Leeds fans will love Phil Hay’s swipe at Jesse Marsch after latest incident
Leeds United have experienced a chaotic few years since the departure of Marcelo Bielsa, with very mixed results when it came to their managerial appointments.
Although Leeds are top of the Championship now under Daniel Farke and are aiming for promotion, fans will hope that any potential top-flight campaign does not end as badly as the last one.
The 2022-23 season was a miserable one as Leeds finished 19th in the Premier League, with Jesse Marsch, Javi Gracia and Sam Allardyce failing to inject life into a team which had narrowly avoided relegation the previous year.
Marsch was a particularly unpopular figure by the time he was dismissed in February 2023, but the 51-year-old is now the head coach of the Canadian national team and is overseeing a mixed set of results, with a familiar issue arising.
Phil Hay slams Jesse Marsch after Canada defeat USA
Although Marsch’s Canada side inflicted a painful defeat on Mauricio Pochettino’s USA team, the former Leeds boss did not cover himself in glory, as he received a red card for his touchline antics in the second half.
Former Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Phil Hay has now claimed that Marsch’s own ego was on full display again, as he faced his native USMNT in a CONCACAF Nations League third-placed playoff match.
| Stat | Jesse Marsch |
| Matches | 37 |
| Wins | 11 |
| Draws | 10 |
| Losses | 16 |
| Goals | 52 |
| Conceded | 60 |
| Points per game | 1.16 |
“The 51-year-old has what could be respectfully described as main-character syndrome — the knack of putting himself front and centre,” Hay wrote in The Athletic.
“Beating Mauricio Pochettino in the third-place match at the Concacaf Nations League Finals made headlines in itself but only after Marsch was sent off for slating the referee early in the second half.”
How Jesse Marsch has fared since leaving Leeds
Marsch’s departure two years ago was welcomed by most fans at the time, with the American coach out of his depth at Elland Road, but the rest of Leeds’ campaign continued to be a disaster as they were relegated from the top flight.
Although Marsch kept Leeds up in his first season, many were unhappy with the style of play, as well as the players he and the club brought in to attempt to play his way.
The manager took a break for over a year before taking the Canada job in the summer of 2024, and has since led them to the Copa America semi-finals, and the CONCACAF Nations League semis, but lost to Argentina and Mexico, who both went on to win the trophies.
Marsch has won seven of his 15 games in charge of the Canadian national team, with three draws and five defeats in that time, and looks set to lead them in next year’s World Cup across the Americas.