Jesse_marsch_-_asn_top_-_leeds_sacking_2023
Americans abroad analysis

Americans abroad: Marsch fired, Pefok & Trusty score winners, and more

With our site's tech issues resolved, ASN's Brian Sciaretta writes up his thoughts on all the big stories from Americans abroad including Jesse Marsch being relieved of his duites at Leeds United. 
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
February 06, 2023
11:05 PM

IT WAS A WILD weekend for Americasn abroad. Three Americas scored dramatic game winning goals in Terrence Boyd, Jordan Pefok, and Auston Trusty. We also saw nice moments from Luca de la Torre and Gio Reyna, two players who tend to bring out the drama on social media. But we also saw some very tough news starting with Leeds United.

With so many players based abroad, there is always good and bad news every week. On the good side, we have Terrence Boyd is doing remarkable things for Kaiserslautern. Jordan Pefok broke his scoring drought to give Union Berlin a massive win. Gio Reyna scored a consolation goal for Dortmund. Luca de la Torre assisted in his second straight game to move Celta Vigo safely beyond relegation danger. Taylor Booth rising in the Eredivisie. The Fulham duo of Antonee Robinson and Tim Ream fought for a draw against big-money Chelsea. Finally, Auston Trusty delivered a big game-winner for Birmingham City.

But the bad news provides a counterbalance to everything. Jesse Marsch is out at Leeds United after his team lost to Nottingham Forest and is on the cusp of relegation. With that, it drags three U.S internationals (Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, and Brenden Aaronson) into that fight. The Seattle Sounders are out of the Club World Cup. Then you have Yunus Musah and Valencia are now just one point clear of La Liga’s relegation zone. Erik Palmer-Brown and Troyes are also now one point clear of the drop zone in Ligue 1. John Brooks is not the solution for Hoffenheim’s defensive woes. Sergino Dest is not fitting in at AC Milan. Djordje Mihailovic was hurt for AZ.

The sheer number of Americans in relegation battles is not a good thing: Ricardo Pepi, Tanner Tessman, Gianluca Busio, Andrija Novakovich, Duane Holmes, Weston McKennie, Brenden Aaronson, Tyler Adams, Yunus Musah, Ian Harkes, Caleb Stanko, and now Erik Palmer-Brown are all in trouble right now. John Brooks, Justin Che, and Hoffenheim are in a nosedive and should also enter the mix soon.

Let’s dive right into the world of Americans abroad – the good, the bad, and everything in the middle.

 

Marsch out at Leeds

 

Jesse Marsch has been fired by Leeds United following a 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Saturday. The performance saw Tyler Adams go a full 90 and Weston McKennie make his club debut as a 57th minute sub. Brenden Aaronson did not get off the bench as he was battling illness throughout the week.

This game highlighted the team’s shortcomings this season. Leeds United should have had a result. They had 70% of the possession in a road game in the Premier League. Nottingham Forest only completed 138 passes, compared with Leeds completing 438 passes.

But Leeds United has been woeful in the final third in terms of completing the final pass to create a shot or even sometimes when they get the shot, they can’t finish well. The team fell apart because of completely different reasons from when Marcelo Bielsa was the manager. That team fell apart defensively but could score. Marsch’s team’s defended well enough, but offensively, there was no end product.

It is a results business and relegation is starting Leeds right in the face. The three questions now become what is next for Leeds? What is next for the three Americans on the team? And what is next for Jesse?

Leeds still has a good chance of staying up. The team probably has enough quality compared with other teams but they will need the “bounce” that typically happens when a new manager is replaced.

For the three American players, it means different things. Tyler Adams has played well enough to the point where he is probably going to be a starter regardless of the next manager. Brenden Aaronson will have to fight for his spot. It’s a winnable battle, but different managers will view him differently. Weston McKennie is interesting because he just arrived and has little chemistry with his existing teammates (other than the Americas). McKennie has a deep resume with success in the Bundesliga, the Premier League, and the Champions League but it is still an open question if he will fit in with the next manager.

As for Marsch, the dust will have to settle a bit. His last two jobs (Leipzig and Leeds) did not go well and neither lasted a season. That will likely cool interest for him in the top leagues but will he be willing to drop to a lower league? Will he consider another MLS gig?

