Gianluca_busio_and_tanner_tessmann_-_asn_top_-_venezia_win_-_11-6-21
Americans abroad analysis

Busio, Adams, and McKennie star in Europe and trend up joining USMNT

The Weekend for Amercans abroad was good for servel key U.S. national team players who left after their games to join the USMNT in Ohio. By most other standards, it was a quiet weekend. But from a USMNT perspective, it couldn't have been much better. ASN's Brian Sciaretta breaks it down with his thoughts and analysis.
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
November 08, 2021
7:05 AM

 THE FINAL SLATE OF GAMES before the international window is over and the weekend for Americas abroad wasn’t necessarily a homerun, but it was really good from a national team perspective. With that, several key midfielders like Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Gianluca Busio, and Yunus Musah all had strong performances (along with Kellyn Acosta having a superb effort on the domestic front with Colorado).

For fans of the national team, it wasn’t necessarily all great. Central defense was mixed – although the MLS contingent did well here. Chris Richards played limited minutes and Mark McKenzie didn’t play at all - again. The left backs in Sam Vines and Antonee Robinson were both solid. Right backs in Joe Scally and DeAndre Yedlin were both decent but quiet (Reggie Cannon, however, was sent off). The attack was up and down with Brenden Aaronson playing well but Tim Weah and Christian Pulisic only played limited minutes.

There wasn’t necessarily any fireworks either from those that were pushing these USMNT players for call-ups. Konrad de la Fuente still is lacking production for Marseille. Matthew Hoppe was missing from Mallorca and the reports weren’t clear but hinted at a muscle strain. Nicholas Gioacchini is still searching for his first start in Ligue 1, although he’s done well in limited minutes off the bench. Norwich finally won a game in the Premier League but Josh Sargent only played the final 11 minutes off the bench. Julian Green started for Greuther Furth but the team lost and has just one point on the Bundesliga season. Luca de la Torre had a good argument to be called up, but he had probably his weakest outing of the season on Friday for Heracles in a 1-0 loss to FC Twente to fall to 13th place.  Matt Miazga also did not get off the bench for Deportivo Alaves in a 2-1 win over Levante.

The big exception, however, was John Brooks. After his form was called into question, he raised his game this weekend for Wolfsburg in a big 1-0 Bundesliga win over Augsburg. The rest of the tough cuts made for the November have more evidence to support the decision (although Daryl Dike’s omission stands out with each passing Orlando game). With McKenzie struggling to play most of the past month, taking him over Brooks is tough to decide – unless there are other reasons – like maybe Brooks just needs a wake-up call to play with fire. That’s just a guess. But this is the toughest pick on the roster, and it stands out even more after the weekend.

Here is a look at my observations from the weekend.

 

Busio & Tessmann fuel win

 

In one of the Serie A stunners over the weekend, Venezia defeated Roma 3-2 in Venice on Saturday. Gianluca Busio started and went the distance and Tanner Tessmann played the final 14 minutes in the win.

This was another sign that Busio is making very important strides and as Gregg Berhalter said, he is adapting to Serie A “about as well as anyone I’ve ever seen.” There are a lot of things to note about Busio. He isn’t just circulating the ball well and making nice passes, he is also covering ground, winning duels, blocking shots, tackling well. The concern over Busio has always been his defense, but he is playing very solid defense right now.

His numbers for this game were excellent.

 

Right now, I wouldn’t just be surprised if Busio doesn’t start over Yunus Musah for the U.S. team against Mexico – I’d be surprised if it didn’t happen. They are very different players and there are a few ways to look at comparing them. For one, Busio has improved his defense while Musah hasn’t really. Musah is a great dribbler and that is how he problem solves as a player. That works in some situations but Busio seems to pass his way out of problems. It depends on how Berhalter wants to the team to play.

Also of note, Tanner Tessmann came off the bench and played the final 14 minutes in this game. He did well in helping to kill off the game – taking the ball to the corner, making open passes that forced Roma to chase the ball. He is a player where it is easy to see him increasing his minute load over the winter. Unlike Busio, Tessmann did not play much in MLS before making the jump and he needed a little bit longer of an adjustment period. Once that happens, it’s easy to see him getting regular time.

