Daryl_dike_-_asn_top_-_barnsley_vs_bcfc_-_after_goal_-_3-6-21
Americans abroad analysis

Dike, de la Torre, Sargent, EPB, and Aaronson highlight big weekend

It was a big weekend for Americans abroad but not from those that you would most expect. While many top players remained quiet, several others raised their games for big efforts. ASN's Brian Sciaretta breaks it all down. 
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
March 08, 2021
5:00 AM

THIS WEEKEND FOR AMERICANS ABROAD was wild, fun, successful, and unpredictable. Daryl Dike’s epic winning goal set the tone but even behind him, there was a lot of success. We’ve had a lot of successful weekends for Americans abroad but this was the most interesting because the success came from those outside of the top core group of players.

Here is the key point: this past weekend was a good one despite not much coming from Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna, Yunus Musah, Christian Pulisic, or Antonee Robinson. While John Brooks and Tyler Adams both played well, neither had games that would crack the top 50% of games they played this season.

In total there were nine first game goal scorers this weekend in Europe from American players:

  • Daryl Dike
  • Josh Sargent
  • Brenden Aaronson
  • Tyler Booth
  • Andrija Novakovich
  • Tyler Boyd
  • Luca de la Torre
  • Gboly Ariyibi
  • Jordan Siebatcheu

When you look at that list, what stands out is that none of these players were involved with the U.S. national team the last FIFA international date in November (although Aaronson and Dike played with the team in non-FIFA date camps in December and January).

While Booth and Ariyibi have more work to do for a call-up, the other seven are all in the mix. Luca de la Torre is having a very good season and has put himself in the mix. He was MOTM in his team’s game on Saturday – scoring the winner and having 101 touches in the middle of the field.

Beyond the goals, Erik Palmer-Brown was massive in the Vienna Derby and he is making a case for a return to the national team. Chris Richards continues to put in good outings every single game for Hoffenheim and is another strong, young American defender.

Here are my notes on the biggest stories from the weekend.

 

Dike’s epic winning blast

 

The top story over the weekend was Daryl Dike’s winning blast for Barnsley. The American forward has played very well since arriving at the Championship at the start of the month on loan from Orlando. On Saturday, he took it to another level with his third goal for the club. The goal delivered a 1-0 win over Birmingham City.

By now, you’ve almost certainly seen it. Just in case you haven’t:

 

Videos of his goal immediately went viral and got reactions far and wide.

"In my 28 or 29 years in football," said Barnsley manager Valerien Ismael, "I have never seen a strike like that before. It was something unbelievable."

But what is even more unbelievable is the rise of Barnsley sine Dike’s arrival. He hasn’t been the sole reason for it, but the Oklahoma native has played a big role in it all. His popularity is soaring in Barnsley and it is easy to see why.

Dike has played in seven games for Barnsley and the club has won all seven – for a perfect 21 points. With that push, Bansley has climbed all the way from midtable and into sixth place – which is in the promotional playoff positions.

 

All this has led to widespread speculations about what will happen to Dike after the season. Initially, the Orlando Sentinel reported a $20 million buyout but the English media has reported that it is less. But that doesn’t change much as Barnsley has little hope of signing him – unless they get promoted and then break the bank. But Barnsley’s record transfer fee is less than £3 million and even should they get promoted, their approach has always been to avoid getting tied down by expensive contracts. Their current co-owner is Billy Bean a baseball executive known for “Moneyball” approach.

It is hard to envision a scenario where he returns to Barnsley but it is also increasingly likely to see him returning to Orlando. He is so strong and physical but yet moves well and has skill. All of the goals he has scored in England have been so different. One was a well-timed run, the next was a header, and this was a blast. He is getting a lot of press now and people are watching him.

It seems increasingly likely that someone will put in bids that Orlando can’t turn down. It is also possible that bids reach the current buyout of his loan. If that happens, Barnsley buys him out and then sells him immediately for profit. He’s in the shop window and is delivering.

