Tag: Leeds

Jesse Marsch turns down a Premier League return — again

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.

After Brendan Rodgers was sacked earlier this month, reports emerged over the weekend that Marsch was the front-runner to take over the relegation-threatened Foxes.

But that deal has fallen through, with Dean Smith now taking over Leicester on an interim basis.

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.

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Leeds boss Gracia admits Adams may not play again this season

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.

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Tyler Adams undergoes ‘non-invasive’ hamstring surgery

It’s unclear how long the USMNT captain will miss

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.

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Tyler Adams to miss USMNT matches with hamstring injury

The midfielder will miss at least three games for club and country

U.S. men’s national team captain Tyler Adams will miss his country’s two CONCACAF Nations League matches this month with a hamstring injury.

Leeds announced on Wednesday that the midfielder had suffered the injury during training, and would also miss this weekend’s game against Wolves.

“Tyler Adams has sustained a hamstring injury in training this week and will therefore not be joining up with the USMNT for international duty after Saturday’s game with Wolves,” Leeds said in a statement.

“The midfielder will remain at Thorp Arch for further assessment.”

The USMNT will play at Grenada on March 24, before facing El Salvador in Orlando three days later.

The U.S. won’t be pleased to lose its captain, but the injury would be a much bigger blow to Leeds should Adams miss any significant time.

Adams has been a fixture in the lineup for Leeds, which is in the midst of a heated relegation battle. The club currently sits in 19th place, two places and one point from safety.

Leeds will hope that a period of rest will see Adams fit for the club’s first game after the international break: a daunting trip to the Emirates Stadium on April 1 to face table-topping Arsenal.

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Weston McKennie did the physically impossible

This seemed to break the laws of physics

Weston McKennie’s time at Leeds has been a mixed bag so far.

After joining on loan from Juventus, the U.S. national team midfielder has slotted in mostly as a starter next to his international teammate Tyler Adams. He has not, though, had the intended effect on his new team’s results as Leeds has just five points from the seven league games he has played in so far.

But on the plus side, McKennie has managed to bend space and time to defy the laws of physics.

While warming up before this weekend’s game against Brighton, McKennie received a lofted pass from an unknown distance and stopped the ball by, just, standing on it??

This does not really seem possible. And yet!

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The Americans Abroad Five: Reyna and Dortmund miss their chance

If this was a turning point, things appear to have taken a turn for the worse.

How different could Gio Reyna and Dortmund’s season have turned out had last week gone better?

We won’t know the answer to that for a few weeks, but Dortmund’s past two matches did have the feeling of a turning point.

If so, things appear to have taken a turn for the worse.

On Tuesday, Dortmund was bounced from the Champions League by a Chelsea side coming into their match in relegation form. That was followed by a damaging draw in the derby against Schalke — a team that actually is in a relegation battle.

Reyna got a rare chance to impress against Chelsea and though views on his performance are mixed, the one person whose opinion actually matters doesn’t seem to have rated him highly.

Let’s kick off the Five with a look at a disheartening week for Reyna and his club.

Adams: Leeds more under control after Gracia replaced Marsch

The USMNT midfielder says his club isn’t looking to get forward at every opportunity anymore

Tyler Adams has said Leeds is playing a bit more under control now that Javi Gracia has taken over from Jesse Marsch as head coach.

Marsch, who is renowned for his full-throttle style, was sacked as manager last month amid a run of form that saw Leeds near the relegation zone.

The club’s efforts to land a new manager were unsuccessful at first, but Gracia was ultimately brought in last week ahead of a massive relegation clash against Southampton.

Leeds made Gracia’s debut a successful one with a 1-0 win, before falling to Fulham midweek in the FA Cup in the Spaniard’s second match in charge.

Adams has noticed a difference right away with Gracia in charge, contrasting the new boss to Marsch’s style of looking to go forward at every opportunity.

“[Gracia has] impressed me a lot. When he first came in, we didn’t have a lot of time to execute a perfect game plan for Southampton but what he did is focus on key bullet points, or key details that we need to improve,” Adams told BBC West Yorkshire Sports Daily.

“One of those things was with the ball: how can we break teams down more efficiently in possession whether from goal kicks or when we get into the attacking third, not just going to the goal straight away.

“Leeds are notorious for winning the ball back quickly and going straight to the goal. But not every time we win the ball, do we need to play the first pass forward that we see.

