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Americans abroad

Americans abroad: Robinson, Aaronson, & PSV trio impress in lackluster weekend for Yanks

ASN's Brian Sciaretta writes about the weekend for Americans abroad, which had a few highlights but was otherwise very disappointing. His in-depth report. 
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
August 26, 2024
4:00 PM

THE WEEKEND FOR AMERICANS abroad was very quiet with only a few Yanks having good games. While there were a few success stories, there were more disappointments and causes for concern to start the season.

The success stories largely came from the usual suspects. Antonee Robinson was good for Fulham, as he usually is. The Americans on PSV feasted on an overmatched opponent, which can skew reality a bit.

Christian Pulisic scored, but AC Milan had an otherwise bad performance in a loss to Parma. Brenden Aaronson is one of the better “unexpected” stories in the opening weeks of the season as he is producing for Leeds United in the opening weeks.

It’s good to see Caleb Wiley at Strasbourg and Mark McKenzie at Toulouse making their club debuts early in season in Ligue 1, but both players are still clearly adjusting to new teams in a new league. Naturally, there is a little bit of rust.

But the concern lingers for several USMNT players. Luca de la Torre is reportedly both injured and not in the plans at Celta Vigo. Folarin Balogun is having a combination of not playing well and not playing at Monaco in a disappointing start to the season. Matt Turner is not even making the matchday rosters for Nottingham Forest.

But there are other concerns. Chris Richards hasn’t been great for Crystal Palace in the first two weeks. Tim Weah and Kevin Paredes are injured. Gio Reyna is still fighting for relevancy at Borussia Dortmund, but at least he saw bench minutes on Saturday. Joe Scally still has questions to answer for Borussia Monchengladbach. Kristoffer Lund came off the bench late for Palermo, who have lost their first two games of the season. Paxten Aaronson has played well to start the Eredivisie season for Utrecht, but he took a step back on Saturday. Jordan Pefok couldn’t get anything going for Union Berlin in their Bundesliga opening draw.

Overall, it was just a weekend were there wasn’t much in terms of breakthrough outings. Most performances were on the average to below average spectrum.

 

Let’s break it down.

 

Premier League: Robinson’s winning assist

 

The best story in the Premier League this weekend came at Craven Cottage where Fulham defeated Leicester City 2-1 after a hard-luck loss to Manchester United in the season opener. As per usual, Antonee Robinson was very good on both sides of the ball. He was 5/5 in tackling, was 34/39 in passing, and he won most of his duels.

The highlight, however, came in the 70th minute when he assisted Alex Iwobi for a goal which broke the 1-1 draw. The beautiful one-touch pass played Iwobi past the backline and into a 1v1 with the keeper.



Robinson is so good these days that he is almost automatic with a solid performance on a weekly basis in the Premier League.

Elsewhere in the Premier League, Chris Richards did not have a great game when he went 81 minutes for Crystal Palace in a 2-0 loss ah home to West Ham in a London Derby. Through the first two games, Richards has struggled winning his duels while playing on the right side of a three-man backline.

Tyler Adams remained sidelined due to back surgery for Bournemouth in a 1-1 draw with Newcastle. Bournemouth have drawn their first two games of the season.

Matt Turner’s situation at Nottingham Forest remains bleak as he hasn’t been on the matchday sheet for either of the club’s first two games this season, most recently a nice 1-0 win over Southampton. It’s one thing to be the backup keeper, but it’s another thing to be below that. He needs to get out, ASAP.

The most positive story in the Premier League is Fabian Hurzeler, who at 31 is extremely young for a manager. After leading St. Pauli to the Bundesliga last year, the Houston-born Hurzeler is now managing Brighton who now has six points from two games after a 2-1 win over Manchester United.

 

Championship: Aaronson continues strong start
 

Brendon Aaronson continues his strong start to the season in the Championship as he scored his second goal of season after he netted the opener in the 24th minute of a 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday.

It was a very nice run and finish from Aaronson on a counterattack.



