Jesse Marsch fired by Leeds after a year in charge

LEEDS, England (AP) — American coach Jesse Marsch was fired by Leeds on Monday after nearly a year in charge of the relegation-threatened Premier League team.

Leeds hasn’t won any of its last seven games in the league and has dropped into 17th place in the 20-team division, only out of the relegation zone on goal difference.

Marsch’s last game was a 1-0 loss at Nottingham Forest on Sunday, after which he said he understood the frustrations of fans calling for his dismissal and underlined there was a belief inside the club that results would improve.

The 49-year-old Marsch was hired in February last year as a replacement for Marcelo Bielsa, who was manager for 3 1/2 years and got Leeds promoted to the Premier League after an absence of 16 years.

Under Marsch, Leeds preserved its Premier League status on the final day of last season but has struggled again during this campaign and is without a win since Nov. 5 — before the World Cup.

“We would like to thank Jesse and his backroom staff for their efforts and wish them well for the future,” Leeds said in a short statement, adding that the process of hiring a new manager was underway.

Marsch had 37 games as Leeds manager and won 11 of them.

Among the club’s four signings in the January transfer window was Weston McKennie, a midfielder whose arrival took the contingent of U.S. players to three after Brenden Aaronson and Tyler Adams.

Marsch also brought in another American, Chris Armas, as his assistant last month.

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