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.
The American has turned down yet another chance to return to the Premier League
Once again, Jesse Marsch has backed out of an opportunity to return to the Premier League.
Just two months after he was sacked by Leeds and subsequently turned down the chance to take over Southampton, the American has again seen a Premier League job opportunity vanish at the last minute — this time at Leicester City.
According to The Telegraph: “Marsch is understood to feel that the club would need a different kind of manager in the Championship next season if they were to be relegated – as well as a different profile of player to the one that he is accustomed to recruiting.”
It would appear that the Leicester job is the second Premier League managerial position in a row that could have been Marsch’s if he wanted.
Marsch was very nearly snapped up by Southampton just over a week after he was dismissed by Leeds, but a disagreement over his contract length at St. Mary’s saw a deal fall apart at the last moment.
Much like Southhampton (and Leeds), Leicester is in serious relegation trouble. Despite having a talented squad featuring the likes of James Maddison, Youri Tielemans and Harvey Barnes, the Foxes currently sit in 19th place, one place above the bottom and two points from safety.
Marsch is clearly being choosy about his next position, but it’s unclear if better Premier League jobs will be forthcoming. The American did an admirable job at Leeds, saving the club from relegation last year and constructing a team this season that was statistically outperforming its position in the league.
But Leeds was — and is — still in deep relegation trouble, which won’t result in top-tier Premier League sides beating down Marsch’s door.
He’ll likely manage in Europe again, but Marsch may have seen his window of opportunity in the Premier League close — at least for now.
Leeds did not initially give a timeframe for the USMNT captain’s potential return
Leeds head coach Javi Gracia has admitted that Tyler Adams may not play again this season.
Earlier this week, Adams underwent “non-invasive” surgery on a hamstring issue he suffered in training prior to the international break. Leeds did not set a timeframe for the midfielder’s return.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Gracia said it wasn’t clear when the 24-year-old might be able to play again.
“We will see his evolution after the surgery,” Gracia said. “We’ll see if he can play any games this season. We’ll see — day by day.”
Losing Adams for the rest of the season would be a huge blow for Leeds, which is currently in 14th place but just two points clear of the relegation zone. The USMNT captain has been a fixture in the club’s lineup this season, starting 24 out of 27 Premier League games.
Should the injury linger, Adams may also be in doubt for the USMNT’s CONCACAF Nations League matches in June. The final day of the Premier League season is on May 28, and the USMNT will face Mexico in a semifinal on June 15. The final and third-place game are on June 18.
Leeds returns from the international break with a game at league-leaders Arsenal on Saturday.
Leeds has confirmed that midfielder Tyler Adams has undergone “non-invasive” hamstring surgery.
It is currently unclear how much time the 24-year-old will miss, but the injury is a huge blow as Leeds looks to ensure its Premier League survival.
Adams suffered the injury in training prior to Leeds’ 4-2 win over Wolves on March 18, with the problem knocking the USMNT captain out of his side’s CONCACAF Nations League matches against Grenada and El Salvador.
In his first season with Leeds, Adams has been a fixture in the team’s lineup, starting 24 of the club’s 27 Premier League games.
Speaking ahead of his team’s game against Wolves, Leeds manager Javi Gracia admitted that the American would be difficult to replace.
“We know, all of us, that Tyler is a key player for us, but we have to manage with the squad we have,” Gracia said at a press conference. “We have other players ready for the next game.
“He is different to others. There is no one like Tyler because all the players are different with different features and skills they have, but in this case we have other players ready as you can see in the last games we’ve played.”
Leeds is currently in 14th place but just two points clear of the relegation zone. The club returns from the international break with a game at league-leaders Arsenal on Saturday.
