Matt_miazga_-_asn_top_-_anderlecht_debut_-_10-18-20
Americans abroad analysis

Adams and Reyna win, Miazga's club debut & more in busy weekend

It was another very active weekend for American players across the globe and that will continue into Monday. As he does every week, ASN's Brian Sciaretta is here to break it all down for you - both the good and the bad. 
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
October 19, 2020
6:05 AM

THE PAST FEW days has seen American players make club debuts, score big goals that not only helped their club, but perhaps improved their standing with United States national team manager Gregg Berhalter or Olympic coach Jason Kreis. For the top players, there weren't many top-level highlights but there were solid results - which is very important news. 

Here is what I saw from the past three days of games for American players and managers. 

 

Pulisic impresses in Chelsea draw


It will be a game that Chelsea fans are going to want to forget as the club showed poor defense and a lack of focus in a 3-3 draw against Southampton on Saturday. Christian Pulisic, however, made his first start of the season and for the most part, played well. Pulisic wasn’t at the level he was immediate after the COVID restart in June, but given that his was his first run of serious minutes in months, it was more than satisfactory.

Pulisic left the game with Chelsea winning 3-2 and he even made the most important pass in the build-up to Chelsea’s third goal.

 

In the end, his numbers were all pretty good.

  • 86 minutes
  • 54 touches
  • 2 shots
  • 1 key pass
  • 1 "hockey assist"
  • 1 aerial won
  • 65.4% passing (17/26)
  • 2 dribbles
  • 3 tackles
  • 1 interception
  • 2 clearances
  • 0 crosses
  • 0 long balls

What it reflected is that while Chelsea has a lot to work on, Pulisic, along with the exceptional Timo Werner and Kai Havertz are not the problem. They are all part of the solution.

Adams active in Leipzig win


Tyler Adams missed RB Leipzig’z win over Schalke just before the international break with a “minor back injury.” The former New York Red Bull, however, returned to the starting lineup on Saturday against an improved Augsburg team.

The big to watch in this game was how involved Adams would be. In the season opening win against Mainz, he touched the ball 94 times and was excellent. Against Leverkusen, he only touched the ball 40 times and he struggled to make an impact.

In this game, it was more a return to normal and he was on the ball 87 times in a full-90 effort. When you look at his touch map, he was all over the middle of the field and covered a ton of ground.

 

It wasn’t perfect. His passing from distance wasn’t as crisp and he didn’t push too deeply into the attack as he sometimes does. But when he covers ground and makes a lot of touches, Leipzig usually wins. Adams has so many different ways he can be an asset that even when he’s not at his best, he’s still so valuable.

Matarazzo & Stuttgart’s strong start


The main goal of any newly-promoted team is to avoid relegation. Obviously, a strong start can go a long way towards survival. For VfB Stuttgart and its American manager Pellegrino Matarazzo continued to impress in the Bundesliga after a 2-0 win over Hertha Berlin.

This was no fluke, Stuttgart was the better team playing away from home in the Olympic stadium. Aside from its poor first half in the opening game against Freiburg, Stuttgart has generally outplayed its opponents the remainder of the three and half games. Over four games, Stuttgart has seven points from four games and a healthy +4 goal differential. It presses its opponents and still manages to play an attractive style.

Matarazzo remains one of the best stories in American soccer as the first manager born and raised in the United States to lead a team in the Bundesliga. At this point, this team could do far better than most newly-promoted teams.

Reyna strong in BVB win


Gio Reyna, 17, as expected earned the start for Borussia Dortmund on Saturday away at Hoffenheim. It wasn’t the strongest possible starting lineup for Dortmund as Marco Reus and Earling Haaland were on the bench in this one.

Reyna was strong throughout and nearly put Dortmund up in the first half after a nice gave him a strong opportunity. Unfortunately for the young American, his shot was cleared off the line dramatically.

The breakthrough came in the 76th after Borussia Dortmund brough on Reus and Haaland. Along with Reyna, the three connected for the game’s only goal. Reyna’s header sent Haaland into a dangerous area. He then played to Reus for an easy finish.

