The former Leeds coach believes Ted Lasso link 'didn't help'
James Smailes
12:52, 25 Mar 2026
Jesse Marsch while in charge at Leeds United, inset Jason Sudeikis starred as Ted Lasso
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Jesse Marsch while in charge at Leeds United, inset Jason Sudeikis starred as Ted Lasso
Former Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch says he believes there was a prejudice against him when he came to England to coach the club, with the Ted Lasso link unhelpful.
Marsch arrived at Leeds in February 2022 on a three-year deal, with the immediate task of keeping the club in the Premier League following a decision to sack Marcelo Bielsa. Marsch would keep Leeds up, but less than a year after being appointed he was himself sacked with the team sitting 17th in the table, with relegation following three months later.
The American, who is now coach of the Canadian national team, was only the third American to manage a team in the Premier League, arriving at the height of Apple TV show Ted Lasso, about an American coach with no football experience who manages a made-up top-flight team in the Premier League.
Marsch says he never experienced any issues while coaching RB Leipzig in Germany, but found it a different scenario when he arrived in England.
"Ted Lasso probably doesn't help," Marsch conceded when speaking to Give Me Sport. "I talked about Ted Lasso right away to kind of get it out of the way. It was funny because Ted Lasso was also out when I was in Germany [with Leipzig], but nobody called me Ted Lasso. I spoke German and nobody talked about my accent there. Nobody even talked about me being American.
"I think there was a prejudice against me, but I didn't let it deter me. It almost motivated me even more. That's kind of how I am. I deal better with criticism than I do with praise. There were some things happening on the inside [at Leeds]. I'm not going to go into it, but there were definitely things that I experienced that I couldn't believe.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm an American, white male and there are a lot more problems happening in the world than what happened to me in the Premier League, but it was just interesting for me. It was a little strange and surprising because I hadn't experienced it before.
Overall, though, I was proud to represent Leeds United and very thankful for the support I got from inside the club."
Marsch is now gearing up for this summer's World Cup, with Canada one of the co-hosts. The role means he spends a lot of his time watching football, including the Premier League, and he's been able to keep a close eye on what has been going on at Leeds thios season.
The 52-year-old says it's going to be a challenge for Leeds to keep their place in the top flight, but he's backed the long term vision of the club's owners.
"It will be a challenge," said Marsch. "Leeds is a big club. It's a very emotional club. When you're the manager there, one of the keys is just to try and maintain calm and patience, and I think Daniel has done a pretty good job of that. I still know the 49ers. They are trying to create stability at the club and they have a long-term vision.
"In sport, not just the Premier League or football, the more successful organisations are the ones that have a long-term vision and stick to it. The ones that are knee-jerk and think they always need a better idea or solution, or better person or leader, are the ones that get caught in a dangerous cycle.
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"I believe the 49ers are the type of people that understand how to create longevity in sports business, and know how to have a plan and stick to it."