“The 49ers beat my Cowboys every year, so if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em!”
Jordan Spieth has confirmed that he and fellow golf star Justin Thomas have completed a deal to become minority owners in Leeds United.
Spieth added that Rickie Fowler, who confirmed the trio’s interest in the Championship club last month, has pulled out of the deal.
Following its relegation from the Premier League, Leeds was taken over by 49ers Enterprises, the investment arm of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers.
Spieth said that although he’d prefer to be getting involved with a Premier League team, he’s confident that the 49ers group has the ability to succeed in its stewardship of Leeds.
“Relegation wasn’t ideal, but we got involved with the 49ers group about purchasing a larger share and getting in with them doing things so successfully as they do everywhere they’ve touched,” Spieth told Sky Sports News.
“We thought it would be a cool opportunity. It’s a big city, historic club, great venue in Elland Road, and once we looked into it we realized it could be really exciting.
“They (the 49ers) renegotiated after relegation and it was possibly a better deal — as long as they can get promoted soon.
“I’m excited to have a team I’m emotionally invested in. I’ve watched the Premier League intently for a few years. Hopefully, we’ll be back very soon.”
Spieth confirmed that the deal has been completed, though he added that Fowler pulled out due to the club’s relegation.
“It’s done. Myself and Justin with a minority stake. The 49ers beat my Cowboys every year, so if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em!
The 22-year-old will go from the Championship to the Champions League
Brenden Aaronson has joined Union Berlin on loan from Leeds until the end of the 2023-24 season.
Sky Germany reported that the deal does not include a purchase option.
Aaronson departs one year after joining Leeds from Red Bull Salzburg in a $30 million transfer. He was heavily involved in his first Premier League season, appearing in 36 of the club’s 38 league games while starting 28 times.
The 22-year-old started the season strong but struggled as the campaign wore on, finishing with just one goal and three assists as Leeds was ultimately relegated from the Premier League.
He will now get a fresh start in the Bundesliga with Union, which surprisingly finished fourth last season to qualify for the Champions League.
“Union’s path and the success of the last few years did not go unnoticed in either the USA, Austria or England,” Aaronson told the club’s website.
“Somehow, you always heard something about them. A year ago, I wouldn’t have believed that I would be here and able to play in the Champions League with Union. I’m looking forward to the year ahead with joy and confidence and want to help us have another successful season.”
First he took Philadelphia and then he took Salzburg. Then he took Elland Road… And now he takes Berlin Welcome to the club, Brenden. You're gonna love it here. Eisern!!!
— 1. FC Union Berlin (English) (@fcunion_en) July 9, 2023
Aaronson will join his sometimes USMNT teammate Jordan Pefok at Union, and will also reunite in the Bundesliga with his younger brother Paxten, who plays for Eintracht Frankfurt.
“Brenden’s commitment has made us very happy, he is a type of player we don’t have who will be good for our attacking game. Despite his young age, he already has a lot of international experience and will complement our squad at a high level,” said Oliver Ruhnert, Union’s managing director of men’s professional football.
Aaronson has 32 caps for the USMNT, appearing in all four of the team’s 2022 World Cup matches off the bench.
Some teams were fun, some very much weren’t. Some players broke out, while others broke down
With the European club season in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to take stock of the year that was for Americans Abroad.
In many ways, 2022-23 felt like a preamble, a precursor to a much more significant club season to come. For the future of the U.S. men’s national team, what comes next will be more significant than what came before.
That’s because so many vital USMNT players are unsettled due to the nature of their 2022-23 campaign — some are ready to move up the food chain due to standout seasons, while others need a change of scenery for less positive reasons.
Before we turn the page to next season, let’s take a look back by handing out a few accolades for some notable Americans Abroad.
Leeds lost 4-1 to Tottenham at Elland Road on Sunday, confirming they will be playing in the Championship next season.
Adams did not feature for Leeds in the final two months of the season after he underwent hamstring surgery in March. The U.S. national team captain was a fixture for Leeds prior to the injury, and his absence left a huge void in the center of the park.
Leeds suffered mightily without Adams. With the American in the lineup, the club conceded 1.44 goals per game. Without him, that number ballooned up to 3 goals per game.
After taking a couple days to reflect, Adams issued an apology on Twitter.
All we can say as players is we're sorry. You guys have been incredible all season and deserved more.
“It’s not just been a tough few days reflecting on what happened, it’s been a tough couple of months having to watch from the sidelines and be unable to help my team, teammates and you guys, the fans, to keep us in the Premier League,” Adams wrote.
“All we can say as players is we’re sorry. You guys have been incredible all season and deserved more.”
Adams joined Leeds from RB Leipzig prior to the season, and his stay at Elland Road looks likely to be a short one.
Multiple reports have stated the USMNT captain has transfer interest from England and beyond, having proven himself a high-level Premier League holding midfielder in 2022-23.
90min reported this week that Liverpool, Manchester United, Newcastle and Tottenham are among the teams tracking the 24-year-old.
The club will be one division lower and a lot less American in 2023-24
What appeared inevitable for a while was finally confirmed on the final day of the season: Leeds has been relegated from the Premier League.