 While Reyna wasn’t as spectacular as he was in the opening win over Monchengladbach or in the game before the international window against Freiburg, he was still very solid. His numbers reflected this

  • 90 minutes
  • 66 touches
  • 4 shots
  • 2 on target
  • 0 key passes
  • 1 "hockey assist"
  • 90.7% passing 39/43
  • 1 dribble
  • 3x fouled
  • 1 tackle
  • 0 clearances/interceptions
  • 0/3 accuarte crosses
  • 0 long balls
  • #USMNT

He’s been a difference maker in three out of four Bundesliga games. What was important to see is that he was still dangerous even without Haaland on the field. Those two have strong chemistry and they complement each other. The fact Reyna can do it without Haaland is telling. Consistency will be the key for him and he is well ahead of schedule. Dortmund’s nine points means the club is off to another strong start.

Sargent plays in Werder draw


Josh Sargent, 20, got the start for Werder Bremen on Saturday away at Freiburg and Werder is quietly doing what it has to do in order avoid another relegation fight. It racked up two wins over lowly opponents and on Saturday it played to a 1-1 draw for its seventh point.

Werder Bremen isn’t impressive but it is avoiding the bad losses and earning the points it should. This will go a long way when the schedule becomes harder. An away win at Freiburg is a good point – especially when Werder was the better team for long stretches.

For Sargent, he still is yet to score and has just one assist. Werder would certainly like more production but positive results will likely mean Sargent remains in the starting lineup. He is helping the team in other ways. While the number of touches he has needs to increase, his passing percentage was up in this one and his hold-up play resulted in two “key passes” for shots.

  • 90 minutes
  • 28 touches
  • 1 shot
  • 2 key passes
  • 73.3% passing 11/15
  • 1 aerial won
  • 0 dribbles
  • 2x fouled
  • 1 tackle
  • 2 clearances
  • 0 interceptions
  • 0 crosses
  • 0 long balls

This is an ideal season for Sargent to grow. The early results have reduced the pressure on him to produce immediate and for the manager to make changes to the starting lineup. The longer he’s on the field, the more likely he will be to find success and figure it out.

Dest makes first Barca start


Just before the October international break, Sergino Dest made his first Barcelona appearance when he played the final 15 minutes of a 1-1 draw with Sevilla. On Saturday, he made his first start for the super-club when Barcelona visited Getafe.

In the end, Getafe pulled off the 1-0 upset despite Barcelona having 72.7% of the possession. Getafe was much more effect with the little time it had the ball and actually managed nine shots compared to Barcelona’s seven. In the end, the 54th minute penalty was the difference.

In this game, Dest showed a lot of class playing out of position at left back and he displayed an ability to get on the ball a ton. His 92 touches are a lot for a fullback and that indicates that his teammates are comfortable having him be heavily involved in the team’s attack. 

Dest’s crossing in this game was very poor and it was never dangerous. Moving forward, he is going to have to addresses this as he fits into this club. Apart from that, his numbers were strong.

  • 90 minutes
  • 92 touches
  • 0 shots
  • 2 key passes
  • 82% passing (50/61)
  • 0 aerials won
  • 3/3 dribbles
  • 6 duels won (9 lost)
  • 1x fouled
  • 3 fouls
  • 2 tackles
  • 1 clearance
  • 0/5 accurate crosses
  • 1/3 accurate long balls

If Dest can improve his crossing from the left side, he could be elite in the highest levels of the game.

Cajuste vs. Sabbi in Denmark


In the Danish Superliga on Sautrday, reigning champions FC Midtjylland hosted OB in an interesting matchup from an American perspective. U.S. U-23 winger Emmanuel Sabbi got the start for a skidding OB team while Jens Cajuste started for Midtjylland. Cajuste, 21, holds an American passport but has spent little time in the United States. He played for Sweden’s U-21 team in 2019 but has been in contact with Gregg Berhalter.

In this game, Sabbi scored the opening goal of the game on a nice counter attack. His athleticism in this league, at times, makes him very difficult to defend. On this goal, the defenders struggled to close him down when he had the ball in full stride.

