Leander started and remains the faculty advisor for Center Field, a website covering Marist sports in depth.

Leander writes regular columns on soccer and other sports for The Guardian and longer stories for The Ringer. He was previously a full-time soccer writer for ESPN, FOX Sports and Yahoo Sports and has covered three FIFA World Cups. His book on the United States men's national soccer team, The Long Game, will be published by Viking Books (an imprint of Penguin Random House) in May 2026.

Leander was born in the Netherlands, grew up in Belgium, went to college in London, and attended graduate school in Washington, D.C. before settling in the Hudson Valley with his wife, son, and mutt, Eleanor Roosevelt. He is fluent in English, Dutch, and French.

He has a love-hate relationship with the New York Mets. At the moment, he isn’t talking to them.