Leeds lost 4-1 to Tottenham at Elland Road on Sunday, ending the club’s three-year stay in the top flight.
The club’s most recent Premier League experience had one incredible season — a ninth-place finish under Marcelo Bielsa in 2020-21 — followed by a narrow escape last year and, finally, this season’s 19th-place finish.
Jesse Marsch led the team to that narrow escape, fulfilling his mission after taking over from club legend Bielsa. There was plenty of optimism heading into 2022-23 that the American manager could fully instill his high-octane style, leading Leeds to a comfortable Premier League stay at minimum.
Marsch brought along two of his fellow Americans (and former players), as Leeds signed Brenden Aaronson from Red Bull Salzburg and Tyler Adams from RB Leipzig. Along with an increased ownership stake from 49ers Enterprises, Leeds took on a distinctly American feel.
But after picking up seven points from three games to start the season, Leeds began to fall apart and, save for a few brief respites, never really recovered.
The problem, in a nutshell was defense. Leeds finished the campaign with a league-worst 78 goals allowed. The issues were myriad, from a lack of adequate personnel to a nonexistent transition defense to poor set-piece defending.
Gracia fell flat on his face. His replacement, Sam Allardyce, could not conjure up what would have been his greatest escape yet.
(Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
The transfer market has been particular problematic for Leeds in the past year. Last summer the team lost its two best players, Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha. With a huge windfall from those sales, the club spent haphazardly.
Adams has been excellent, while others like Luis Sinisterra and Marc Roca have produced mixed results. But Aaronson hasn’t lived up to his $30 million price tag, contributing just one goal and three assists despite playing well over 2,000 league minutes.
Adams and Aaronson were joined by a third American, Weston McKennie, in January, but the Juventus midfielder underwhelmed in a half-season loan.
The club-record signing of Georginio Rutter from Hoffenheim has been particularly disastrous. Brought in for $43m in January, Rutter has started one Premier League game and has lately spent more time with Leeds’ U-21 side than its senior team.
What could that $43m have done if it wasn’t spent on a striker who clearly wasn’t ready for prime time?
(Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
Where does Leeds go from here?
For all of the club’s missteps in the transfer and managerial markets, director of football Victor Orta has already paid the price. He may not be the only person from the C-suite to depart.
Club owner Andrea Radrizzani could sell his majority share to 49ers Enterprises, but The Athletic reports that the Italian would have to accept a significantly reduced price following the club’s relegation.
Whether or not 49ers Enterprises is involved next season, the club is set to be much less American. Adams looks likely to be sold, and McKennie will return to Juventus. Aaronson reportedly has a relegation clause in his deal and could be on his way out as well.
Will Leeds be back in the Premier League any time soon? The infrastructure is certainly in place if the right personnel can follow. Whichever new faces arrive, it’s clear that the era of Leeds United States of America will end just as quickly as it arrived.
It is desperation time at Leeds, and Big Sam is on his way
There is a certain profile of team that hires Sam Allardyce and goodness, does Leeds ever fit that bill.
Locked in a relegation battle? Check. Leaking goals at an alarming rate? Check. Full of desperation? Check check check.
How desperate is Leeds? Consider that Allardyce is replacing a man who replaced a man who was sacked three months ago. And then also consider that Leeds has four games left in the season.
But that’s where Leeds, which just allowed the most goals an English top-flight team has conceded in any single month since 1986, currently finds itself.
Leeds confirmed on Wednesday that Javi Gracia, who was appointed in late February following Jesse Marsch’s sacking, had been sacked himself, with Allardyce appointed as the club’s third manager this season.
Leeds director of football Victor Orta also left the club “by mutual consent” the previous day.
Allardyce himself couldn’t quite believe that he would be hired so close to the end of the season.
“[I was] shocked [to get the opportunity] – I never thought at this stage of the season there would be jobs offered,” Allardyce told talkSPORT. “When the phone popped up with a name that I knew pretty well, I knew who it was straight away, so it took me about two seconds to say yes.”
Leeds is currently 17th in the Premier League table, level on points with Nottingham Forest, which sits in the league’s final relegation spot.
Allardyce returns to the Premier League for the first time since he was sacked after his failure to keep West Brom up in the 2020-21 season. Before that, the 68-year-old managed Everton, Crystal Palace, Sunderland, Blackburn and Newcastle, among others.
5 – Sam Allardyce has taken over at a Premier League club during a season on five previous occasions, with all five teams either improving or maintaining their league position come the end of the campaign. Fireman. pic.twitter.com/mldKVSzaJN
Leeds’ statement announcing the move made sure to note Allardyce’s firefighter credentials, saying: “Over the past decade he has successfully helped Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Everton avoid relegation from the Premier League during short-term stints.”
Big Sam’s first game in charge? Saturday’s away trip at Manchester City, which will be followed by a home game against third-place Newcastle.
Even for a man renowned for his great escapes, this one looks daunting.
One of the biggest “victims” of the incident actually had a great day, according to his father
As if things aren’t bad enough on the field for Leeds, the club is now also engulfed in an off-field controversy following a dismal 4-1 defeat to Bournemouth on Sunday.
