Leeds United’s pre-season doesn’t officially begin until July 19. But a week early and 6,000 kilometres away from the proud soccer city of Yorkshire, England, those of a Leeds persuasion will be glued to events in Charlotte, N.C.
on Saturday night. at Bank of America Stadium will double as a referendum on the modern history of Leeds, a sleeping giant which rose to England’s Premier League only to fall again. The man who led the resurgence was He is beloved in Leeds and the surrounding area where the Argentine, already a legendary coaching influence in the game, embedded himself in the community as he built an exciting team that rose all the way to a ninth-place finish in the top tier.
Yet when things turned south and the team began to struggle, Bielsa and Leeds parted ways, to rescue the club from relegation in 2022. Marsch lasted just over a year before being fired, and Leeds would duly fall through the trap door last May. A quick scan of the feverish online spaces Leeds fans occupy gave a sense that Canada will have an English city as well as a South American country cheering against it in the fight for bronze.
Marsch’s clunky criticism of Bielsa soon after taking the Leeds reins — which he’d later call “careless” and apologize for — rankled with a fan base which adored the veteran. This is the beautiful game. Layers of unexpected intrigue and the unlikeliest captive audience for what is often seen, on paper at least, as a booby prize.
Yet neither of the m.