 

Aaronson tops Booth in Austria

 

In Austria’s Bundesliga, league leaders Red Bull Salzburg hosted St. Poelten on Sunday. Tyler Booth, who should have been on the U.S. U-20 team, started for St. Poelten and Brenden Aaronson started for league leading Salzburg.

This was a great performance for both American players. Booth, on loan from Bayern Munich, has begun his loan at St. Poelten in fine form with two assists in his first two games. In this game, he opened the scoring in his first game when Salzburg failed to clear. A ball ended up landing at his feet and he smashed it home.

 

Salzburg, however, ended up taking control of the game. Brenden Aaronson had a fortunate assist on the equalizer. He got in the way of a St. Poelten clearance and the ball deflected to Patson Daka who made a nice finish. The fact that the ball found Daka was fortunate but Aaronson worked hard to disrupt the play and block the clearance.

 

In the second half, with Salzburg up 2-1, Aaronson scored his second goal for Salzburg in the Bundesliga and his third goal overall with a nice move in the box. The defender never closed down and Aaronson found the shooting lane.

 

Later in the game, Brandon Servania made his Austrian Bundesliga debut when played the final 20 minutes. The FC Dallas loanee did well but the game was firmly in control for Salzburg for him to make a difference.

Aaronson is cruising into the March international window playing very well. A call-up seems likely and with Yunus Musah rumored to be heading back to England’s set-up, Aaronson could have a bigger role on the national team. He has settled in to Salzburg and it seems likely that he will be part of an Austrian Bundesliga title.

As for Booth, his loan has also been very positive. A place at Bayern’s first team is a bridge too far at the moment but if he continues to play well, he’s going to get a loan to a club higher up in Austria or in a more high-profile league.

 

Sargent scores in Werder draw

 

After a tough midseason run, Josh Sargent is playing quite well these days. He has typically been effective in his hold-up play and in his duel-winning, but now he is starting to finish off his chances at a regular rate.

On Sunday, Sargent scored for his second straight game in a 1-1 draw away draw against Koln.

But it wasn’t just the goal. Sargent continued to play well overall.

  • 86 minutes
  • 45 touches
  • 1 shot
  • 2 key passes
  • 14/21 passing (67%)
  • 10/13 duels won
  • 5 clearances
  • 1/1 dribbles
  • 4x fouled
  • 0 fouls
  • 3/3 tackles
  • 2/3 aerials



Compared with games where he has struggled, Sargent was on the ball a lot and his 45 touches are a high number for him. Winning 10/13 duels is excellent and drawing four fouls is also reflective of his ability to win the physical side of the game. Five clearances also shows his ability to help defensively – the same with three tackles in three attempts.

This was an excellent game from Sargent and he has now put together three really good games in a row and probably remains the U.S. team’s top striker – despite the increased competition.

 

Richards vs. Brooks

 

Two top American central defenders faced off against each other in the Bundesliga on Saturday has Hoffeneheim posted a 2-1 upset over third-placed Wolfsburg.

Richards was a standout player in this one and he has immediately addressed Hoffenheim’s weakness in the backline prior to his arrival. He regularly wins duels, clogs passing lanes, and passes into the midfield exceptionally well. Every game, including this one, he can hit line breaking passes.

His numbers in this one were terrific and his interception rate shows how well he reads the game, anticipates opposing passes and has the athleticism to break up chances.

 

Despite the losing effort, Brooks was also solid in this game and put on a clinic with his long passing into the attacking half of the field. But this loss was a setback in the club’s push to qualify for the Champions League next year.

 

This was a fun game for American fans to watch and it would not be a surprise to see both of these players starting next to each other come World Cup qualifying.

