Matthew_hoppe_-_asn_top_-_schalke_debut_-_11-28-20
Americans abroad analysis

Hoppe, Ledezma, Holmes, & Brooks highlight eventful weekend for Americans abroad

It seems like every weekend there is a lot of stories to tell regarding Americans abroad. This weekend was no exception and ASN's Brian Sciaretta is your guide for all of it - the good and the bad. As he does every Monday, here is your long, detailed analysis of all that transpired
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
November 29, 2020
5:05 PM

THE WEEKEND FOR Americans abroad brought a lot of excitement with the return of Christian Pulisic and important milestones for young players such as Matthew Hoppe and Richard Ledezma. There was a lot of good news to sort through and some struggles to address.

There is, of course, some concern over the playing status of some key U.S. national team and youth internationals.

Weston McKennie was an unused sub for Juventus on Saturday in a 1-1 draw with Benevento although he still plays regularly for the legendary and powerful Turin-based club.  But serious questions still surround players like DeAndre Yedlin who was fortunate on Friday just to make the bench for Newcastle United (although he did not play). Uly Llanez, who could feature for the U.S. team, the U-23s, and the U-20s in 2021, was still not in the lineup for Heerenveen as he quarantines. Chris Durkin is now seldomly used for St. Truiden in Belgium.

The goalkeeping situation is also a serious question as well. Zack Steffen at Manchester City and Ethan Horvath are backups behind elite keepers, but how will either earn the needed minutes to be in top form?

But here is my take on all the top stories for Americans abroad from the weekend:

 

Pulisic returns for Chelsea

 

Christian Pulisic has not played since a great outing off the bench in a win over FC Krasnodar on October 28. During that time, he not only missed Champions League and Premier League matchups for Chelsea, but he also missed the United States national team friendlies against Wales and Panama. It has now been over a year since he played with the U.S. team.

On Sunday, the Hershey native played the final 15 minutes for Chelsea against Tottenham. The game itself was a little boring and Pulisic didn’t have too many highlights but it was just a very positive sign to see him back, not tentative in the way he played, and ready for more minutes in the busy English month of December.

 

Dest starts in Barcelona rout

 

Sergino Dest, 20, earned the start at right back for Barcelona on Sunday against Osasuna and the game was no contest from the early goings as Barcelona dominated possession and opportunities. In the end, it won comfortably 4-0 with the highlight being an unbelievable Antoine Griezmann goal.

Dest played 61 minutes and did relatively well. He continues to see plenty of the ball when on the field

  • 61 minutes
  • 60 touches
  • 0 shots
  • 0 key passes
  • 42/45 passing
  • 2 crosses
  • 1 duel won (2 lost)
  • 1 tackle


The numbers do not reflect that he was part of the early build-up passes for both goals and generally wasn’t tested too much defensively. It wasn’t a flashy outing, but it was competent and it should keep him as a player who doesn’t always start for Barcelona – but starts more often than not. So far, it’s been a good first season for the U.S. national team fullback at one of the world’s biggest club.

 

Ledezma makes first PSV start

 

The signs have been there for Richard Ledezma to make his first start of the season and his career for PSV Eindhoven’s first team on Sunday against Sparta Rotterdam. He played just a half for Jong PSV earlier in the week and saw only a handful of stoppage time minutes in the Europa League midweek win over PAOK.

On the heels of a great first cap with the U.S. team where he notched two assists, this showed steady progression for the 2019 U.S. U-20 World Cup star.

 

In this game, Ledezma showed a lot promise but still has a lot to learn. With the ball, he was dangerous and often looked to get the ball forward quickly.

In the first half he had a few stretches where he went too long without seeing the ball. By the second half, he looked far more comfortable and at ease. Overall, he made 60 touches before coming out in the 63rd minute. Defensively, he wasn’t too noteworthy. PSV’s coaching staff was surely pleased with his first start.