The big question now is the vacant U.S. national team opening. There are pros and cons. He knows the players, he would love the job for the right reasons, he has Champions League experience as a manager. But again, what about his system? People criticized Gregg Berhalter about being a “systems coach” but Berhalter evolved substantially over his time as the team’s manager. Marsch is just as much of a “systems coach” and would that system work for the U.S. team? Would Marsch be flexible? A big question for me on Marsch is what is his plan B. If things aren't working, does he evolve? Those are just some questions to consider.

 

Sounders bounced 

 

We’ll consider this Americas abroad since it’s so early in the domestic preseason.

The Seattle Sounders became the first MLS team to participate in in the FIFA Club World Cup but their visit was a short one after a 1-0 loss to Egypt’s Al Ahly. Mohamad Afsha 88th minute shot deflected off Alex Roldan and past Stefan Frei for the game's only goal.

The Sounders were the most dangerous team in the first half but were clearly rusty amid their preseason and the 118-day gap since their last competitive game. Al Ahly was clearly sharper and benefited from being in midseason form – currently leading the Egyptian Premier League and are undefeated since August.

The temptation is there, but is unfair to make sweeping judgements about league strength based on one game. Another important consideration in that, as well as being a takeaway from this game, is that the Sounders are coming off a terrible season where they failed to qualify for the playoffs. Sure, there was the CCL win, but the team looked poor after that tournament and never recovered. It’s still their preseason, but the concern over this game should be that the Sounders might again struggle in MLS in 2023.

 

Boyd carrying Kaiserslautern

 

Terrence Boyd, 31, is on the cusp of becoming a Kaiserslautern club legend. Acquired last January when the club was in a promotion race in the 3.Liga, Boyd scored nine goals in 12 games to get Kaiserslautern back to the 2.Bundesliga.

On Saturday, Boyd scored his 10th of the season and another game-winning goal in the 74th minute for a 2-1 win over Holstein Kiel. Kaiserslautern is now fourth in the 2.Bundesliga and is just one point behind Heidenheim for third place (which is the promotional playoff position). The goal from Boyd came just minutes after he missed a wide-open goal from just a few yards away. Still, he was able to put that behind him and bury the winner. In the end, no one will remember his miss.



Kaiserslautern is one of Germany’s biggest clubs but crashed over the past decade due to poor financial decisions which saw it nearly go bankrupt. Boyd is the biggest reason why the club are pushing for an extremely difficult back-to-back promotion.

Boyd is one of the good guys in American soccer and this is one of the best feel-good stories.

 

Pefok ends skid

 

Jordan Pefok has been in a massive drought over his last 15 games in all competitions. The fact that he hasn’t scored since September 18th has resulted in him being dropped from Union Berlin’s starting lineup.

On Saturday, Pefok broke that streak in a big way. The Washington, DC-born, France-raised forward came into the game in the 79th minute with Union Berlin even with Mainz at 1-1. Then in the 84th minute, he got his chance and delivered the winning goal – his fourth of the season.



Pefok, 26, was a little lucky the ball fell to him but his best moment was in the build-up when he managed to keep possession while surrounded by Mainz defenders.

It was Union Berlin’s fourth straight Bundesliga victory. It temporarily put them atop the table before they returned to second place following Bayern Munich’s win over Wolfsburg. But Union Berlin is firmly in the mix to dethrone Bayern as they trail by just a point. If Pefok is indeed coming out of his slump, it would be a massive boost.

Pefok remains in the mix for the U.S. team. While there are several American forwards scoring goals (Pepi, Wright, Vazquez, Dike, Ferreira, Sargent) none have claimed the spot and scoring for the second-place team in the Bundesliga is always going to keep him in the discussion. His form had dropped significantly leading up to the World Cup and that didn’t sway Berhalter. But how he can try to get hot at the right time ahead of this summer, and the following summer’s Copa America.

 

De la Torre assists in Celta win

 

Luca de la Torre has only recently begun starting for Celta Vigo, but the decision to start him has paid big dividends the past two games.

On Saturday, the San Diego native sent a delightful chip to Gabri Veiga in the 42d minute to equalize the game with Real Betis at 2-2.