But Midtjylland scored three unanswered goals for a 3-1 victory. Cajuste went 72 minutes and left with the score 1-1. Overall, it was a strong outing and he should make his Champions League debut this week.

  • 72 minutes.
  • 63 touches
  • 2 shots
  • 92% passing (47/51, game high among players who played 45 minutes or more)
  • 3/3 accurate long balls
  • 3 duels won
  • 3 duels lost
  • 2 tackles
  • 4 interceptions
  • 0 aerials won

Cajuste is a player who can play either the No. 6 or No. 8 effectively. Last season he played out wide but this season he has finally settled into the middle. His range of passing is very good and he also provides a strong defensive presence that can disrupt opponents. He would be a nice addition to the U.S. player pool.

As for Sabbi, he scored the goal and thrives on his athleticism when he gets into the open field. Aside from this goal, it was a very quiet performance. He didn’t get on the ball enough and offered little defensively. But, he didn’t need much for him to give his team a chance.

  • 64 minutes
  • 20 touches
  • 1 shot
  • 1 goal
  • 75% passing 9/12
  • 3 duels won
  • 7 duels lost
  • 3 fouls
  • 1x fouled
  • 0 tackles & interceptions
  • 0 crosses
  • 2 aerials won (3 lost)

With this loss, OB continues to fade after an opening season win over FC Copenhagen as Midtjylland looks prepared for the Champions League.

Fulham earns first point


On Sunday, Fulham visited Sheffield United in a matchup between two teams that lost each of their first four games of the 2020/21 Premier League season.Both Antonee Robinson and Tim Ream earned the start in backline for Fulham and both Americans acquitted themselves well. In the end, it finished 1-1 and Fulham was the better team. The Cottagers will surely be disappointed that they didn’t pick up all three points. Fulham missed a penalty but still manage to take the lead with a splendid Ademola Lookman goal. That was cancelled out when Sheffield United converted a late penalty.

Despite having just one point, Fulham has been improving the past two games and the two American defenders have been important during this span. Left back Antonee Robinson’s first two Premier League starts have generally been solid and Ream, likewise, has been much sharper in central defense.

 

 

Robinson covered a lot of ground in this one and was able to make important plays on both sides of the ball. His 9/9 passing in the attack is what Fulham need to see this season but Robinson also really limited Sheffield United’s attack down his side of the field.

Fulham is playing better and it is coming at a good time. Right now it is in a winnable stretch of games and the next two are Crystal Palace and West Bromwich. After that, things will get harder. If it wants to climb out of its current hole and show signs it won’t suffer an immediate relegation, three or four points is very important.


Opportunity for Horvath

It is sometimes easy to forget about Ethan Horvath. The backup keeper on Belgian champs Club Brugge rarely plays since Simon Mignolet joined in 2019 (the Colorado native made just two league appearances and one cup appearance at the beginning of last season). But on Sunday, Mignolet announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and was asymptomatic.

This will open the door for Horvath and he will get a huge opportunity this week when he will likely start in its Champions League opener vs. Zenit. It is hard to see Horvath taking over this starting job at Brugge once Mignolet returns as the Belgian international is held in high regard. But if Horvath can impress in the upcoming games, he might find another team willing to make a move for him in an upcoming transfer window.

 

Another draw for Wolfsburg & Brooks

Four games into the Bundesliga season and John Brooks and Wolfsburg are both winless and undefeated. On Saturday, thee club played it its fourth straight draw to start 2020/21. This time it was a 1-1 result against Borussia Monchengladbach. With hat result it has both scored and conceded just two goals on the season.

In this game, Gladbach took the lead in the 78th minute on a penalty that did not involve Brooks (it was a bad backpass from Brooks’ central defense parter, Maxence Lacroix, to the goalkeeper, Koen Casteels, which resulted in a foul by Casteels). Seven minutes later, Wolfsburg equalized.

Wolfsburg is very tough to breakdown right now from the run of play and Brooks is playing an important role in that. In this game, he led all Wolfsburg players in seven clearances. He was also 7/13 in accurate long balls and no other Wolfsburg player, outside of goalkeeper Casteels, completed that many long balls.