Ledezma left with the score 0-0 and PSV eventually found a winner. In Europe, the camps during the winter break are often used to break in young players which show promise during the first half of the season. This is when many top young American players have made their breakthroughs. Ledezma is getting his feet wet now but he could be one to watch for PSV over the winter break and the start of the second half of the season.

 

Brooks eventful day, Sargent injured

 

One of the most anticipated games this weekend for Americans in Europe was on Friday when Wolfsburg hosted Werder Bremen. It was slated to be a matchup between the top American center forward in Werder’s Josh Sargent and the top American central defender in John Brooks at Wolfsburg.

Unfortunately for Sargent and American fans, the St. Louis native was ruled out before the game due to an ankle injury. Books, however, did start and boy was it an eventful day.

With the score tied 1-1 in the 25th minute, Brooks hit a terrific header for a goal to put Wolfsburg up 2-1.

 

Then with Wolfsburg leading 3-2 in the 47th minute, Brooks was part of a wild own-goal that appeared offside but the play continued. Brooks redirected the cross into his own goal to equalize the score at 3-3.

 

Wolfsburg went on to win 5-3 and remain undefeated on the season. For at team that has struggled offensively, its five-goal output was eye-opening and the club is certainly firing on all cylinders at the moment.

Despite the own goal, Brooks was tremendous. He won all of his duels, all of his aerials, and all of his tackles. He completed an astonishing 12/16 of his long balls and made 107 touches. He was strong in all areas of the game.

 

Wolfsburg has been built on defense but with his offense now gaining steam, this is a team that is very tough to beat and might compete for a Champions League spot this season.

 

Hoppe makes surprising debut

 

One of the big surprises of the weekend for American soccer came in the Bundesliga on Saturday when U.S. U-20 forward Matthew Hoppe made a surprising start for Schalke today against Borussia Monchengladbach.

Schalke is in the midst of a disastrous season where it looks like the worst team in the league. Dating back to last season, its winless stretch in the Bundesliga now stands at 25 games. It has a -22 goal differential already on the season. Still, starting Hoppe seemed like a stretch as he has not necessarily produced big numbers for Schalke’s youth teams.

 

The reasons for starting Hoppe are likely due to his strong performance in training this week (he reportedly scored a brace in a closed-door scrimmage midweek) and his reputation for having a great attitude and work ethic. The morale at Schalke appears to be miserable these days with a handful of players suspended for this game due to infighting (as well as other injuries).

Why not then give a start to a hard-working kid that shows the right attitude? That addresses part of the problem with the team.

As for how Hoppe performed in this game. He was dealt a tough hand and Schalke lost again, 4-1, to a superior Borussia Monchengladbach. It was near impossible to succeed. As you would expect, Hoppe worked hard, made some nice runs, attempted to play defense. That was positive but he is unlikely going to even begin to help the club’s many, many problems at the moment.

Even with continued starts or appearances, U.S. fans must hope that Schalke play him to the point when he is more prepared for what looks like the 2.Bundesliga next season – but not to the point where he gets discouraged with Schalke’s nearly weekly lopsided losses and poor morale.

At this point too, U.S. U-20 head coach Anthony Hudson should be lobbying for Hoppe’s release (the same with Charlie Kelman at QPR) for the U-20 World Cup qualifiers. If this is part of a longer play for Schalke, it is still in their best interest to keep him happy and in an environment where he can win.

 

Musah struggles vs. Atletico

 

On Saturday in the day before his 18th birthday, American midfielder Yunus Musah earned the start for Valencia against Atletico Madrid. Musah has been generating headlines in the United States in recent weeks due to his stellar play for Valencia this season and his decision to accept a call-up to the U.S. team for the November window (while not yet committed to the U.S. or England internationally).

Thus far, Musah has played well against opponents such as Deportivo Alaves, Getafe, Villarreal, and even Real Madrid. So the positive headlines were completely justified.

Against Atletico Mardid, however, Musah struggled. It was his roughest game so far this season.

His numbers reflect that. He didn’t offer much defensively, didn’t win balls, and struggled to get touches.