Video of Leeds players seemingly ignoring fans on their way to the team bus before the Bournemouth match went viral, providing even more fuel for criticism against an already beleaguered group of players.
As the first team squad at Leeds United, we wanted to reach out to the fan base regarding yesterday’s game and subsequent posts on social media.
Firstly, the performance was not good enough. There is no other way to look at it and the only way to respond is on the pitch. Leeds fans travel up and down the country in huge numbers and deserve more than this.
What is just as concerning to us as a group, is the video online of us leaving the hotel. Words can’t express how sorry we are that the youngster in the video wearing the Leeds kit is not shown more love from the squad. On a matchday we do an activation walk, before and after this we stop for photos and autographs to ensure we interact with fans, but also that we are on time when leaving for games. However, there is no excuse for not acknowledging fans and if the parents of the fan wearing the Leeds kit in the video could make themselves known to us, we would be grateful.
But the father of one of the kids who was seemingly snubbed by players had a completely different version of events.
John Wale, the father of eight-year-old Dylan Wale, told the Yorkshire Evening Post that his son — portrayed as one of the biggest victims of the incident — actually had a great experience.
He had a fantastic day. Luke Ayling fist bumped him, Javi Gracia came and tickled his chin and had a chat with him, Jack Harrison had a laugh with him, Adam Forshaw came down the stairs with his hand out to high five him and Brenden Aaronson signed an autograph. Max Wöber turned and said hi, Willy Gnonto said hi. He was buzzing. He’s got three autographs, we had a great day and there you have it. Then this morning, Caleb his elder brother spotted this post from SportBible and I was gobsmacked. The video just shows the players who didn’t say hi. We know full well they’re under pressure, they’re trying to stay in the Premier League and we’re devastated because we don’t want to be involved in negative press.
One particular player criticized for the video was a certain on-loan American who’s recently taken plenty of heat for his on-field displays. But the boy’s father said neither he, nor his teammates, have anything to apologize for.
They don’t need to make an apology as far as I’m concerned. I don’t want the players slated. Weston McKennie for instance. He’s been torn apart by the press and he’s probably fed up with everything going on. Just because they play football or they’re millionaires or whatever doesn’t mean they don’t have things on their mind. They’re performers on the football field.
Leeds has enough to worry about on the field right now, but this statement may prove to be something of a Streisand effect moment for a club that really doesn’t need any more headaches.
It was the kind of weekend where those who played envied those who didn’t
This has not been the greatest season overall for Americans Abroad, and this weekend was a nice little encapsulation of that sad reality.
It was the kind of weekend where those who played envied those who didn’t. Where, in one day, three of the best performing Americans in Europe were lost for the season. Where more shocking performances left some top USMNT players staring relegation right in the face.
It was carnage. And relief may not be coming anytime soon.
Let’s look back on a truly ugly weekend in the Five.
“If American coaches came into this league and won a whole bunch of games it would probably go away”
Jason Sudeikis has said there’s an easy solution for American coaches who are battling the stigma around his show “Ted Lasso” — win some games.
After being named Leeds head coach last year, Jesse Marsch admitted that the hit Apple TV show may not have helped perceptions around American managers in Europe.
“I think there’s probably a stigma. I’m not sure ‘Ted Lasso’ helped. I haven’t watched the show, but I get it,” Marsch said at a news conference in March 2022.
“People hate hearing the word soccer — I’ve used the word football since I was a professional football player. More and more in the States we’re adapting to what the game here is, and our connection to what this league is and what the sport is in this country.”
In the show Sudeikis plays Lasso, who takes over fictional Premier League team AFC Richmond despite having almost no knowledge of the sport.
In an interview with Gary Neville on Sky Sports, Sudeikis said he hasn’t had the chance to speak to Marsch, but brushed aside any concerns that the show could be unfairly stigmatizing American coaches in Europe.
“That’s not the intention at all and I haven’t had the opportunity to apologize or explain myself yet with Jesse Marsch,” Sudeikis said.
“I think it’s a little lazy of anybody to correlate the two, but that’s never our intention to make things more difficult. But I do know that ultimately, if American coaches came into this league and won a whole bunch of games, that would probably go away.”
File this under “unnecessary distractions during a relegation battle”
Weston McKennie has been forced to distance himself from a friend who had some rather unkind things to say about a few Leeds players during a Twitter Spaces session on Tuesday.
McKennie himself was not spared from criticism as Mendoza said that displaying the same level of effort as Leeds and USMNT teammate Tyler Adams was “not his style.”
McKennie, who was not involved himself in the Twitter Spaces discussion released a statement on Instagram that said: “I just wanted to clarify that things said yesterday have not come from me. When people you know look to defend you, they generally do it from a place of love but if I have something I want to say it will come directly from me. As always the support in Elland Road yesterday was amazing. Let’s fight together for the next 5 games and keep this club where it belongs.”
Mendoza was already known to some segments of the Leeds fanbase due to his alleged close ties with McKennie and his outspoken criticism of the club earlier this month.
McKennie is currently on loan from Juventus through the end of the season. His performances have come in for some criticism of late as Leeds sits just two points above the relegation zone following Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Leicester City.