But Aaronson did not disappoint in his first start of the season and this should give signs he will be have a lot of minutes in the coming weeks to ingrain himself into the team’s plans. This first month is so important for Aaronson to distance himself from his last season at Leeds in 2022/23 before he left for a year on loan in Germany. Leeds has a win and two draws through three games to start the season.  

Haji Wright played all 90 for Coventry in a 1-1 draw away to Bristol City. The USMNT right wing/forward managed just one shot. Coventry have had a mixed start to the season with a 1-1-1 record.

Reggie Cannon has not made the roster for Queens Park Rangers yet this season following his loss in a court case against his former club Boavista. At some point, QPR will need to address Cannon’s standing with the club. The most recent result was a 1-1 draw with Plymouth Argyle that was the team’s second point of the season.

Aidan Morris played 81 minutes for Middlesbrough in a 2-2 draw with Portsmouth on Saturday. He has now started in all three of the team’s games (with Boro’s record being 1-1-1). He left with Boro down 2-1 and was not on the field for the late equalizer. But his overall stats and number were solid, with him completing a very high percentage of his passes (48/50) and winning 5/6 of his ground duels. He should have had an assist but for poor finishing from his teammates.

Right now, Morris looks as if he is ready to compete for a spot on the USMNT given the absence of Tyler Adams and the murky club situation with Luca de la Torre.

The good news for Norwich is that Josh Sargent is in great form and is playing like a striker who can help a promotion-caliber team contend for a Premier League spot. The bad news, however, is that Norwich is very disjointed at the moment and has stumbled out of the game. It’s 1-1 draw with Sheffield United on Saturday ensured that the team is still winless through its first three games under the new coaching staff.

But Sargent scored Norwich’s only goal of the game with a combination of a nice run and poor Sheffield United defending. But Sargent is picking up where he left last season. For him, it’s just about staying healthy and pain-free – which was a problem last season even when he was playing well. By the end of the season, his ankle was bothering him.



One of the defenders at fault on that Sargent goal was fellow-American Auston Trusty who made his first Championship appearance for Sheffield United and went the distance in the draw. The central defender hasn’t played as much as he would have liked early in the season, and now he needs to take advantage of whatever opportunities he is given to earn minutes. Right now, his future playing time can go either way.

Duane Holmes made his first Championship appearance of the season for Preston North End on Saturday when he played the final 17 minutes of a 1-0 win over Luton Town.

Lynden Gooch played 82 minutes at left wing for Stoke City in a 2-1 loss at home to West Bromwich. Gooch and Company have three points from three games to start the season. The Santa Cruz native forced a big save with a very nice shot from distance in the 8th minute that nearly snuck inside the left post.

Ethan Horvath had a nice game for Cardiff in the South Wales Derby against Swansea that ended 1-1. The Colorado goalkeeper made two saves and wasn’t at fault for Swansea’s goal. Still, Cardiff has just one point from three games to start the season.

 

League One: Two Yanks play in Barnsley Draw
 

Barnsley and Northampton played to a 2-2 draw on Saturday with a pair of Yanks playing for Barnsley. Gaga Slonina started in goal and Donovan Pines played the second half in central defense. The draw left Barnsley in ninth place with a 1-1-1 record. Barnsley had a 2-0 lead one minute after the second half started, but ended up squandering the home win. Slonina made three saves while Pines had a rough shift.

Charlie Kelman went 89 minutes for Leyton Orient in a 2-1 loss at home to Birmingham City. The American forward had two shots but was just 2/6 in passing.

 

Bundesliga: Maloney & Heidenheim win opener
 

Lennard Maloney went 90 minutes for Heidenheim on Sunday in a 2-0 away win over newly promoted St. Pauli. Few gave Heidenheim a chance to survive in the Bundesliga last season after their remarkable promotion, but instead they thrived – qualifying for the Conference League.

Now, Heidenheim is picking up where they left off. Lennard Maloney went 90 minutes in the win over St. Pauli and he did well on the defensive side of the game, per usual. He was not involved much on the offensive or possession side, but he won his challenges and duels – which is his strength. St. Pauli should have had a better game but were unable to capitalize on numerous offensive opportunities, while Heidenheim was very clinical playing on the road.