  • 71 minutes
  • 19 touches
  • 1 shot
  • 0 key passes
  • 10/11 passing
  • 1 duel won (6 lost)
  • 0 dribbles (2 attempts)
  • 1 aerial won (1 lost)
  • 0 clearances
  • 0 tackles
  • 0 interceptions


Bottom line? This happens and this was bound to happen. Musah is still every bit the talent he was before this game and the fact that he was off was compounded by the fact that Atletico Madrid is probably the best team in Spain at the moment.

Developing young players is a challenge and Valencia needs to understand how to read Musah. Does he need a break? Does he need to get back out onto the field right away?

The club is in the middle of trying to sign him to a long-term contract so they clearly value him highly. Part of developing a prized young player is understanding how to handle these situations. It will be interesting and will give us an insight into how Musah is coached.

 

Adams returns to midfield

 

After starting at right back last weekend and then being an unused substitute in a midweek 1-0 Champions League loss to Paris St. Germain, Tyler Adams returned to his preferred central midfield position for Leizpig as it hosted recently promoted Arminia Bielefeld.

Overall Adams played fairly well in the 2-1 win. Offensively he was mostly conservative but he was particularly sharp defensively. 

  • 90 minutes
  • 75 touches
  • 0 shots
  • 1 key pass
  • 84.6% passing (44/52)
  • 1 dribble
  • 3x fouled
  • 0 aerials won
  • 3 tackles
  • 1 interception
  • 1 clearance
  • 1 blocked shot
  • 2 fouls
  • 0 crosses
  • 0/3 accurate long balls


Once again, the physical side of the game was very strong and he covered a ton of ground. His touch map (attacking to the right) shows that he still favored to right side – as opposed to his freer ranging role where he is most effective.

While he did not have much of an impact offensively, it was certainly an outing that didn’t hurt his case for continued starts in that central midfield. For Adams, if he can stay healthy, he should eventually return as the first-choice starter. But at this level – elite of the Bundesliga – there is always a ton of competition.

With the win and Borussia Dortmund’s loss, Leipzig moved alone into second place – two points behind Bayern Munich.

 

Holmes enjoys best 2020 outing

 

It hasn’t been an easy 2020 for Duane Holmes or anyone at Derby County as everyone at the club has struggled for much of the year. After a recent coaching change that saw Phillip Cocu replaced by Wayne Rooney, Derby County entered this weekend in last place of the Championship with just six points from 13 games.

On Saturday, the club took on Wycombe Wanderers. The bad news is that it squandered a late 81st minute equalizer to settle for a 1-1 draw. The good news, however, is that Holmes had his best game of 2020. He scored Derby’s only goal in the 36th minute and left in the 68th minute with his club up 1-0.

  • 68 minutes
  • 39 touches
  • 1 goal
  • 2 shots
  • 1 chance created
  • 21/28 passing (75%)
  • 2 crosses
  • 1/3 long balls
  • 4 duels won (5 lost)
  • 3 dribbles (4 attempts)
  • 1x fouls
  • 1 tackle
  • 1 clearance


On his goal, he showed what he can do when he is on the top of his game – with a lethal and well-timed run into the box and a very classy finish.


 Unfortunately for Derby, the draw kept it at the bottom of the table. The good news, however, is that if Holmes can build from this and continue to play at top form, Derby will have a valuable asset moving forward.

 

Reyna assists but BVB upset

 

After a solid outing midweek for Borussia Dortmund in a 3-0 victory over Club Brugge in the Champions League, Reyna was on the bench for Saturday’s matchup against FC Koln. Dortmund entered this game in second place and was heavily favored against a FC Koln team that came into the game winless and in the relegation positions.

This game turned out to be the most surprising in Germany of the weekend as Koln jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 60th minute.

Reyna came into the game in the 67th and immediately provided a spark. In the 74th minute he won the ball in the midfield, quickly played it forward, followed the pass to receive the ball back, swung it out wide for Thorgan Hazard who fired a perfect shot to cut Koln’s deficit to 2-1.

