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Americans abroad analysis

Yanks Abroad notebook: Depth questions arise as injuries mount, keepers impress, core mixed

ASN's Brian Sciaretta opens up his notebook for Americans abroad and goes deep with his thoughts on everything - including the big topic three weeks from the World Cup, injuries. But not all is bad news, in fact, there are some players playing very well. This is all covered in this comprehensive breakdown. 
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
November 01, 2022
11:00 PM

THE PAST WEEK, AMERICAN PLAYERS in Europe have reached some big highs and serious lows. With the World Cup quickly approaching, everything is magnified by a lot. The tournament kicks off in just three weeks and there are still two weeks of club games remaining and as a result, form and fitness are everything among player in the entire national team pool of their respective countries.

For the U.S team and its pool of players, form and fitness is at the core of the team’s potential for success later this month.

Let’s get into it.

 

Injuries mounting

 

On Friday, we talked a little about the injury to Luca de la Torre and it comes are a terrible time for him. The three-week timetable for a return puts him right up to a day before the U.S. team’s opening game of the World Cup. In 2022, de la Torre had become a key backup at the No. 8 position, either for Weston McKennie or Yunus Musah.

Now you must add Weston McKennie who suffered a quad injury over the weekend after he started for Juventus over the weekend but struggled and was pulled at the half. Later it was revealed that the source of his struggles and the reason for his removal was a quad injury that would keep him out 15 days.

Timetables set for players returning from injury are never an exact science and there is also a chance that it could keep him out another week past the timetable – which would be a huge blow to the U.S. team. On the other hand, if he comes back in just 10 days, all is well.

The problem for the U.S. team is that central midfield doesn’t have a lot of depth and Berhalter’s potential solutions to the backup of McKennie and Musah haven’t worked out. The No. 6 position is pretty simple as Tyler Adams starts and Kellyn Acosta is the backup. It becomes a lot harder for the Musah and McKennie backups. Over the cycle, Berhalter has moved on from players such as Busio and Lletget. The injury to Eryk Williamson came at a tough time after the 2021 Gold Cup but he had a decent summer. Djordje Mihailovic was with the U.S. team early in the cycle but that was before his career takeoff in Montreal.

The problem for the U.S. team now is the depth of starting options in the midfield right now. If McKennie isn’t 100% recovered and is forced to play hurt at the World Cup, how many central midfielders does the team have who can start games and go 75 minutes or more? Even if de la Torre goes to Qatar, does he have the injury to start? Given the injury and his already miniscule minutes at Celta Vigo, a good guess would be that he isn’t a starter, or at least a multigame group stage starter.

Then you add in Cristian Roldan who was injured for most of the final two months of the MLS season, returned for the final few games for Seattle, but did not take part in the playoffs. He’s not really a starting option either.

This then begs the question, what are the backup options in the midfield? There are some good choices. Brenden Aaronson was always going to make the team, but these injuries might just see him focus more on the midfield than on the winger, where he has mostly played for the U.S. team. The same could be said for Gio Reyna although he’s probably not a multigame starter yet with his extended recovery from last season’s injuries.

Is Malik Tillman an option in the midfield? He seems to have a good chance to go to Qatar but playing real minutes there was always doubtful. Is Johnny Cardoso an option? That probably has a chance to happen more than many think. He didn’t play much during September’s window but he was there ahead of others.

That then leads to the question if Berhalter would turn to having Williamson or Mihailovic make a return? They are probably behind the others listed above but this team is only one injury away from seeing players either making the team for the first time, or players returning for the first time in a long time.

The forward position is also getting a little rocky. Josh Sargent missed Saturday’s 3-1 win for Norwich over Stoke City due to a late calf injury. He will miss Wednesday's game vs. QPR but there is hope among the club that he will return on Sunday vs. Rotherham United.



On a related note – which we will talk more about later – Jordan Pefok isn’t playing all that well and he hasn’t looked himself since returning from injury. It raises the question if he is full fit at the moment.

On a related note on injuries and one that is not going to affect Qatar, but Daryl Dike is nearing his return and could feature for West Brom before the World Cup break. This is according to media reports in England. 