Joe Scally went 90 minutes at right back for Borussia Monchengladbach in a heartbreaking 3-2 loss at home to reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen. M’Gladbach came back from a 2-0 deficit to equalize, only to concede late. Scally did not stand out either way in the game and was quiet.

Jordan Pefok had a decent game in his hold-up play for Union Berlin as he went 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw with Mainz. He had two shots and created two other opportunities. Overall, a good shift for the occasional USMNT forward who spent last season away on loan at M’Gladbach.

In one of the more interesting stories this past weekend in the world of Americans abroad, Gio Reyna saw the field for Borussia Dortmund when he went the final nine minutes plus stoppage time in a 2-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt (who did not have Timmy Chandler on their matchday roster). The reports are that Reyna will now stick with Dortmund and not leave this summer. But is that good news? He needs to play. Occasional sub minutes are still useful, but Reyna has not surpassed the 650 minute mark in any of his last three seasons. Dortmund have a lot of games, and Reyna will get his shot. But sticking with Dortmund has its risks. Can he go another season barely playing and still maintain a trajectory as a top-potential player? He will soon turn 22 and there will be many more young players who are not more established.

As for Reyna’s performance in this game, he was sharp in his limited minutes: 12/13 in passing is good. But he heeds to continue to produce.

Kevin Paredes was injured and did not play for Wolfsburg in a heartbreaking 3-2 loss at home to Borussia Dortmund, where they led in the second half.

Finally, American manager Pellegrino Matarazzo and Hoffenheim won their season opener 3-2 over newly promoted Holstein Kiel. Much like their DFB Pokal win last weekend, Hoffenheim made things harder than they needed, but they still won.

 

2.Bundesliga: Downs & Cologne win big
 

In a matchup that feature teams with American forwards, FC Cologne defeated Eintracht Braunschweig 5-0. Damion Downs, 19, went 86 minutes for Koln and while he didn’t register a goal contribution, he was dangerous and effective in helping Koln dominate the game. Meanwhile, Johan Gomez didn’t do much in his 59 minutes for Braunschweig. Along with everyone on the team, he struggled.

Downs has an unfortunate birthday – later 2004. He is therefore ineligible for the 2025 U-20 team or the 2028 Olympic team despite still being a teenager.

Greuther Furth played Paderborn to a 1-1 away draw. Julian Green when 90 for Furth while recent U.S. Olympic team defender/midfielder Max Dietz played the second half in defensive midfield. Both goals were scored in the second half.

Also in this game, Tampa-native Santi Castaneda, 19, went 90 minutes for Paderborn. The teenager is the starting No. 6 for Paderborn in the early parts of the season and Paderborn has seven points from three games. ASN has an interview with Castaneda set for this week.

Finally in the 2.Bundesliga, Jahn Regensburg, led by American manager Joe Enochs, lost to Hertha BSC 2-0 in Berlin.

 

Serie A: Pulisic scores in loss
 

AC Milan are off to a disappointing start to the season with an opening draw at home with Torino followed by a 2-1 loss on Saturday to newly promoted Parma.

Christian Pulisic had a rare highlight for Milan when he scored a 66th minute goal that equalized the game at 1-1. But Milan ended up surrendering a winner and now has just one point from two games. Yunus Musah also started and played 67 minutes while Pulisic was removed in the 86th minute.



Pulisic was Milan’s best player in the game and was the heart of anything dangerous the team could muster. Musah, however, struggled. He was aggressive and looked to put Milan on the front foot, but he was sloppy and ineffective.

It remains to be seen if anything changes at Milan, but Musah might not continue to start.

On Monday, Weston McKennie was unused for Juventus in a 3-0 win over Hellas Verona. Tim Weah remains injured. McKennie recently signed an extension with Juventus but is still not fully back into the mix with his club. That could be a bit of a process as Juve is off to a strong start. The good news is that Juventus has a lot of games this season and rotation will be important.