But for the final 15 minutes plus stoppage time, Dortmund was unable to find an equalizer and suffered a shocking defeat – which dropped it to third place. For Koln, it moved it out of the relegation spaces.

Reyna recently turned 18 and it is rare to see a player of that age have set starting spot for a club as good as Borussia Dortmund, but the son of the former U.S. captain made a case that there is a risk to leaving him out of the lineup.

In his 24 minutes plus stoppage time, Reyna was a perfect 14/14 in passing and had 21 touches. Of those, 16 touches were in Koln’s half of the field with many in deep attacking positions. He wasn’t limited to the wing position either – he was given freedom to roam, and he was effective in doing so. It is similar to how he played in the loss to Bayern Munich just before the break where he also played well.


In this game, Dortmund was much better offensively once Reyna came on.

 

Boyd’s stellar Hallescher numbers

 

Terrence Boyd, 29, might not be in the national team player pool anymore but his enthusiasm for American soccer over the past decade still makes him among the more popular U.S. players – even while play in the 3.Liga for Hallescher FC.

His time with Toronto FC did not go well and he joined Hallescher in July 2019. During that time, he has been phenomenal for the club, has enjoyed a rebirth of his career, and saved the club from relegation last year.

On Saturday, Boyd scored both goals for Hallescher in a 2-0 win over Viktoria Koln. But look at his numbers:

  • 2019/20: 14 goals, 11 assists, 33 games
  • 2020/21: 6 goals, 2 assists, 12 games
  • Total: 20 goals, 13 assists, 45 games



It is hard to say if Boyd has another move left in him but perhaps a 2.Bundesliga club will come knocking in January. But either way, it is a great story and one that should make American fans happy to see for a player as popular as Boyd.

 

Sonora starts for Independiente

 

Alan Sonora, 22, is one of the most “under the radar” American players abroad at the moment but the New Jersey-born attacking midfielder is gradually playing more and more for Independiente – one of the biggest clubs in Argentina.

On Saturday, he earned the start for Independiente in an away matchup against Colon - the top two teams in Group 2 of the Copa Liga Professional, which was renamed the Copa Diego Maradona this week. Sonora played 72 minutes and left with the score 0-0. Independiente would eventually go on to win 2-1. Sonora’s replacement, Jonathan Menendez, scored the game’s opening goal.

It remains to be seen if Sonora is being watched as a potential option for the U.S. U-23 team, or if Independiente would entertain the idea of releasing him for the qualifiers in March – but his progress at a club like Independiente makes him one well worth it for American fans to watch and follow.

 

Cardoso starts for Internacional

 

United States national team defensive midfielder Johnny Cardoso, 19, earned the start for Internacional on Saturday in a 0-0 draw with Atletico GO. Cardoso did well in this game defensively but was taken out near the hour mark as the manager sought more offense.

Internacional should have won but missed a penalty in the 62nd minute and then was reduced to 10 players in the 68th minute.

  • 58 minutes
  • 33 touches
  • 1 aerial won
  • 0 shots
  • 0 key passes
  • 91.7% passing (22/24)
  • 1x fouled
  • 0 dribbles
  • 4 interceptions
  • 0 tackles
  • 1 foul
  • 0 clearances
  • 1/1 accurate long balls


It has been a brutal stretch for Internacional in the Brazilian Serie A as it has tumbled from first to now fourth place as a result of no wins in its last six games. It’s now five points off the top of the table.

Cardoso remains in a good spot at such a big club as Internacional and the club clearly values him but they need to reverse fortunes sooner than later – especially with big Copa Libertadores games against Boca Juniors coming up.

 

Palmer-Brown starts in Vienna Derby

 

United States U-23 central defender Erik Palmer-Brown, 23, earned the start for Austria Vienna in the big Vienna Derby matchup away at Rapid Vienna. With Rapid sitting in third place and playing at home, it was the heavy favorite over eighth place Austria Vienna.