 

The USMNT Core

 

Among the U.S. national team core there was a lot of news. We’ve already spoken about McKennie and Yunus Musah missed Valencia’s most recent game, a 1-0 loss at home to Barcelona, due to a yellow card suspension.

Here are the big stories:

 

Aaronson & Adams triumph at Anfield
 

The biggest story over the weekend for Americans abroad was England’s most surprising story. Leeds United defeated Liverpool 2-1 away at Anfield. After last week’s loss to Fulham, American manager Jesse Marsch was under intense scrutiny. This win changes all that. Marsch’s seat is still warm, but it is not hot.

As for Brenden Aaronson and Tyler Adams, both players had very good games and played a role in the win. Aaronson is able to play with such tenacity for an entire game and Adams is returning to the form he showed during his best days at Leipzig.

Aaronson is looking as if he could be a big player at the World Cup. As I mentioned, there needs to be more 90-minute players in the midfield and in the attack. Tim Weah isn’t quite there yet and is rusty. We don’t know about McKennie or de la Torre. That leaves Aaronson as an important player.

Adams, meanwhile, is the cog as the No. 6 and is critical to whatever the U.S. team wants to do. There is a good argument that he is the most irreplaceable player on the team. He’s also the most in-form lock starter right now in the player pool.

 

Pulisic & Chelsea blown out
 

The form of Christian Pulisic has been tough to monitor. One game he looks in great shape. The next week he looks far from his best. To make things even more puzzling is that right now, Pulisic has been playing in a wingback role. This makes is really hard to gauge how well he will perform in his normal left wing role with the U.S. team.

On Sunday, Pulisic started and played 79 minutes in a horrible 4-1 defeat to Bright & Hove Albion in a game that was very emotionally charged given Bright & Hove was the club where Potter managed until October. Pulisic missed a golden chance in the first half and simply wasn’t as his best.

 

There are other problems for another day – where will he play for Chelsea long-term? Is he going to be sold? What does Potter think of him? Will he start in the UCL knockouts?

For now, it is about the U.S. team. He’s getting his reps, which is good. Will the positional differences matter for his form? Is he confident? Unfortunately, we don’t know that either. There is some room for concern but the fact that he is at least playing makes this a net positive, regardless of form.

 

Dest plays 2nd half of loss
 

Sergino Dest played the second half of AC Milan’s 2-1 loss to Torino on Sunday. When he came on, Torino had a 2-0 lead. So, Dest was not part of the team’s problem in this game. It bodes well for Dest’s chances to start on Wednesday in the big home game vs. Salzburg in the UCL. Milan is in second place and is ahead of Salzburg by just one point heading into the group stage finale. A mere draw on Wednesday would have Milan advance.

Dest is also a player who is tough to gauge on form. He’s up and down, and there are times when he simply doesn’t play.

Dest played relatively well in the loss to Torino although Torino was playing more defensively and Dest wasn’t tested on that side of the ball. For Dest, the question mark is always his defense and, in this game, he didn’t need to provide an answer. He will likely start against a Salzburg team that needs to attack and play for the win.

There are longer term questions over Dest and Milan. What will happen when the club has all its fullbacks healthy? Will Milan exercise its option to buy? But as far as the World Cup form is concerned, it is inconclusive. Dest is going to have to defend in Qatar. We need to see him more tested heading into the tournament.

 

Reyna subs into win
 

Gio Reyna played the final 29 minutes for Borussia Dortumund in its 2-1 away win over Eintracht Frankfurt. The scoring was complete by the time he entered, and his performance was uneventful and most of his work was defensive.

 

The big takeaway is that Reyna started twice earlier in the week and then backed it up with a sub appearance that was 30 minutes. This week, he will get another test in the UCL where Dortmund will look to book a spot in the knockouts against Copenhagen.

 

Robinson & Ream draw
 

Fulham drew Everton 0-0 on Sunday, and the Cottagers continue to play like a top 10 team in the Premier League. Antonee Robinson has obviously been a lock to start for the U.S. team at left back if healthy for quite some time. But he’s playing very well right now and his defense has been an even better strength lately than his offense. Against Everton, Robinson had one of his best games of the season and was named the MOTM

 

Tim Ream captained Fulham to a 0-0 result. While it has been over a year since he last played for the U.S. team, I don’t think you can rule him out of a spot in Qatar just now.