In the second half, Celta Vigo found a way to win 4-3 for its second win in a row. Those six points have moved Celta from the edge of the relegation zone and into midtable at 12th place.

In his 74 minutes, de la Torre helped Celta keep possession with his 28/32 passing and his 3/5 duels won. After an uneven first half of the season, his stock is finally starting to rise in Spain over the past two weeks.

 

Ream & Robinson important to Fulham draw

 

Chelsea spent a lot of money in the January transfer window. It was one of the top stories in the sport. The team’s first game since the close of the window was against Fulham at Stamford Bridge on Friday. For Fulham, Tim Ream was wearing the armband and Antonee Robinson got the start at left back, as usual.

In the end, Fulham held Chelsea to a 0-0 draw for a well-earned point. Both Americans played well, and Robinson’s athleticism at left back has improved so much this year in the Premier League. For Tim Ream, however, he is playing the best soccer of his career at age 35.

Check out the positional awareness in this play to prevent a Chelsea goal. He just understands the game so well. If he was 10 years younger, he’d be wanted by enormous clubs.


 

Trusty scores BCFC winner

 

Auston Trusty, 24, has been a hit with Birmingham City. He has played every single minute this season for the club in the Championship and is popular with the club and its fans. On Saturday, Trusty scored his fourth of the season – a stoppage time winner via a header off a corner kick – to lift Birmingham City to a 4-3 away win over Swansea City.



Birmingham City hasn’t been great, and this win snapped a five-game losing streak, but this win still keeps the club safely eight points over the drop zone.

While he is on loan from Arsenal, Trusty has been among Birmingham City’s players of the season.  It begs the question of Birmingham City has the money to buy him from the Gunners? He’s in a great spot and it’s always good to go where you are wanted.

 

Reyna scores again for BVB

 

Since the Bundesliga returned in January from the winter/World Cup break, Gio Reyna has scored three goals despite playing just 67 minutes (all off the bench). On Saturday, he scored the final goal of a 5-1 route of Freiburg after coming into the game in the 71st minute.



There are a lot of things to take from this.

First, the shot should have been saved and Freiburg was not into this game anymore.

Second, Reyna is still playing terrific soccer and his goals/minutes ratio is ridiculous.

Third, Reyna is still not starting for BVB and it isn’t clear when he will be starting.

Fourth, the limited role issue will continue to be catnip for USMNT fans. Why couldn’t Reyna embrace the idea of being a substitute for the U.S. team? 

 

Tillman scores again for Rangers

 

Malik Tillman, 20, did not start Saturday’s game for Rangers against Ross County but an injury to John Lundstrom saw Tillman enter the game in the 11th minute.

Then with the score still 0-0 in the second minute of first-half stoppage time, Tillman put the Rangers in front on a finish from close range. It capped a long sequence where Ross County was pinned deep inside its own box before eventually conceding.



Rangers went on to win 2-1 and Tillman now has seven goals and four assists on the Premiership season. Rangers have won five in a row but have not made up any ground on Celtic, which have a nine-point lead on Rangers. The gap between second-place Rangers and third-place Hearts is 19 points.



Tillman seems like a good bet to be back with the national team in March or this summer.

 

Hoppe makes Hibernian debut

 

The gap between the Old Firm and the rest of Scotland is enormous. But for Matthew Hoppe, the loan to fifth-place Hibernian is just what he needs for more playing time. The California native hasn’t played regularly is almost two years and Middlesbrough wasn’t the fit he hoped.

He loan to Hibs was agreed on deadline day and Hoppe was in the lineup on Saturday when Hibs visited St. Mirrren. He was on the bench to start but replaced Harry McKirdy in the 18th minute due to an injury. He played the remaining 72 minutes.



Hibs went on to win the game 1-0 and while Hoppe didn’t factor into the scoring and his outing was uneventful, it was very good for him to see the field. It is a level he should do well at and regain his rhythm.

For the United States, Hoppe isn’t close to the full national team at the moment but he could be in consideration for the U.S. U-23 Olympic team. He is age-eligible and should be considered a front-runner to be on the team that heads to Paris in 2024.