In the end, Austria Vienna did well to play to a 1-1 draw and remain eighth in the Austrian Bundesliga. Palmer-Brown was often pinned back and only had 32 touches in his 90 minutes. He made six clearances in this that helped preserve the draw and his passing was sufficient.

  • 90 minutes
  • 32 touches
  • 0 shots
  • 0 key passes
  • 15/18 passing
  • 3 duels won (2 lost)
  • 6 clerances
  • 2 tackles
  • 0 fouls
  • 1/4 accurate long balls



He is one of the better central defenders in the Austrian Bundesliga at this moment and will be interesting to see if he changes clubs in January on another loan.

 

Green & Furth into 2.Bundesliga lead

 

While Julian Green, 25, was left off the last U.S. national team roster as competition in attacking midfield positions has increased, the Florida-born Green continues to build a very strong case. On Sunday, he had yet another very good performance in a Greuther Furth win that moved it atop the 2.Bundesliga table. The 3-2 victory over Nurnberg combined with Hamburg’s loss to Heidenheim was enough to move it into the lead.

Green was really solid in this one. He was given the No. 10 position and his touch map shows that he had a ton of freedom in the attacking half of the field. He was strong in the typical areas – he got his shots, passed well, and hit six crosses. But what stood out was his defense and pressing. He won a lot of duels, was solid in the air, and reading the game to force interceptions.

  • 90 minutes
  • 64 touches
  • 4 shots (3 on target)
  • 22/32 passing
  • 6 crosses
  • 1/6 accurate long balls
  • 11 duels won (9 lost)
  • 3 dribbles (4 attempts)
  • 2 tackles
  • 2 interceptions
  • 2 aerials won
  • 1 clearance



It isn’t going to be easy for Green to get back onto the national team. In addition to those players that kept him off in November (Lletget, Ledezma, Musah, McKennie) there are others too like Brenden Aaronson. Getting back to the Bundesliga, however, would be big on Green’s resume as he is not just a long for the ride, he’s a key player.

 

Wright struggles in Sonderjyske return

 

Haji Wright has not played the past month for Sonderjyske due to an injury and despite missing that time, he came into today’s game against Copenhagen as the Superliga’s co-leading goal scorer with six goals.

Wright, 22, was cleared to start this game for Sonderjyske and clearly showed rust after his long layoff. He struggled and Soderjyske lost 3-1. Wright looked particularly off with the ball at his feat as he frequently lost the ball and turned it over.

There is no doubt that Wright has had a great start to the season and this was bound to happen as he was out of the rhythm of playing every game. With the loss, however, Sonderjyske fell into second place after losing the lead to Midtjylland.

 

Siebtacheu strong in first Young Boys start

 

It has been a rough few years for Jordan Siebatcheu who fell out of favor at Rennes and was loaned to Switzerland with defending champs, Young Boys. Coming into Sunday, Sietbacheu had yet to start for Young Boys and had been limited to just token minutes at the end of games.

That changed on Sunday against Lausanne as the Washington, DC-born forward earned his first start of the season – taking advantage of injuries and squad rotation due to the Europa League participation. But overall, Siebatcheu did well and made a nice case for more meaningful minutes at the club.

In a 3-0 win for Young Boys, Siebatcheu’s header forced a rebound that resulted in the second goal. He also had a goal that was called back on VAR due to a teammate’s handball in the build-up.

He still looks rigid on the ball when trying to beat players on the dribble and his first touch sometimes lets him down, but his passing was a perfect 21/21 and his physical presence allowed him to have six shots.

  • 90 minutes
  • 44 touches
  • 6 shots (2 on target)
  • 21/21 passing
  • 1 key pass
  • 2 duels won (6 lost)
  • 0 dribbles
  • 1 tackle
  • 2 interceptions
  • 1 aerial won (2 lost)


Siebatcheu still has a lot of work to do to get back into a good club situation and maybe into the national team picture for the first time. But this was a performance he needed.