 

Weah starts in loss
 

Tim Weah made his first start of the year this weekend for Lille in a 1-0 loss to Lyon. He left the game in the 70th minute with the score 0-0. It was huge for him to finally get a start. The verdict is that he was rusty and it took awhile for him to get into the flow of the game. That is understandable. In the end, he did not make much of an impact but considering the amount of time he missed, it was great to at least begin working through the rust with the World Cup three weeks away.

Does this mean Weah can start in Qatar. I think there is a good chance for him to make at least one group stage game. Can he start two or three of the games? That is less likely but we will know more in the week or two ahead. If not, the U.S. team can shift to Reyna as Aaronson is likely a midfielder in Qatar with the current health of the team.

 

Core remains mixed
 

As for the verdict of the USMNT core right now, this past week has given us uncertainty. The McKennie injury along with no clear backup creates a potentially big hole. Aaronson seems like a good option to fill that void. As for Musah, no news is good news this week and his suspension was a net win.

Tyler Adam and Antonee Robinson are both in very good form and are peaking with the World Cup approaching. The workload that Reyna has handled the past week makes him a huge net win among the core group.

Pulisic, Dest, and Weah are the biggest question marks in terms of form among those who are not injured. Weah started, but how long will it take to shake off the rust? Pulisic is also just a bit of mystery given that he is not in his best position to succeed.

Where does that leave us? Four of the eight players of the core are trending up heading into Qatar right now: Robinson, Reyna, Adams, and Aaronson.

So, it’s a coin flip.

 

Goalkeepers in good form

 

On Tuesday, both Ethan Horvath and Zack Steffen started in Championship games and it has been a good week for both of them.

Ethan Horvath made two big saves on Tuesday in a 0-0 draw with Reading. It builds off another good effort in a 1-1 draw with Sunderland where he made three saves. For him, it is going to be a close call if he makes the U.S. national team roster for Qatar. He is in a neck and neck race with Sean Johnson for the third goalkeeper spot.

 

For Zack Steffen, he had an easier time for Middlesbrough in a 3-1 away win over Hull City. The win helped move Boro four points clear of the relegation zone. Steffen had to make just one save in the game and Boro benefitted from two own goals.  For Steffen, it was a step in the right direction after a shaky outing over the weekend in a 2-1 loss to Preston North End.

Steffen and Matt Turner are in the running to start at the World Cup. Steffen has been playing better the past month but Turner has played well when given the chance at Arsenal although he missed the last game with an injury.

 

Trusty’s rise continues

 

On Friday, we wrote about Auston Trusty’s goalazo on Friday. That has put him on the Championship Team of the Week and he is Birmingham City’s player of the week. While no award exists so far, he’s been the team’s best player this season.

 

There is no chance that he makes the World Cup team but you love that Birmingham City City’s manager John Eustace going to bat for him and saying that he’s reached out to Berhalter for him to go. The problem for Trusty is that McKenzie, Ream, Palmer-Brown, Zimmerman, and Carter-Vickers all have better resumes just now. But the next cycle starts in just a few months and he is in a good spot there.

On another note, he’s going to have great options next year for another loan. At worst, he’s a backup on Arsenal.

 

Pefok slumping

 

After a great start to the season, Jordan Pefok is not playing great soccer right now. While Union Berlin remained atop the Bundesliga table after its 2-1 win over Borussia Monchengladbach, he left in the 59th minute with just 10 touches. In the previous game against Braga in the Europa League he had just eight touches.



Pefok is scoreless in his last eight games and has just one goal in his last 12. Some of those games are against teams lower than the Bundesliga – like two in the Europa League against Malmo. But Pefok doesn’t look 100% now. He’s losing a lot of duels. He was 1/4 in ground duels won against Gladbach. Against Braga, he won just 1/5 of his aerials. Last week in the loss to Bochum, he won just 1/3 of his ground duels and won just 3/9 of his aerials.