 

USMNT keepers cleansheet

 

One of the more interesting stories among the many Americans in the Championship is the fact that two goalkeepers, Zack Steffen at Middlesbrough, and Ethan Horvath at Luton Town are both doing very well on their respective loans. They’re in good positions and both appear to be making cases to their current clubs to reach permanent deals. It would be in the best interest of all parties. Manchester City likely doesn’t really want Steffen but Middlesbrough does after this season. The same could be said for Horvath who isn’t wanted by Nottingham Forest but has done very well at Luton Town.

This past weekend, both keepers picked up cleansheet wins while in the middle of promotional races.

Steffen needed to make only one save for Middlebrough in a 3-0 win over Blackpool. Middlesbrough remained in third place and appear to be cruising to the playoffs (they are still 10 points back of second place Sheffield United for automatic promotion).

Similarly, Horvath had to make one save in Luton Town’s 1-0 win over Stoke city to remain in fourth place. They have played one fewer game than Boro and are just one point behind them in the table.

Despite some early season shakiness from both keepers, they have settled in and both are having good seasons. 

 

Americas on the move

 

Kevin Baxter of the LA Times reported that former U.S. national team winger Tyler Boyd, 28,is on the verge of signing for the LA Galaxy and is in California for a medical. Boyd cancelled his contract with Besiktas in November. ASN reported he wanted to come to the United States in November as well. The Galaxy would be a nice move for him. He grew up a Galaxy fan and his new wife is American as well.

Also, Mexican media reported on Monday that both Sonora brothers – Joel and Alan – are likely to sign with FC Juarez in Liga MX. Joel Sonora, 26, recently had his contract with Maritimo in Portugal terminated after he struggled out of the gate. Alan Sonora, 24, meanwhile had his contract with Independiete expire. He made his U.S. national team debut this past January in a 2-1 friendly. loss to Serbia and then subbed into the 0-0 draw with Colombia a few days later.

The older Sonora had wanted to come to MLS but saw a deal with Montreal fall through. But this job probably pays more than Independiente and he will likely live in Texas while playing for Juarez.


 

Yanks across the globe

 

Yanks in England
 

Chris Richards continued to start for Crystal Palace and he played 90 minutes on Saturday in a 2-1 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford. He’s done a great job of taking advantage of injuries and suspensions to make a case that he belongs in the starting XI.

Elsewhere in the Premier League, Matt Turner watched from the bench as his Arsenal team were upset 1-0 on the road to an Everton team that is desperately fighting relegation.

In the Championship, Daryl Dike started and played 59 minutes for West Brom in a 1-0 win over Coventry. It was a quiet day at the office for the Oklahoma native. Fellow American forward Josh Sargent started and played 61 minutes for Norwich who were outplayed at home to promotion favorite Burnley. Duane Holmes missed Huddersfield’s 1-1 draw with Queens Park Rangers on Saturday as did Lynden Gooch for Sunderland in their 1-1 draw against Millwall at The Den.

In League Two, Jonathan Tomkinson made his first start for Stevenage in central defense on loan and went the distance in a 0-0 draw away at Sutton United. Tomkinson is a 2024 Olympic hopeful on loan from Norwich City.

 

Yanks in Germany
 

John Brooks started for Hoffenheim in a 5-2 loss to Bochum. Hoffenheim remains in abysmal shape defensively. The team has conceded 23 goals over its last seven games and has just one point in that span. They now sit three points away from the relegation zone but are trending downward. Brooks, 30, is not the biggest problem for Hoffenheim but he has not been the solution since arriving just before the deadline day. Justin Che did not make the bench for Hoffenheim.

On Monday, the club announced that it had fired manager Andre Breitenreiter. That had been coming. It probably won't affect Brooks that much since new managers who take over during relegation battles tend to favor experienced veterans and Brooks has played in relegation battles before. It doesn't bode well for Che as the environment at Hoffenheim has been difficult for him to build his case that the option to buy on his loan should be exercised. 

 

Joe Scally, 20, played the entire game for Borussia Monchengladbach at right back in a lackluster 0-0 draw with last-place Schalke. United States U-20 winger Kevin Paredes was decent in his 24 minutes for Wolfsburg in a 4-2 loss at home to Bayern Munich. He remains one of the top American attackers in Europe. Finally, Timothy Chandler was an unused substitute for Eintracht in a 3-0 win over Hertha BSC. Paxten Aaronson was not on the bench for this one.