“Maybe we can keep the ball for two, three passes, switch the ball from side to side and start to tire the opponent. You saw that a little bit more against Southampton.

“He offers more of a balanced approach to the way that we’re going to play. It’s not just all out pressing, or all out possession, but of a balance.”

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The Americans Abroad Five: Leeds is in big trouble

Could the Leeds America era end as quickly as it began?

Saturday was the kind of game that Leeds should have been up for.

Facing relegation rival Everton at Goodison Park, Leeds needed to show some kind of sign it can turn around the ever-worsening tailspin this season is becoming.

Instead, Leeds was lifeless. Everton wasn’t brilliant either, but it didn’t need to be. One gritty performance and one lighting-bolt of a goal from Seamus Coleman sealed a 1-0 win for the Toffees.

Leeds is now 19th after a damaging weekend that also saw fellow strugglers Southampton and Bournemouth win. The club’s decision to sack Jesse Marsch a couple weeks ago wasn’t necessarily wrong, but doing so without having a potential replacement has been disastrous.

After being turned down in embarrassing and repeated fashion, the club is still being led by the caretaker trio of Michael Skubala, Chris Armas and Paco Gallardo. The Everton performance has, apparently, made Leeds hierarchy reconsider the wisdom of letting that trio continue much longer.

Leeds has become appointment viewing for American fans, but that may not last if things continue down this road.

Let’s explore that and a few other pressing topics in this week’s Five.

Marsch: Arteta is the most underrated manager in the Premier League

It’s not going to be easy for Leeds to snap a four-game winless streak on Sunday

Ahead of his side’s match against Arsenal on Sunday, Leeds manager Jesse Marsch has called his counterpart Mikel Arteta the most underrated manager in the Premier League.

Arteta has experienced plenty of highs and lows since taking over the Gunners in 2019. The Spaniard led the team to an FA Cup win in 2020 but has also been unable to finish in the top four and bring Arsenal back to the Champions League.

But the Gunners are off to a flying start this season, topping the Premier League table after eight wins and one loss in their first nine games.

“Mikel Arteta has done an amazing job, I think he’s the most underrated manager in the league,” Marsch said at his pre-game press conference. “With a young team he’s done an amazing job. It’s taken time, he took a lot of heat in the beginning.”

Marsch added his belief that Arsenal was a genuine title contender despite the incredible early-season form of Manchester City, which is just a point behind.

“You have to say yes, they’ve looked very strong and played against good opponents,” the American added. “I always do a thorough job of scouting, we know they’re a good team and they have quality. I also like when teams and coaches improve and grow together, I think that’s what’s happened with Arsenal. To be back at the top of the table shows they’ve been able to find a process and stuck with it.”

Though his Leeds side has gone four straight league games without a win, Marsch said he’s still confident in his team’s chances at home on Sunday.

“For us it can be a big boost to have a big result against an opponent like this,” he said. “We’re confident at Elland Road we can play the way we want. We want to challenge them in certain ways.”

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Brenden Aaronson: I want to become a Leeds club legend

The USMNT attacker has become a fan-favorite in his short time at Elland Road

Brenden Aaronson said he’s felt an instant connection with Leeds fans since his arrival in England, and outlined his desire to become a club legend.

Aaronson has adapted well after moving in the summer from Red Bull Salzburg, starting all six of Leeds’ games so far while tallying a goal and an assist.

The U.S. national team attacker is happy with how he’s started life in the Premier League, saying he’s felt at home with Leeds since the beginning.

“I think I had a good preseason and then it just pushed into the normal season and I think I was just able to click with the team, click with the coach, click with the players and it felt like just a seamless fit for me,” Aaronson told the media Monday on a call from USMNT camp.

Aaronson has developed an instant connection with the Leeds fans, who have even given him his very own chant. The 21-year-old believes that connection is bolstered by his reputation as a player who consistently gives his all.

“I’m really grateful for all the support that [the fans] have given me,” he said. “They see how much I’m willing to work for the team. I’ll always give 110 percent, and I think that they like that. And that’s the kind of team we have.

“I just want to keep getting better and better and become the best player I can be, and hopefully be a legend for the club at some point.”

Following the international break, Leeds will return to action against Aston Villa on October 2. It will be the club’s first game in a month after it had consecutive games postponed following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

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