Leeds United news as USMNT legend slams Tyler Adams…

Leeds United news as USMNT legend slams Tyler Adams for Everton incident

Here are your Leeds United morning headlines on Saturday, February 25.

USMNT legend Alexi Lalas hits out at 'hard-ass' Tyler Adams for Everton incident

Former USMNT star Alexi Lalas has slammed Leeds United midfielder Tyler Adams after his scuffle with Everton winger Dwight McNeil in last weekend's clash at Goodison Park.

The mass brawl occurred when McNeil reacted angrily to a hard tackle from Adams to which the American almost pushed him into the stands. Both players were booked and Everton were fined £25,000 by the FA.

But Lalas claims that Adams needs to stop getting into these arguments, do his talking on the pitch and keep doing what he's been doing all season long.

"Stop being a hard-ass and just pass the ball and make the tackles that you can do," he said on his State of the Union Podcast earlier this week.

"You can still be physical and get those ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ without getting in the face of somebody every single time.

"I love that he stands up for himself, I love that he stands up for his teammates. But, at times, you look around and you’re saying ‘what are you standing up for right now?’

"It was just a hard tackle or something like that, and you’re creating an incident or an altercation where there didn’t need to be."

Javi Gracia is about to see how big the Leeds United mountain is he has to climb

The Elland Road cauldron

New head coach or not, the chants in the away corner at Goodison Park last week, followed by the general reaction to that Leeds United performance, mean Elland Road will be an emotional place this afternoon. When you then toss in the small fact today’s opponents are the only club below Leeds in the league table, it’s an occasion which only needs the smallest spark to catch light.

Andrea Radrizzani, unseen for a few weeks, is expected to attend the match alongside Victor Orta and Angus Kinnear, who heard, loud and clear, how the supporters felt last weekend. The directors’ box will need to brace itself for another vocal reaction if things turn south.

Read the full story here.

Leeds United squad revealed for Southampton showdown as Javi Gracia inherits injury doubts

Leeds United head coach Javi Gracia faces a number of difficult fitness calls ahead of the Whites' vital Premier League clash with Southampton at Elland Road this afternoon.

Last weekend's 1-0 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park has ramped the pressure up on this weekend's clash with the Saints. A win sees Leeds move four points ahead of the south coast club, defeat would mean they drop to the bottom of the table.

Gracia will no doubt be looking for a response from his squad when he leads them out at Elland Road, with the home crowd equally hoping for a new manager 'bounce' to help them end their three-month winless streak in the Premier League. Victory over their relegation rivals would drastically lift the mood in West Yorkshire and with just 15 matches left to play this season, these sorts of matches can make all the difference come May.