In the 2.Bundesliga, George Bello got a surprise start for Arminia Bielefeld in a an equally surprising 3-1 win over Jahn Regesburg which move the club out of the relegation zone. To complete a trifecta of surprises, Bello was moved to left wing (not his traditional left back position) and played well.



Lennard Maloney played the entire game for third-place Heidenheim in defensive midfield but his team lost to Eintracht Braunschweig 2-0. Julian Green played the final six minutes for Greuther Furth in a 1-0 win over Nurnberg. He was on the field for the stoppage time winner but was not a part of the goal. Ryan Malone also played the final seven minutes for Hansa Rostock in a 2-0 loss to Hamburg.

St. Pauli now has six points from its first two games under new manager Fabian Hurzeler, the 29-year-old and former U.S. U-20 midfielder. The team has responded well to him but we will see if it continues.

 

Yanks in Italy
 

Sergino Dest did not make the bench for AC Milan in a 1-0 derby loss to Inter Milan. He has been out with muscle fatigue but there are growing reports that Milan will not exercise its option to buy Dest on the loan from Barcelona. Normally, clubs can negotiate a lower price but Dest is not fitting in well with Milan so it might be better for him to look elsewhere. But then, who could afford him from Barcelona?
In Serie B, Venezia came away with a big 2-1 away win over Benevento to almost move out of the relegation zone (they are in the zone just one goal differential while Benevento also sits deeper in the relegation hole). Tanner Tessman started for Venezia and was replaced by Gianluca Busio in the 57th minute. Andrija Novakovich was an unused substitute.

 

Yanks in Spain
 

Yunus Musah, 20, played 78 minutes for Valencia in a 1-0 loss to Girona on Sunday. Even after Gennaro Gattuso was fired last week, Valencia still looks very poor and they have just one point from their last six La Liga games. Valencia is one of the biggest clubs in Spain but is just one point out of the relegation zone. Musah still shows glimpses of class but he hasn’t been good during this run.


 

Yanks in France
 

Erik Palmer-Brown, 25, went the distance for Troyes in a 3-1 loss at home to Lyon. It’s been a tough run for Troyes which has just one point from its last five Ligue 1 games and has conceded 15 goals in that span. Troyes is just one point out of the relegation zone and Palmer-Brown is just the latest American in a relegation battle.

Tim Weah, 22, didn’t start on Sunday for Lille against Rennes but replaced Ismaily, due to injury, at left back in the 34th. Lille trailed 1-0 at the time. Lille scored three goals after Weah entered to win 3-1.  Weah wasn’t particularly noteworthy but did his best playing out of position. Lille remains in sixth place with the win but are just two points from fifth place (and a spot in Europe).

Yanks in the Netherlands

 

Djordje Mihailovic picked up an injury in training and missed AZ Alkmaar’s disappointing 1-1 draw on the road against Volendam. Taylor Booth, 21, remains one of the best breakout stories this season among Americans in Europe and the right winger was very sharp and active again over his 85 minutes on Sunday as his Utrecht team defeated Heerenveen 1-0. Utrecht remained in seventh place in the Eredivisie, six points ahead of eighth place Heerenveen.

Ricardo Pepi, 20, started and played 90 minutes for Groningen in a 1-1 draw with Twente. The former FC Dallas striker had one shot but also set up three decent chances. Groningen might get relegated this season, but Pepi is doing his part to help prevent that. Richard Ledezma was an unused sub for PSV Eindhoven in 2-2 draw at Feyenoord. Ledezma managed to get a bench yellow in the 89th.

 

Yanks in Belgium
 

It’s been a good season for most of the American players in Belgium. Marlon Fossey, 24, played 90 minutes at right wingback for Standard Liege in a 1-1 away draw with Cercle Brugge. He is very attack-oriented fullback and is a handful to defend. It’s been a great move for him to leave England and he is doing well in Belgium. Internationally, right back is crowded with the U.S. team, but you never know.