Meanwhile, Gianluca Busio is still out injured for Venezia and he missed Venezia’s 0-0 draw with Fiorentina. Tanner Tessmann, meanwhile, is looking to complete his transfer – with Lyon looking like the destination.

 

Serie B: Novakovich scores for Bari
 

It was a bad weekend for Americans in the Italian second tier as both Andrija Novakovich at Bari and Kristoffer Lund at Palermo have both seen their teams drop their first two games – and now occupying the last two spots in the table.

The good news is that Andrija Novakovich scored for Bari in a 2-1 loss to Modena. His 17th minute goal opened the scoring.



Meanwhile, Kristoffer Lund was not selected to start for Palermo and instead played the last seven minutes of a 2-0 loss to Pisa. At least for Lund, the team did not look better without him. Palermo has 0 points, and 0 goals scored through two games to sit last.

 

La Liga: LDLT in Limbo
 

Luca de la Torre was listed with an injury and did not play for Celta Vigo in what was an impressive 3-1 win over Valencia. There are also reports that Celta Vigo is trying to offload the USMNT midfielder. That isn’t helped by the fact the team is now six points from two games to start. But the transfer window only has a few more days and de la Torre needs to make something happen quickly. As of now, everything is quiet.

Johnny Cardoso was also unused for Real Betis in a 0-0 away draw with Alaves. No reports of an injury, but that would seem to be likely as Cardoso has been very important to Real Betis. It’s worth monitoring in the coming weeks.

But overall, a disappointingly quiet week for Yanks in Spain.

 

Ligue 1: Wiley & McKenzie start

 

It was a mixed weekend for Americans in France’s Ligue 1. Two Americans started, which alone was decent given their early stages. But then there was one “unused” which is not good at all. In total, there were four Americans to talk about.

Caleb Wiley started for the second straight game for Strasbourg on loan from Chelsea, fresh off a transfer from Atlanta United. The result was good, a 3-1 win over Rennes which now has Strasbourg with four points from two games.

Wiley, 19, went 80 minutes and didn’t make many mistakes with the ball. Defensively, he handled the physicality of the game very well. He is still adjusting to the new league after three years in MLS. But still, in his first two games he has not been very aggressive and instead has adopted a conservative approach. That is fine for a young player trying to adjust, but eventually, it will be fun to watch him come out of his shell a bit.

The good news for Wiley is that if Strasbourg continue to play well as a team, there is less likely to be changes in the starting XI. For now, expect Wiley to continue to start.

He is looking to emerge with the USMNT as a backup to Antonee Robinson, because left back is his best position (even if he is playing on the wing, for now). But he has competition from John Tolkin and Kristoffer Lund.

Fresh off his transfer from Genk, Mark McKenzie started for Toulouse and played 65 minutes in a 2-2 draw away at Nice. The game featured three former MLS players in McKenzie, Cristian Casseres Jr. at Toulouse and Moise Bombito at Nice. Canadian central defender Bombito had a very good game.

McKenzie was subbed out with Toulouse trailing 2-1. It was a quiet/average performance from McKenzie, who has only been at the club less than a week. He didn’t have great numbers in duel or aerial winnings. We will see in the coming weeks how long it takes for him to integrate before we can make any real conclusions about the start to his tenure in France.

Emmanuel Sabbi played the last 21 minutes for Le Havre in a 2-0 away win over St. Etienne. He came into the game after both goals were scored and helped see out the road win. He made big strides in his game on the defensive front last season and proved to be a good defensive winger. But Le Havre barely avoided relegation last year. This year, the team needs to be more consistent.

The biggest reason for concern right now for Americans abroad is Folarin Balogun who hasn’t scored for Monaco and was even unused on Saturday in a 2-0 away win over Lyon. He has been a USMNT regular, but now with a new coaching staff coming in, he might not find call-ups to be automatic if he is not playing well for Monaco.

Last season was not good for Balogun as his goal production dropped from 21 to 7 in Ligue 1 play from the season before. Now, Monaco might not trust him in important situations. He needs goals and he needs them soon to avoid becoming a limited-run substitute.