 

Siebatcheu scores again


At the start of the season, Jordan Siebatcheu was not wanted at Rennes in France. So he was loaned to BSC Young Boys – the Swiss champions. At first he struggled to get minutes at Young Boys but he has been flying since late December when he scored his first goal for Young Boys – as they are running away with the Swiss title, again.

On Saturday, Siebatcheu started and scored, yet again, in a 1-1 draw against Vaduz. For the Washington, DC born Sietbacheu, it was his ninth goal of the Super League season to go along with another three he scored against Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League.

 

His numbers in this game were typical. He is a standout at duel-winning and aerial-winning. He can handle the physical side of the game well and he is super-fast. He won’t beat many defenders off the dribble but he will be tough to defend – particularly in the air and in an game with a lot of open space.

  • 90 minutes
  • 40 touches
  • 1 goal
  • 7 shots
  • 16/19 passing
  • 8/13 duels won
  • 4/4 aerials won
  • 0 dribble attemtps
  • 6 fouls
  • 1 tackle
  • 1 interception



I think Sietbatcheu stands a very good chance of getting called up by the U.S. team in March. He’s scoring well and Gregg Berhalter probably wants to take a look.

One thing to consider, come qualifying and the Nations League, is whether or not he will be redundant with Daryl Dike. Both strikers serve the role of being physical and strong. Is there room for both?

 

De la Torre MOTM for Heracles

 

Luca de la Torre has had a very good season in the Eredivisie but on Sunday, he has his best game of the season for Heracles in a 2-1 win over PEC Zwolle.

The San Diego native recently gave an interview with the club’s official website where he said he felt he deserved a callup to the U.S. national team. He had been improving over the course of the season in the Eredivisie and felt it was justified.

After this weekend, he is only in a much better position. With the score tied 1-1 in the second minute of stoppage time, De la Torre headed home the winner.

The goal only tells part of the story. For the 91 minutes before that goal, de la Torre was the best player on the field in this game. He finished with a staggering 101 touches. His passing was terrific and he was perfect on his long balls (over 35 yards) and notched three key passes. You can see with his touch map , he was everywhere and was given a lot of free reign.

 

As de la Torre has shown steady improvement, it is fair to ask about the national team. He is firmly knocking on the door at the moment to possible being a backup number eight midfielder – with the lock starter being Weston McKennie. He also might be a great choice to make the Olympic team should it qualify.

Either way, the way he’s trending, he will wear the U.S. jersey again in some capacity.

 

Cannon strong in big win

 

Reggie Cannon might not have had his best outing so far with Boavista on Saturday but he was very good. There is a good argument, however, that this was his most important outing in a 3-0 win over Famalicao. Those three points were enough to lift the club out of the relegation zone and all the way into 14th place.

On the second goal, Cannon had an assist – under a liberal interpretation of the term. His short pass set up a magnificent individual effort from Paulinho.

 

What was most valuable for Cannon in this game is that he made no major mistakes. He was never dispossessed and his passing was generally strong. He won his duels and aerials at a healthy number to help Boavista win the possession battle in this game.

  • 90 minutes
  • 65 touches
  • 0 shots
  • 1 key pass
  • 1 assist
  • 30/39 passing
  • 6/9 duels won
  • 2/2 aerials won
  • 2 clearances
  • 3/3 tackles
  • 2 interceptions



For Cannon, this was an important performance. It helped his club out tremendously in its quest for survival. It also gave him confidence moving forward. With DeAndre Yedlin improving at Galatasaray, Cannon needed this outing to remain high on the depth chart.

 

Dest strong again for Barcelona

 

Sergino Dest had another strong outing for Barcelona on Saturday in a 2-0 away win over Osasuna this marks the third strong game he has had in a row. During that time, he has played as right wingback in a 3-5-2 instead of as pure right back.

In games before that switch, he has struggled to push into the attack – which is his strength. Now he is in better position to do that.