Brooks remains a tough player to figure out. He goes through long stretches of playing well and playing poorly – sometimes to the point where there is serious speculation from local media that Wolfsburg wants to unload him. Right now, he’s on one of these very good runs.

Wright and Johannsson remain hot

 

Two American forwards currently are in a very nice run of form in the lower European leagues – which saw that run continue through this weekend with goals. Aron Johannsson scored his ninth goal in his last 11 games in the top-flight Swedish Allsvenskan. This is the best the Icelandic American has played in over a half decade. In the 4-2 win over Mjallby on Saturday, Johannsson’s goal opened up a 4-2 lead.

With five games remaining, Johannsson will hope to continue his hot streak to lift Hammarby into a Europa league spot. Sitting in fifth place, it trails third place Elfsborg by three points for a spot in Europe.

Of course, it will be interesting to see if Johannsson can sneak his way into the November U.S. national team roster – should the camp happen. There is no denying Johannsson’s talent and current form – and the U.S. team needs forwards. But will Berhalter look at a player with a long injury history who will turn 30 in two weeks? Or will he look for younger options.

 

Meanwhile in Denmark, Haji Wright, 22, is off to a great start in the season in Denmark with SonderjyskE. The California native has had a tough start to his career as his time at Schalke didn’t work out. He had failed trials, most notably to Union Berlin, and his stints at Sandhausen of the 2.Bundesliga and VVV Venlo were unimpressive.

In Denmark, he is off to a torrid start to the season with four goals in roughly 190 minutes. Like with Sabbi, the defenders in the Danish league have struggled to contain his athleticism. On Sunday, Wright scored in the 47th minute for SonderjyskE to open the scoring in what would turn out to be a 2-0 win over Brondby.

Previously, Wright had been used as an option off the bench but this was his first start of the season. Internationally, it will be interesting to see if Wright can move into the picture U.S. U-23 team – Danish clubs have been typically more willing to release youth players for international duty. It will be tough as Portland Timbers forward Jeremy Ebobisse remains red hot and Daryl Dike and Ayo Akinola have had strong seasons. The European options likely consist of Sebastian Soto and Nicholas Gioacchini – both solid options as well. Wright is putting himself into a nice situation, which is good to see.

Miazga’s Anderlecht debut


On Sunday, Matt Miazga was named to starting lineup for Anderlecht against OH Leuven. In making the appearance, Miazga has now played in seven professional leagues: USL, MLS, Premier League, Eredivisie, Ligue 1, Championship, Belgian Pro League (the last five have come either at Chelsea or on a loan from Chelsea).

It was a frustrating day for Anderlecht which took a 2-0 lead but surrendered two second half goals to settle for a 2-2 draw. With the draw, Anderlecht is now winless in its last three game and has fallen into ninth place after nine games to start the season.

Miazga, 25, was mostly strong in this one – although maybe he could have done more with Leuven’s first goal. On that play, most of the blame goes to Percy Tau who, while defending a free kick, headed the ball into the middle of the box to create a good opportunity for Leuven. Miazga’s man, Frederic Duplus made no mistake with the finish but the ball should never have been played into that direction by Tau for the opponent.

 

Aside from that, Miazga played very well and likely did enough to remain in the club’s starting lineup.

  • 90 minutes
  • 66 touches
  • 42/53 passing (79%)
  • 5/9 accurate long balls
  • 10 clearances
  • 7 duels won (1 lost)
  • 5 aerials won (1 lost)
  • 2 tackles (2 attempts)

Next weekend is a visit to Kortrijk. Miazga is off to a strong start and should only grow more comfortable with the team as he develops chemistry with his team (Anderlecht now has three defenders who spent significant time with the New York Red Bulls with Miazga, Michael Murillo, and Kemar Lawrence). Miazga only joined this team the before the start of the recent international break.

 

Tough day at the office for some

 

It wasn’t a good weekend for every American player. Some are certainly looking to turn the page. Duane Holmes struggled for Derby County on Friday in a 1-0 loss to Watford and he was removed in the 63rd minute.

Nicholas Gioacchini and the entire SM Caen team had a game to forget in a 3-0 loss to Niort in France’s Ligue 2. In that game, it was expected to be a tight match between two teams pushing for promotion this season but SM Caen was outplayed and Gioacchini did not have many opportunities.