 

Eredivisie: Tillman & Ledezma shine
 

Malik Tillman played 90 minutes, Richard Ledezma went 88, and Ricardo Pepi closed out the last 17 minutes as PSV Eindhoven routed Almere City 7-1. The gulf between the teams was wide as the reigning champions now have a perfect nine points from three games and a +12 goal differential. Almere City have lost each of their three games with a -10 goal differential.

To be fair, this game was close until the 65th minute when the score was 2-1. Then PSV found another level over the last 25 minutes. Tillman made it 4-1 in the 71st minute with his second of the season. Then Ricardo Pepi concluded the score in stoppage time to make it 7-1.



PSV’s dominance right now makes it hard to assess how well everyone is doing. Who is playing well? Who is simply along for the ride? Who is feasting on great service and talented teammates? Who are the players who make PSV so good?

Tillman’s numbers for PSV have been very good and the club spent eight figures for a permanent transfer. There is every reason to think PSV are optimistic he can help them win, and can be sold for a very high price in the future.

Pepi can go either way. His goals per minute numbers are great. His best moment for PSV was the big Champions League winner vs. Sevilla. But he has yet to earn the trust of Peter Bosz in important minutes. Too often he is brought into games only when the result is decided. He is still playing with the reserve team to stay active. For now, something is not clicking with Pepi and PSV. Yes, Luuk de Jong is great, but with him being 34, a club would want another forward to alleviate the burden at forward. That hasn’t happened, yet. PSV has now seen Pepi for over a year in games and in the training field. Perhaps that happens over the course of this season?

As for Ledezma, he was very good again. He is very capable of holding his own with PSV against an overmatched opponent. Then on Monday, PSV finalized the sale of right back Jordan Teze to Monaco. That creates more of a need for Ledezma until Sergino Dest returns (unless PSV purchase another right back in the coming week).

Everyone knows Ledezma is not a right back, but he is a smart player (normally a No. 10) who can fill in anywhere. The test will come when PSV have to play against tough opponents (either top Eredivisie or in the Champions League). Can Ledezma be trusted then?

Meanwhile, will PSV extend Ledezma’s contract? He requires a non-EU minimum salary, which is high in the Eredivisie. His contract is through June, and he could leave for a free starting in January if PSV lets him go.

Staying in the Eredivisie, Utrecht needed an amazing stoppage time rally to defeat NAC Breda 2-1 on the road. Utrecht was trailing 1-0 past the 90th minute. Unfortunately, Paxten Aaronson was pulled at halftime for Utrecht after struggling in the first half (which ended 1-0 for NAC Breda). Aaronson should still continue to start given how well he has played over the course of the first three games. Utrecht still sit third with seven points from three games.

Taylor Booth did not play for Utrecht due to illness.

Finally, Anthony Fontana continues to struggle mightily for playing time and he didn’t get off the bench for PEC Zwolle in a 1-0 loss to NEC. PEC Zwolle have 0 points from three games.

 

Belgium: Westerlo fall to 2nd
 

After winning their first three games, Westerlo have fallen off the lead in Belgium’s First Division following a 1-1 draw with OH Leuven which now has them at 10 points from five games. Bryan Reynolds played all 90 minutes for Westerlo and Griffin Yow played the last 27.

Reynolds had 84 touches and 19 passes into the final third to help Westerlo offensively. Yow had only one shot on six touches.

Both players are in good positions, but don’t be surprised if Reynolds name surfaces in the transfer market in the coming weeks. He’s very expensive for Westerlo.

Staying in the First Division, St. Truiden played Union SG to a 0-0 draw. Former Yale Bulldog and American forward Kahveh Zahiroleslam didn’t do much over his 90 minutes for St. Truiden, who is playing better than the first games of the season but remains winless with two points from five games.

Marlon Fossey had another good shift for Standard Liege, when he went the full 90 in a win over last-place Beerschot. Fossey seems to have picked it up a notch from last season and he uses his athleticism to constantly push forward. His final ball could be better, but he is a handful to defend. Standard is now in sixth place with eight points.