  • 90 minutes
  • 76 touches
  • 1 shot
  • 0 key passes
  • 43/48 passing
  • 4/8 duels won
  • 0/1 aerials won
  • 1 clearance
  • 2 dribbles
  • 1x fouled
  • 0 interceptions

When he was struggling to get into the attacking half as a right back, this positional switch has helped. Against PSG in the Champions League, Dest had one touch in the final third. Now he is pressed much deeper. Yes, the opposition isn’t as strong, but this will help no matter who the opponent is.

Dest won’t play this position much for the U.S. team but he still, by far, the U.S. team’s best right back and one of the team’s best overall players.

 

EPB solid in Austria Vienna win

 

Erik Palmer-Brown, 23, had a performance on Sunday that will likely have him on the Austrian Bundesliga team of the week for the third time this season. The Vienna Derby between Austria Vienna and Rapid Vienna is always nasty and the teams played to a 0-0 draw on Sunday.

Palmer-Brow was the best defender in this game and his raw numbers were superb.

 

Palmer-Brown has a lot on the line these days and is having a good season. For one, he’s playing for a better loan next season that could take him out of the Austrian Bundesliga – or at least higher up within that league. Second, he’s playing for a spot on the U.S. national team. He might finally get a look under Gregg Berhalter as the upcoming camp is set to take place in Austria.

 

Adams and Leipzig win

 

RB Leipzig easily dispatched Freiburg 3-0 on Friday. Tyler Adams got the start in this game but was out of his natural defensive midfield position and again at right wingback. Adams had been playing recently as the No. 6 and was doing well. His outing last weekend in the 3-2 win over Borussia Monchengladbach was his best of the season.

In this game, Leipzig out matched Freiburg and the game wasn’t much of a contest. Adams was quiet over the course of the game and didn’t stand out for either good reasons or bad reasons.

  • 84 minutes
  • 57 touches
  • 0 shots
  • 0 key passes
  • 32/39 passing
  • 1 cross
  • 1/5 long balls
  • 4/7 duels won
  • 0 clearances
  • 0 interceptions
  • 0 dribbles
  • 1x fouled
  • 1/2 tackles
  • 1/1 aerials

 

With the win, Leipzig moved into first place for about two hours. That ended once Borussia Dortmund squandered its 2-0 lead to Bayern Munich and lost 4-2. With that, Bayern reclaimed first place.

 

Boyd scores for Sivasspor

 

Tyler Boyd scored his first goal for Sivasspor since joining on loan from Besiktas. In this game, his 38th minute goal gave Sivasspor a 2-1 lead against title contending Galatasaray. The game finished 2-2 and Boyd played well.

Here is his goal.

 

On the flip side, DeAndre Yedlin did not get off the bench for Galatasaray after being pulled at halftime in the team’s most recent loss. Yedlin, who had been trending upward, is on the bubble with the national team and will need to play well to get back into that picture – especially after Reggie Cannon’s outing.

For Tyler Boyd, it is promising to see him get back to regular playing time after a roller coaster of a season. His minutes at Sivasspor are increasing as he gets back into the rhythm of playing games again. This goal was fortunate but Boyd was active in this game.

Boyd might have an opening to get back into the national team quickly. The injury to Jordan Morris, the poor season from Uly Llanez, Arriola’s extended recovery, the lack of playing time for Konrad de la Fuente, and the possible departure of Yunus Musah back to England all have increased the need for wingers (not to mention the frequent injuries to Christian Pulisic as well).

 

Elsewhere in Europe

 

In the Premier League, Antonee Robinson played the final seven minutes for Fulham in a huge 1-0 away win over Liverpool. The Cottagers are now almost out of the relegation zone and only trail 17th place Brighton & Hove on goal differential. Owen Otasowie did not make the matchday squad for Wolves in a 0-0 draw with Aston Villa.

In Serie A, Weston McKennie played well in his 20 minutes off the bench for Juventus in an impressive 3-1 win over Lazio to remain in third place.