Pefok is a very strong player who should be winning most of his duels. Even when Pefok is not 100%, he is still a good player to have on the team. For the U.S. team, even if he’s not a starter, there will be times in Qatar when the U.S. is chasing the game and is trying to get balls into box. Pefok still is a guy that could be useful in the box in times like these.

Joe Scally played 90 minutes for M’Gladbach in the loss to Union Berlin in very quiet performance.

 

Wright scores 8th of the year

 

Antalyaspor defeated Sivasspor 2-0 on Monday and Haji Wright scored his eighth of the game (but also badly missed two other chances). With two straight wins, Antalyaspor has now moved safely away from the relegation zone and towards midtable.



Wright is now second in the Turkish Super Lig with eight goals. He is three behind Enner Valencia.

Does Wright have a chance of making the World Cup team? At this point, I think it’s doubtful – especially if Josh Sargent’s injury is minor. If Berhalter takes three center forwards, Jesus Ferreira, Josh Sargent, and Ricardo Pepi are in a good position. You could take out Ferreira, but he is simply different stylistically. Taking three of Pepi, Sargent, Wright, and Pefok is probably redundant. It is hard to see a scenario if you brought three of those players, that three would have a realistic chance of playing.

But a lot can change and Wright could sneak in if there are injuries.  

 

Sands & Tillman out of Europe

 

Rangers lost 3-1 to Ajax at Ibrox on Tuesday and it ended a disastrous group stage of the Champions League for the Scottish team. Rangers lost all six of its group stage games with a -20 goal differential (2 goals scored, 22 goals conceded) and was essentially non-competitive.

As for the two Americans in Mallik Tillman and James Sands, both have played a lot in the Champions League and in the Scottish Premiership.

Sands is an interesting player to watch. Is he doing enough to make a case for Rangers to pick up his option to buy on his loan from NYCFC? It seems like it can go either way. He hasn’t been the biggest problem for Rangers but he has struggled to defend when Rangers are simply being outplayed.

Tillmann has had his offensive moments and he had an assist in the club’s 4-1 win over Aberdeen over the weekend. He also was one of the few bright spots for Rangers in the Ajax loss. With the injuries to the U.S. team, he seems like he has a good chance to go to Qatar. He has done well in the Premiership although that league is tough to read given the talent discrepancy between the Old Firm and everyone else.

It is similar to Cameron Carter-Vickers who has been very good in the Scottish Premiership (including in Celtic’s 3-0 win over Livingston on Saturday) but if Celtic lose to real Madrid on Wednesday in the Champions League, the two Old Firm teams in the UCL group stages will exit the tournament with two points from 12 games.

 

Yanks excelling in Hungary

 

On Saturday, two Americans faced off against each other for the first time ever in Hungary’s top-tier NB I. League leading Ferencvaros defeated ZTE 2-1 despite that Ferencvaros didn’t start it’s top team after its 1-1 draw against Monaco in the Europa League to become the first Hungarian team to advance to the knockout rounds in Europe since 2004. Henry Wingo was among the list of players who didn’t start for Ferencvaros but he played the final 16 minutes to preserve the win.

Eduvie Ikoba, however, started for ZTE and scored his team’s loan goal. For Ikoba, 25, it was his eighth goal of the season, and he is in sole position of the scoring lead.



So in a league where few Americans ever play (Peter Vermes and Chris Sullivan), there are two in the NB I now – one is the starting right back for the champs and current leaders. The other is the league’s leading scorer.

 

Yanks In Belgium

 

Belgium has been a hotbed of late for American players and that is likely to continue as it is the top league in Europe after the Bundesliga that has very few restrictions on non-EU players. This makes it a perfect stepping stone for American players who are not ready for one of Europe’s Big 5 leagues, but who have the talent to get there.

Mark McKenzie is a great example and he has seized the moment since earning a starting spot in Genk’s backline at the club after Jhon Lucumi was sold in August. Genk is starting to open a big gap atop the table after Friday’s 3-1 win over Mechelen (where McKenzie was strong again) and Royal Antwerp’s 1-0 loss to Sporting Charleroi. With that win, Genk now has 14 wins and one draw in their last 15 games. They now have a seven-point lead atop the table.