 

Cannon & Boavista draw

 

Reggie Cannon has adjusted fairly well to life at Boavista but this team is still struggling to win games. When it scores, it can’t defend and when it can defend, it can’t score. The team is struggling to put it together.

Even after today when they did not concede a goal, Boavista has still conceded the second most goals (15) in the league after eight games. It still has just one win, and that oddly came against Benfica.

On Sunday, Boavista played to a 0-0 draw with Belenenses team that now has a remarkable scoring over the young season – through eight games it has scored three goals (the fewest in the league) and has allowed just five goals (also the fewest in the league). In other words, it is a highly effective bunkering team that tried to score goals on limited chances.

With that type of opponent, it was tough for Cannon to get going offensively and he only rarely tested defensively. His numbers are in line with that.

 

  • 90 minutes
  • 70 touches
  • 1 shot
  • 36/43 passing (83%)
  • 5 crosses
  • 1/3 accurate long balls
  • 1 key pass
  • 1 chance created
  • 6 duels won (5 lost)
  • 0 dribbles
  • 3x fouled
  • 1 tackle
  • 1 aerial won
  • 1 interception

 

After this game, Boavista now sits in 17th place in the 18-team league. Eventually, it will need to put together complete outings if it wants to avoid a relegation battle heading into next season.

 

Miazga and Anderlecht held to 0-0 draw

 

Since making his Anderlecht debut, Matt Miazga has played every minute in all six league games for the club and has played relatively well. Already there are growing rumors that the club wants to extend Miazga’s loan beyond this season.

On Sunday, Miazga went the distance in a 0-0 draw with fourth place Standard Liege. It was an improved performance from last weekend’s 2-1 loss to Beerschot. Miazga’s passing, in particular from distance, was very good and he won a healthy percentage of his duels and aerials.

 

  • 90 minutes
  • 58 touches
  • 0 shots
  • 0 key passes
  • 47/51 passing
  • 4/5 accurate long balls
  • 3 duels won (1 lost)
  • 5 clearances
  • 3 aerials won (1 lost)
  • 0 fouls
  • 0 tackles
  • 0 interceptions


Now in seventh place, Anderlecht takes on Zlute Waregem next weekend before hosting second place Genk on December 11.

 

Coaches Corner

 

On his 43rd birthday, American manager Pellegrino Matarazzo and his VfB Stuttgart team hosted reigning European and Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich. This was a huge challenge for Matarazzo’s team that was doing well after earning promotion last season. Stuttgart played well in this game and scored the opening goal – and nearly scored the second. In the end, Bayern scored some fantastic goals to prevail 3-1.

Stuttgart is a fun team that looks like a midtable team this year – which is a success for any newly promoted team. But what is fun about Stuttgart under Matarazzo is that they play such an attractive style of soccer where they constantly look to attack. The problem, however, is that the team still needs to invest more in its backline. That doesn’t discount the fine job Matarazzo has done.



In Austria, Jesse Marsch and Red Bull Salzburg have had a tough week. Last weekend, the club dropped it first game of the Austrian Bundesliga season in a very surprising 3-1 loss to Sturm Gratz. Then midweek it fell to Bayern Munich in the Champions League 3-0 (where it has just one point from four games). In Saturday’s game it was probably going to look to take out frustrations on St. Polten.

In that respects, it was mission accomplished. Marsch’s team walked away with an 8-2 road win. It now has 34 goals scored in nine Austrian Bundesliga games this season. Its goal differentia is +24.

On Saturday in the 3.Liga, Sacramento's own Joe Enochs and his FSV Zwickau fell to Magdeburg 1-0. Zwickau is winless in its last five is is trending towards the relegation zone for yet another dangerous relegation battle.

