Leeds' Marsch: 'Ted Lasso' doesn't help stigma against U.S. coaches

New Leeds United head coach Jesse Marsch believes television series "Ted Lasso" may add to the stigma against Americans working in European football.

"People hate hearing the word soccer," he said during Thursday's press conference, according to BBC Sport.

Marsch, a Wisconsin native, was appointed as Marcelo Bielsa's successor at Leeds on Monday.

The 48-year-old served as assistant coach with the United States men's national team and oversaw the Montreal Impact and New York Red Bulls in North America. He then took charge of Red Bull Salzburg in Austria before his RB Leipzig spell was cut short in December after just four months.

"I think there's probably a stigma (around American coaches). I'm not sure 'Ted Lasso' helped," Marsch said, adding that he'd used "football" rather than "soccer" since the start of his playing career in the United States.

"More and more in the United States, we are adapting to what the game is here in England, our connection with what this league is, and what the culture of the sport is in this country," he continued.

"I can understand that they don't think we have the experiences that can be created here in Europe. Frankly, they're right. It was the reason I came to Europe, learned German, and tried to adapt to new cultures. This is the fifth country I've coached football in."

Marsch assumes control of Leeds with the club only two points above the Premier League's relegation zone following four straight defeats. However, Marsch expressed his disappointment that Bielsa, his popular predecessor, wasn't allowed to "finish his legacy and keep the team up."

He vowed to fight hard to preserve the Yorkshire club's top-flight status - and in doing so used language that he believed could sound like a Lassoism.

"The only way I know how to do things is to go all-in, to give everything I have, to believe in who I am, to believe in the people that I work with, and to try to maximize what we are every day," Marsch said.

"If you can do that effectively, you can be incredibly surprised with the human spirit and what you can achieve. That sounds like Ted Lasso, I think, from what I've heard!"