In Antwerp’s loss, Sam Vines played relatively well although his chances of going to Qater are probably a bit less than 50-50 as long as Dest is the backup left back to Robinson.

Also in Belgium, Bryan Reynolds went 90 minutes for Westerlo in a 3-2 loss to St. Truiden and Marlon Fossey was injured for Standard Liege in a 3-0 win over Zlute Waregem.

But Vines, McKenzie, and Reynolds are three players who were sold from MLS and have been able to find consistent minutes in Belgium. It took Reynolds to get there on a loan from Roman and it took longer than expected for players to get sold to make room to start McKenzie, but the league is and will continue to be a home for a lot of good American players.

 

Elsewhere throughout Europe

 

In Ligue 1, Erik Palmer-Brown started for Troyes in a 4-3 loss to a very good Paris St. Germain team. Palmer-Brown was having a good game until he made a tough mistake on the final PSG game. Palmer-Brown probably has less than a 50-50 chance of going to Qatar. It seems as if Berhalter will pick Ream and McKenzie over him, but there is still time and injuries are always possible.

In the Eredivisie, Ricardo Pepi played 90 minutes for Groningen in a 0-0 draw with FC Emmen. Pepi was still at the heart of whatever Groningen was trying to do offensively, but this team is not very good and Pepi has to be very efficient with his chances (he created three chances in this game). It’s a good place for him to learn.

Taylor Booth didn’t have any assists and isn’t part of the Eredivisie Team of the Week again, but going a full 90 for Utrecht in a 2-1 away win over Heerenveen will keep him in the lineup. After a tough start to the season, he has turned things around quickly.

Richard Ledezma played the final seven minutes for PSV Eindhoven in a 3-0 win over NEC Mijmegen. Unfortunately, we haven’t yet  seen any signs that he is going to play minutes except when PSV is up comfortably and is trying to manage the minutes of their starters and key backups.

Cole Bassett played just the final two minutes of Fortuna Sittard’s 3-1 loss to Sparta Rotterdam. With his lack of minutes this season on his loan to Fortuna Sittard, I would be surprised if he remains with the club past January. There is a clause where he can exit the loan if he does not meet a minutes threshold (which he will certainly come up short). It’s hard to see him going back to Colorado so he’ll look elsewhere in Europe.

In Portugal, Boavista played Vizela to a 2-2 draw in a tight game. Reggie Cannon played 90 minutes for Boavista and Alex Mendez also played 90 minutes for Vizela. Both Americans earned positive reviews from local media for their performances. Cannon continues to play as a central defender where he is used to win duels.

Also in Portugal, John Brooks did not get off the bench for Benfica although there is hope he could feature in the Champions League midweek with Benfica having already secured a spot in the knockouts.

One concern in the world of Americans abroad is Venezia’s season given that it is home to five American players. With Venezia dropping a 2-0 decision at home Ascoli the club is now in the relegation zone. Tanner Tessmann and Andrija Novakovich started in the loss while Gianluca Busio is out. This season has not been good for any of the five Americans there, not even the young players like Patrick Leal or Jack DeVries who rarely play.

In the Bundesliga, U.S. U-20 winger Kevin Paredes missed out on Wolfsburg’s 4-0 win over Bochum with a late injury.

In Scandinavia, Christian Cappis played the final 20 minutes for Brondby in a 3-2 win over Aalborg BK in Denmark. In Norway, Sam Rogers played a full 90 for Rosenborg in a 3-2 win over Bodo/Glimt to move within striking distance of second place heading into Norway’s last round.

In Sweden, Degerfors drew IFK 0-0 to inch towards survival. American keeper Jeff Gal kept the cleansheet for Degerfors. Romain Gall played 90 minutes for Malmo in a 5-2 win over Varbergs. GIF Sundsvall have already clinched last place in the Allsvenskan and they lost 3-2 at home to Sirius. Joe Corona went 79 minutes and Forrest Lasso went 90 minutes in the loss – which has been a brutal season for both Yanks.

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