 

Brooks impresses in Wolfsburg win

 

Does Brooks occasionally need a kick in the pants to get out of a slump? History suggests this. He’s been challenged but club and national team managers publicly for almost his entire career. What is clear is that he does always seem to come out of his slumps looking better for it. In fact, based on previous Wolfsburg and Hertha managers (and even Klinsmann called him out after the U.S. lost to Mexico in Columbus to start the ill-fated Hexagonal in 2016) Berhalter’s comments about his current form were quite mild.

The good news for Brooks is that he seems to finally now be coming out of a poor run that dated back to September when Wolfsburg started skidding in September. That run would eventually see manager Mark Van Bommel lose his job.

Wolfsburg has been great since the managerial change and so has Brooks. On Saturday, the club defeated Augsburg 1-0 and Brooks was solid. He didn’t even have to make a tackle attempt or an aerial attempt as Wolfsburg dominated, but Brooks was steady and his passing numbers were impressive.

Defending Mexico would be a tougher ask for Brooks – no question. That team would look to dribble and move past the U.S. central defenders. Wolfsburg, meanwhile, had physical and possession edge in this game that made it easier for Brooks. Still, when he is playing well he is a very good Bundesliga defender and he made his presence known in this game and likely made his absence known next week.

 

Musah subs into Valencia comeback

 

Yunus Musah’s minutes have been inconsistent lately and the start of the 2021/22 season hasn’t necessarily been great for him. His defense is suspect and that is likely why most of his minutes so far in his career have been out wide. Dribbling is his best skill, but his is much better at that in the middle of the field. As a result, he’s mostly been seeing limited minutes off the bench.

On Sunday with Valencia trailing Atletico Madrid 3-1 in the 66th minute, Musah came into the game and played centrally. Valencia ended up raising its game before Hugo Duro scored two goals in stoppage time to give Valencia a 3-3 draw. Musah had a stoppage time “hockey assist” on Valencia’s second goal.

Musah wasn’t perfect and still was too loose with the ball at times but he still had some really nice moments and he did help change the flow of the game. When he came into the game, Valencia began to control the pace and have the better of the chances.

 

Adams stands out in Leipzig win

 

Saturday was the biggest win so far for Jesse Marsch at Leipzig and Tyler Adams did what he normally does in a big win – help control the middle of the field.

This was a win Marsch and Leipzig needed to have. It was a win against a quality opponent, and it put Leipzig into fifth-place in the Bundesliga. After a period of adjustment, things are looking up for Leipzig under their American manager.

Adams, 22, meanwhile was quality in the middle of the field. He showed skill on the ball but rarely got forward. His touchmap reveals just one touch in the final third. Instead, he kept Dortmund from controlling the game.

 

  • 90 minutes
  • 68 touches
  • 0 shots
  • 1 key pass
  • 1/3 accurate long balls
  • 9/14 duels win
  • 4/5 dribble attempts
  • 3 fouls
  • 1 yellow card
  • 2x fouled

Adams recently went through a spell on the bench under Marsch -  who still continues to test Adams after all these years. But it looks like Adams has responded very well and will arrive into national team camp playing very well.

 

McKennie, Juventus down Fiorentina

 

On Saturday, Juventus hosted Fiorentina and came away with a 1-0 win. Weston McKennie had a very solid performance in helping Juve walk away with three points. His outing showed why statistics can be misleading. He was credited with just 14/30 passing – which is poor for a central midfielder. But a lot of his passes were daring with little risk and only a big upside. He tried to make things happen, and generally was solid with two key passes.

McKennie, however, did a lot of the heavy lifting in the midfield. He won 13/21 duels, he was 5/7 with his dribbling, he was 3/5 with his tackling. McKennie threw Fiorentina off their game and gave Juventus a big edge.

This was the type of outing that could be important if were able to replicate it against Mexico.

 

Ream/Robinson help Fulham

 

AFC Bournemouth and Fulham are beginning to separate themselves from the pack in the race for automatic promotion to the Premiership. After 17 games, Bournemouth sit atop the Championship with 40 points while Fulham has 38. Third-place West Brom has 32.

