Sorry USMNT! Marsch 'wouldn't leave' Leeds job

WHAT HAPPENED? Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch has stated he's as happy as ever at Elland Road, throwing cold water on any short-term hopes of him taking over the USMNT for the 2026 World Cup cycle.

WHAT THEY SAID: "I don't want to leave. If I got an offer to go anywhere in the world right now to coach football I wouldn't leave this spot," Marsch, who coaches USMNT stars Brenden Aaronson and Tyler Adams at Leeds, said on Friday.

"I'm more happy in my career than I've ever been and I'm very thankful to be here, and my total focus and our total focus is just trying to maximize what we're achieving every day."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Marsch, who took over from Marcelo Bielsa midway through the 2021/22 season in order to help Leeds avoid relegation, constantly gets mentioned as a possible candidate to replace under-fire USMNT boss Gregg Berhalter. The chatter has gotten even stronger of late after the U.S. completely underwhelmed in their final pre-World Cup preparation matches, against Japan (2-0 loss) and Saudi Arabia (0-0 draw).

IN THREE PHOTOS:

WHAT'S NEXT FOR MARSCH? Winless in their last three games, Leeds and Marsch will look to get back into the W column and move up in the Premier League standings as they return from the international break on Sunday against Aston Villa.