 

Danish Superliga: Tough weekend for Yanks
 

There wasn’t much good news to report for the Yanks in Denmark.

Andres Jasson went 84 minutes for Aalborg BK in a 4-0 loss to AGF Aarhus at home. AaB is playing poorly now and has six points from six games.

Jose Gallegos was unused for SonderjyskE in a 3-2 loss to Midjylland. He appears to be out of the plans right now.

Milan Iloski only saw the field as a stoppage time sub for Nordsjaelland in a huge 3-2 win over FC Copenhagen.

Jonathan Amon went the full 90 for Lyngby in a 1-0 loss away to Viborg. Lyngby sit 11th in the 12-team Superliga with two points from six games.

 

Liga MX: Vazquez scores for Monterrey
 

Brandon Vazquez scored in the 43rd minute to put Monterrey up 2-1 on Club Tijuana on Friday night near the border of California. But Monterrey could not hold onto the lead and settled for a 2-2 draw to remain in second place. It was a good moment for Vazquez that should help him with playing time. Joe Corona was unused for Xolos.

The run, the touch, and the finish was all first-rate from Vazquez on his goal.


 

Frankie Amaya played 61 minutes for Toluca in a 2-1 win over San Luis. It was a decent shift for Amaya whose replacement was sent off within eight minutes of coming on for Amaya. But Toluca played well defensively after being reduced to 10 players and saw out the win.

Alex Mendez made his debut for Juarez when he played the last 18 minutes of a 3-0 loss to Necaxa. It was poor game from Juarez, which might open the door for Mendez. Former U.S. U-20 midfielder Fernando Arce Jr. also played the last 18 minutes of the game, but he was for Necaxa.

Finally in Mexico, Cade Cowell went 90 minutes for Chivas in a 1-1 draw away to Tigres. It was a quiet day at the office for Cowell.

 

Elsewhere: CCV & Celtic remain on top
 

Cameron Carter-Vickers went 90 minutes for Celtic in a 3-0 away win over St. Mirren to remain perfect to start the Scottish Premiership season. Per usual, Celtic was dominant and CCV wasn’t tested often. He had a lot of time to pass, which helped him in his distribution.

In the Austrian Bundesliga, George Bello played 56 minutes for LASK in a 2-1 loss away to Austria Vienna. He left in the 56th minute after appearing to pick up a knock.

Staying in the Austrian top flight, WSG Tirol lost to Austria Klagenfurt 1-0. American winger Quincy Butler started for WSG Tirol and played 82 minutes. Sebastian Soto is now out injured for Klagenfurt after picking up a knee injury in training.

In Croatia’s HNL, Istra 1961 played Hajduk Split to a 1-1 draw. American attacking mid Rokas Pukstas went the full 90 for Hajduk which is off to a disappointing start to the season (sitting fourth). Pukstas is rumored to be sold this week, but his form has dropped noticeably in 2024 dating back to last season. How much is that on his ability? How much of that is due to him thinking about leaving Croatia?

In Ireland’s top tier, the Shamrock Rovers played Galway United to a 1-1 draw. There was surprisingly a lot of American involvement. Patrick Hickey scored in the 74th minute to give Galway a 1-0 lead. Also for Galway, former Rutgers standout Vincent Borden went 71 minutes. Galway is managed by Bronx-born John Caulfield, who once led Cork City to the title. Galway sit sixth in the League of Ireland.

In Norway, Christian Cappis played the final 14 minutes for Viking in a 2-1 win over Stromsgodset. With the win, Viking remain in second place in the Eliteserien.

In Greece, Erik Palmer-Brown nears his comeback as he made the bench but went unused for Panathinaikos in a 1-0 win over Levadiakos.

In Iceland, Aron Johannson played the second half for Valur in a 3-1 win over Vestri.

In Argentina, Alan Sonora was unused for first-place Huracan in a 0-0 draw with Argentinos Juniors. Matko Miljevic started and played 89 minutes in a 0-0 draw away at River Plate.

 

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