Antonee Robinson and captain Tim Ream are methodical with the way they are turning out solid performances every single game. This was the case again on Saturday when Fulham defeated Peterborough 1-0 on the road.

In this game, the two American players did what they normally do. Ream was steady in the back and useful with his distribution. Robinson was super athletic, covered the left sideline on both sides. Their combined numbers of 214 touches and 154/180 passing indicated that both Ream and Robinson really are the backbone of a team that does well attacking up the left side. They are both very influential.

The only thing that can slow Fulham down is if there is a massive offer for Aleksander Mitrovic who is putting on a season for the ages in the Championship. His winner against Peterborough was his 20th of the season.

 

Sonora stars in Independiente win

 

Alan Sonora, 23, continued his breakout season in Argentina with Independiente. On Saturday, the New Jersey-born Sonora notched a goal and an assist in a 3-0 win over Arsenal de Sarandi.

His goal was of impressive quality in the 17th minute when he volleyed home a deflected cross. On the play, he hit the ball exactly where he wanted to hit it low to the corner.

Then in the 56th minute, he assisted on Alan Velasco’s goal for a 3-0 lead.

His numbers were very good in this game

  • 80 minutes
  • 1 shot
  • 1 goal
  • 1 key pass
  • 1 assist
  • 48/54 passing
  • 2/4 long balls
  • 6/9 duels won
  • 1 clearance
  • 1/2 dribbles
  • 2x fouled
  • 1/3 tackling

 

Is he getting closer to a call-up? Possibly. The December camp might work out for him Independiente does not play after December 11. He might not bring enough defense and it is important to remember that prior to this season, he played but did not impress all that much. 23 is an older age to break through in Argentina.

But it’s getting to the point where Berhalter might want to find out.

 

Vines starts in Antwerp win

 

The start of Sam Vines’ move to Belgium wasn’t great. His first was a struggle in the Europa qualifying stage. After two positive games, he broke his collarbone which forced him out of action nearly two months.

Since his return, he’s gradually been doing well adjusting to life with his new club. On Sunday, it was probably his best game for Antwerp as he helped his club defeat Anderlecht 2-0. The former Colorado Rapid left back had 85 touches over a full 90 and, while he was unspectacular, he was also steady and made few mistakes.

With the win, Vines should remain in the lineup. With the national team, he is unlikely to overtake Antonee Robinson as the team’s top left-footed fullback but Berhalter rated Vines highly at the Gold Cup. He might stick around with the team throughout World Cup qualifying.

 

Aaronson & Salzburg win

 

Brenden Aaronson started and went the distance for Salzburg in a 1-0 win over Austria Vienna on Saturday. Aaronson played fairly well and had a “hockey assist” on the only goal. Salzburg remains undefeated in the Austrian Bundesliga after 14 games with 12 wins and two draws. It is 14 points clear of second place Wolfsberger.

Aaronson, 20, was on the ball 54 times (a decent level for him) and won a majority of his duels 5/9. He was important defensively and was good in link-up play getting it to the front three. Unlike his winger role on the national team, he continued to play the #10.

Compared with previous games, he was less active but getting a 1-0 away win still serves its purpose for Salzburg and he is doing everything that is asked of him.

 

Limited minutes for many

 

As mentioned above, the weekend saw mostly limited minutes for many players in and around the U.S. national team pool.

Christian Pulisic played just the final five minutes for Chelsea in a disappointing 1-1 draw with Burnley. Despite the limited minutes, it was great for the U.S. national team to see him back on the field for a second straight game.

Josh Sargent subbed into Norwich’s 2-1 win over Brentford in the 78th minute. All the scoring had been done after he entered the game.

Chris Richards played the final 26 minutes for Hoffenheim in a 2-0 loss on the roach to Bochum.

In France, Tim Weah continues to play his role as an occasional starter. This time he was on the bench on Saturday and played the final 14 minutes for Lille in a 1-1 draw with Angers.

Konrad de la Fuente came into Sunday’s game for Marseille in the 65th minute of a 0-0 draw vs. last-place Metz. The Miami area native protested for a penalty soon after coming on but otherwise was quite.