In the Bundesliga: Matthew Hoppe, 19, played 63 minutes for Schalke in a 0-0 draw with Mainz on Friday. Gio Reyna was injured for Borussia Dortmund’s 4-2 loss to Bayern Munich. Manager Pellegrino Matarazzo and his VfB Stuttgart team played to a nice 1-1 draw with fourth-place Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.

In Belgium’s top flight, Chris Durkin played 90 minutes in a 0-0 draw away at Sporting Charleroi on Friday. Matt Miazga went the distance for Anderlecht in a 1-1 draw with Mechelen. Mark McKenzie did not play for Genk in a 2-0 win over Cercle Brugge. Ethan Horvath remained as an usued sub for Club Brugge in a 3-0 win over Zulte Waregem. Joe Efford remains injured for Waasland-Beveren and missed a 2-1 loss to Beerschot

In Spain’s La Liga, Yunus Musah was an unused sub for Valencia in a 2-1 win over Villarreal.

In the French Cup on Sunday, Lille defeated fourth-tier Gazelec Ajaccio 3-1. U.S. national team winger/forward Tim Weah started and played 63 minutes in the win.

In the Championship, Duane Holmes was an unused sub for Huddersfield in a 0-0 draw against Cardiff on Friday. Neither Geoff Cameron nor Charlie Kelman participated in Queens Park Rangers 2-1 win over Bristol City on Saturday. Cameron Carter-Vickers played 90 for AFC Bournemouth in a 1-1 draw with Preston North End. Paul Arriola was an unused sub for Swansea City in a 2-1 win over Middlesbrough.

In Italy’s Serie B, Andrija Novakovich started and scored a big goal for Frosinone in a 2-1 win over Cosenza. Frosinone remains four points out of the promotional playoff positions.

In the 2.Bundesliga, Julian Green missed Greuther Furth’s 2-1 loss to Bochum as he only returned to training due to COVID-19 midweek. Leon Flach remains injured and missed St. Pauli’s 0-0 draw with Karlsruher on Saturday. McKinzie Gains was an unused sub for Hannover in a 1-1 draw with Erzgebirge Aue on Saturday.

In the Austria Bundesliga, Andrew Wooten started and picked up an assist for Admira Moedling in a 2-1 loss to Harberg on Saturday.

In Turkey’s top flight, Mix Diskerud started and played 83 minutes for Denizlispor in a 3-2 win over Yeni Malatyaspor. The team has played better since Diskerud’s arrival last month and is four points from survival.

In Scotland’s Premiership, Ian Harkes played 79 minutes in a strong effort to help Dundee United to a 0-0 draw with Celtic. Scott Pittman played the final 34 minutes for Livingston in a 3-1 loss to Motherwell.

In third tier League One, Lynden Gooch was not in the squad for Sunderland in a 1-0 win over Swindon Town. In fourth tier League Two, Indiana Vassilev played the final 10 minutes for Cheltenham Town in a 3-2 win over Port Vale.

In Argentina Joel Sonora picked up a knock and missed Talleres’ 1-1 draw with Sarmiento on Friday. On Saturday, Alan Sonora did not play for Independiente in a 2-1 win over Newell’s Old Boys.

In Spain’s Segunda on Saturday, Shaq Moore started and played 90 for Talleres in a 1-0 loss Real Zaragoza.

In Poland’s Ekstarklasa, Aron Johannsson started and played 80 minutes for Lech Poznan in a 1-0 win over Pogon Szczecin. Ben Lederman was an unused sub for Rakow Czestochowa in a 0-0 draw with Cracovia. Kenny Saief did not play for Lechia Gdansk in a 2-2 draw with Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biala.

In Denmark, Emmanuel Sabbi played the final 23 minutes for OB in a 2-0 loss to Vejle Boldklub.

In Greece’s Super League, Gboly Ariyibi started and scored the winner in a 1-0 win over NFC Volos.

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