Another American right back doing well in Belgium is Bryan Reynolds, 21, who went 90 minutes for Westerlo in a 1-1 away draw with Eupen. Reynolds is giving himself options after this season as his loan to Westerlo will expire and it seems unlikely he’ll fit at Roma. But he’s been good to the point where another team with deep pockets might force a sale. Internationally, Reynolds remains the likely pick to be the starting right back for the U.S. U-23 Olympic team. Griffin Yow was an unused sub for Westerlo in this game and he still awaits his debut in what has been a disappointing move so far.

Genk posted a big 3-2 way on the road at Gent to remain seven points clear atop the table. Mark McKenzie has been a starter this entire season for Genk, which has lost just once this season and has kept a red-hot Union SG deep into second place. McKenzie is looking to add another major title to his resume. He’s won an MLS Supporters Shield, a Belgian Cup, and the Belgian First Division title is within reach.

 

Yanks in Portugal
 

Alex Mendez played the final 25 minutes for Vizela in a 2-0 loss on the road to second place Porto. Vizela remains in 10th place. Mendez is an occasional starter for Vizela but that is better than Alejandro Alvarado who wasn’t in the squad in this game and rarely seems to be with the first team.

Reggie Cannon played the final 13 minutes for Boavista in a 2-2 draw with Santa Clara in the Azores. He came on as a defensive replacement with Boavista up 2-1 but was on the field for Santa Clara’s late equalizer. Meanwhile, Benji Michel played the final 21 minutes for seventh place Arouca in an 1-1 away draw with Gil Vicente.

 

Yanks in Scotland
 

Cameron Carter-Vickers played 90 minutes for Celtic in a 4-1 away win over St. Johnstone. Carter-Vickers played well and Celtic remains nine points clear atop the table thanks to 17 wins and one draw in its last 18 Premiership games.

Scott Pittman played 90 minutes for Livingston in a 3-1 win over Kilmarnock. Livingston remained in fourth with the win. Ian Harkes didn’t play for last-place Dundee United in a 3-1 loss at Hearts. Dante Polvara didn’t feature for Aberdeen in a 3-1 win over Motherwell and Joe Efford is out injured for Motherwell.

 

Yanks elsewhere in Europe

 

In the Austrian Cup, Sebastian Soto made his first team debut for Austria Klagenfurt in a 1-0 loss to LASK. Soto started the game but was removed in the 37th minute. The club made no mention of an injury.

Haji Wright is out injured for Antalyaspor but the clubs has made it clear they would sell for a desired amount ahead of the February 8th transfer deadline in Turkey. The reported amount is 10 million Euros and obviously would only apply to Turkish teams. The only clubs in the market for that pricetag are the big Istanbul clubs – Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, Besiktas. This was always the best place for Wright to go as he is proven in that league and the clubs are not taking much of a risk.

Also in Turkey, Gbolyi Ariyibi was an unused sub for Ankaragucu in a 2-0 loss to Fatih Karagumruk.

In Greece’s Super League, Caleb Stanko made his first start for last-place Lamia but was sent off I the 66th minute of a 2-0 loss to leaders Panathinaikos. He was initially given a yellow but VAR overturned that and he was shown a red card instead.

In Israel’s Premier League, Josh Cohen earned a clean sheet for first place Maccabi Haifa in 0-0 draw with Maccabi Bnei Raina.

 

Yanks in Central/South America
 

Alex Zendejas was subbed off in the 19th minute due to injury for Club America in a 2-2 away draw with Santos Laguna. He was replaced by former LAFC Uruguayan forward Brian Rodriguez. On Monday it was announced that Zendejas would miss about four or five months. 

 

Mauricio Isais in 73 minutes for Pachuca in a 1-0 away win over Club Leon. As a dual national, ESPN had an interview with Isais to talk about his uncommitted international status.

Former U.S. national team defender Ventura Alvarado played 31 minutes for Juarez in a 3-2 away win over Mazatlan. Sebastian Saucedo played the final two minutes for Toluca in a 2-1 loss to Monterrey.

In Brazil's Gaucho state tournament, Johnny Cardoso played the final 21 minutes for Internacional in a 0-0 away draw with Novo Hamburgo.

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