Romain Gall made his first start of the season for Orebro away at Falkenberg in Sweden’s top flight and never really got going. He was subbed out in the 65th minute with the score 0-0. Orebro ended up losing 2-1.

There was good news and bad news for Chris Durkin on Saturday. The bad news is that the American defensive midfielder did not get the start for St. Truiden in an away game vs. Beerschodt in Belgium’s top flight. But that turned into a blessing in disguise as St. Truiden was pounded when Durkin wasn’t on the field. The Richmond, VA, native ended up coming into the game in the 63rd minute with St. Truiden down 6-2 and it ended up a 6-3 loss. Durkin’s game was more or less to contain the damage after Beerschodt took its foot off the gas pedal. But this is a tough situation for him as St. Truiden has just six points from nine games this season.

U.S. U-20 attacker Indiana Vassilev earned the start for Burton Albion on Saturday in a 1-1 draw with Bristol Rovers. It was his second start for the club while on loan from Aston Villa. He only had 26 touches over 88 minutes and that also reflective of his teammates. He was 9/15 on his passing, which limited his involvement. While he needs to be more involved, he was helpful in other ways and his pressing bothered Bristol, which was good to see. At this age, it is important for attacking players to learn to be effective even if they’re offense isn’t clicking.

In the Dutch second tier, Richard Ledezma started for Jong PSV in a 5-1 loss to FC Volendam. American left back Chris Gloster might have been lucky as he was an unused sub also in the loss.

Finally, Tim Weah did not get off the bench for Lille in a 4-0 romp over Lens. With the three points, Lille is atop Ligue 1 with 17 points from seven games (five wins, two draws, no losses). It is a tough situation for Weah since his team is doing so well, any manager would be reluctant to make any changes. But the worst part of it is that his minutes have been declining as he has played 30 seconds over the past three games. There has also been plenty of time to play way as Lille has had multigoal leads over long stretches the past two games. If Weah was valued, a manager might have subbed him into the game to allow him to work back into fitness. But for now, Weah is on the outside looking in regarding the top rotation of players. Perhaps with the Europa League and cup matches coming up, he will get a chance.


Elsewhere


COVID-19 kept Weston McKennie out of Juventus’ 1-1 draw on Saturday with lowly Crotone.

Similarly, a calf injury prevented Chris Richards from playing for Bayern Munich in its 4-1 win over Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday.

Uly Llanez missed a lot of time over the international window due to an illness and he went as an unused sub for Heerenveen in a rough 5-1 loss to Ajax.

U.S. U-23 midfielder Christian Cappis assisted for Hobro in a 3-1 win over HB Koge in the Danish second tier.

U.S. national team goalkeeper Zack Steffen did not get off the bench for Manchester City in a 1-0 win over Arsenal. Elsewhere in the Premier League, DeAndre Yedlin was nowhere to be found for Newcastle United in a 4-1 loss to Manchester United.

In third-tier League One, Lynden Gooch assisted on Sunderland’s opener in a 2-0 win over Swindon Town.

In the Championship, team captain Geoff Cameron enjoyed a very strong outing for Queens Park Rangers in a 0-0 draw away at AFC Bournemouth (will now have Cameron Carter-Vickers for the upcoming season).

Up north, Ian Harkes started and Dillon Powers came off the bench for Dundee United in a 0-0 draw with Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership.

San Diego’s Luca de la Torre, 23, played the final four minutes plus stoppage time for Heracles in a 1-0 loss to RKC Waalwijk in the Eredivisie.

In Turkey’s top flight Super Lig, Eric Lichaj had a strong outing for Fatih Karagumruk in a 1-1 draw with Kasimpasa. Newly promoted Fatih Karagumruk is off to a nice start to the season with eight points from five games.

In Serie B, Andrija Novakovich came off the bench in the 58th minute for Frosinone in a 1-0 win over Ascoli on Saturday.

In Spain’s third tier, Konrad de la Fuente started for Barcelona B on Sunday in a 1-0 win over Gimnastic.

 

 

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