Staying in Ligue 1, Nicholas Gioacchini came off the bench and played 25 minutes for Montpellier in a 1-0 away win over Nice. Meanwhile, Erik Palmer-Brown played the final 13 minutes for Troyes in a 4-0 loss at Lens.

In Portugal, Reggie Cannon actually started for Boavista on Friday at home vs. Moreirense but was sent off in the 58th minute for fouling an attacking from behind when he was the last defender.

In Switzerland, Jordan Pefok played the final 26 minutes and scored a stoppage time equalizer in a 1-1 draw with Grasshoppers. It was a timely goal but was typical of a Pefok goal being in the right place at the right time.

 

Sergino Dest was injured and thankfully missed Barcelona’s collapse against Celta Vigo where they blew a 3-0 lead and settled for a 3-3 draw. Matthew Hoppe was out with a muscle strain for Mallorca in a 2-2 draw with Elche. Matt Miazga did not get off the bench for Deportivo Alaves in a 2-1 win over Levante.

Mark McKenzie did not get off the bench for Genk in a 1-1 draw with Cercle Brugge.

Haji Wright was out with an injury and did not play for Antalyaspor in a 1-0 win over Altay in Turkey’s top-flight.

 

Uneventful starts

 

In Turkey’s top-flight, Tyler Boyd started for last place Rizespor and played 65 minutes in a 2-0 win over Alanyaspor. DeAndre Yedlin started and played 90 minutes for Galatasaray in a 1-1 draw with Fatih Karagumruk.

In the Bundesliga, Julian Green started and played 80 minutes for Greuther Furth in a 2-1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt (Timothy Chandler made a late cameo). Green and Furth have just one point on the season and seem destined for relegation.

In the Bundesliga, Joe Scally started for Borussia Monchengladbach started and played 90 uneventful minutes in a 1-1 draw with Mainz.

In Portugal’s Primeira Liga, Alex Mendez started and played 83 minutes for Vizela in a 1-1 draw with Estoril.

There wasn’t much to report on the Americans in Scotland. Cameron Carter-Vickers started for Celtic in a 4-2 win over Dundee FC. Christian Ramirez and Aberdeen dropped a 2-0 decision to Motherwell while Ramirez started in the loss. Ian Harkes started and was on the wrong end of a 5-2 decision for Dundee United at the hands of Hearts.

 

NOTES

 

In the Austrian Bundesliga, Thomas Roberts played the final 26 minutes for SK Austria Klagenfurt in a 2-0 away win over TSV Hartberg. In the Austrian 2.Liga, Uly Llanez started for SKN St. Poelten in a 2-1 away win over FC Wacker Innsbruck.

In the Championship, Duane Holmes started for Huddersfield in a 2-1 loss away at Cardiff City but was replaced at the half due to a muscle injury.

In the Bundesliga, American head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo and VfB Stuttgart and Matarazzo suffered a 1-0 loss at home to Arminia Bielefeld. In the 2.Bundesliga, Ryan Malone played the final 10 minutes for Hansa Rostock in a 3-2 away win over Jahn Regensburg.

In Serie B, Andrija Novakovich played the final 26 minutes for Frosinone in a 4-1 away win over Benevento - which played with 10 men from the 24th minute.

In Denmark, Brondby defeated OB Odense 2-1. Emmanuel Sabbi played the entire game in the loss while Christian Cappis played the final 13 minutes in the win.

In Belgium, Owen Otasowie is still absent from Club Brugge and missed Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Standard Liege. Christopher Durkin was an 89th minute sub for St. Truiden to see out a 1-0 away win over KV Mechelen.

In Brazil's Serie A, Internacional defeated Gremio 1-0 and Johnny Cardoso was a stoppage time sub to waste time for Internacional to see out the win.

In Argentina, Joel Sonora started and played 62 mintues for Banfield in a 1-0 win over Gimnasia. The score was 0-0 when Sonora was taken out.

In Chile's Primera, New Jersey defender Mattias Fracchia played the final five minutes plus stoppage time for O'Higgins in a 1-1 draw with Atletico Nublense.

In Ecuador's Serie A, Michael Hoyos started and played 85 minutes for Barcelona SC in a 2-0 away win over Olmedo.

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