 

Elsewhere in Europe

 

In the Premier League, Zack Steffen remained on the bench for Manchester City in a 5-0 win over Burnley on Saturday. The same can be said for DeAndre Yedlin for Newcastle United in a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace on Friday. Owen Otasowie was not on the matchday roster for Wolves in a 3-1 win over Arsenal on Sunday

In the Championship, team captain Geoff Cameron did not play for Queens Park Rangers in a 2-1 loss to Brentford. Also for QPR, U.S. U-20 forward Charlie Kelman went as an unused sub and is still looking for his club debut.

Also in the Championship, Matthew Olosunde started and played 64 minutes for Rotherham in a 2-2 draw with AFC Bouremouth. The New Jersey-born and raised Olosunde was credited with an assist and his five tackles were the highest in the game for either team. Cameron Carter-Vickers is still out with an ankle injury for Bournemouth. 

In England’s third tier League One, Lynden Gooch missed Sunderland’s 1-1 draw with Fleetwood Town due to an ankle injury.

 

In the Danish Superliga, Emmanuel Sabbi played 63 mintues for OB in a 2-0 loss on the road to Randers on Friday. Sabbi, like everyone on OB, struggled to get going in this one. Goalkeeper Michael Lansing was on the bench for AC Horsens in a 3-1 win over Bejle Boldklub on Sunday. In the second tier, Christian Cappis and Hobro dropped a 4-3 decision to Hvidovre on Sunday.

In Germany, Chris Richards was not part of Bayern Munich’s squad in a 3-1 win over Stuttgart as the Alabama native is dealing with minor muscle injuries in his legs.

In the 2.Bundesliga, U.S. U-23 eligible winger Kevin Lankford, 22, played 90 for St. Pauli in a 1-0 loss to Osnabruck (U.S. U-20 midfielder Leon Flach went as an unused substitute). Lankford is raw offensively but still stands out defensively in his ability to be effective winning balls and handling the physical side of the game well.

Also in the 2.Bundesliga German-American attacking midfielder Jan George played the final 17 minutes for Jahn Regensburg in a 2-1 win over Wuerzburger Kickers  Meanwhile, Bobby Wood did not get off the bench for Hamburg in a 3-2 loss to Heidenhem. HSV dropped from the top of the table with the loss.

In Belgium, neither St. Truiden's Chris Durkin nor Waasland Beveren's Joe Efford were in the matchday roster when their teams played to a 1-1 draw on Saturday. Meanwhile, Ethan Horvath was an unused sub for Club Brugge in a 0-0 draw with Royal Excel Mouscron. Colorado defender Brenden Hines-Ike was an unused sub for Kortrijk in a 2-1 win over Oostende on Sunday.

In Italy’s Serie B, Andrija Novakovich started and played 73 minutes for Frosinone in a 2-1 away win over Brescia. The Wisconsin native was credited with an assist on the game’s opening goal but was not on the field for Frosinone’s 84th minute winner to break a 1-1 deadlock.



Also in Serie B, former Long Island University midfielder Giuseppe Barone still awaits his pro debut and was an unused sub for Salernitana in a 1-0 away win over Cosenza.

In Ligue 1, Tim Weah was an unused sub for Lille in a 1-1 draw with Saint-Etienne on Sunday.

In France’s Ligue 2, United States national team forward Nicholas Gioacchini came off the bench in the 64th minute for SM Caen in a 1-1 draw with Chateauroux. The score was 0-0 when he entered. With the draw, Caen fell from second to fourth place.

Also in Ligue 2, U.S. U-20 eligible attacker Patrick Koffi was not in the lineup for leaders Paris FC in a 0-0 draw with Grenoble.

In the Eredivisie, U.S. U-23 hopeful Luca de la Torre played 90 minutes at left wing for Heracles in a 2-1 loss to AZ Alkmaar. Heracles has now lost three straight games and is in 15th place in the 18-team league.

In Spain's Segunda, Shaq Moore went a full 90 for Tenerife in a 2-0 win over Albacete.

In Norway, Herny Wingo was rested for Molde after playing in the Europa League midweek. He was an unused sub in a 3-1 win over Haugesund on Sunday.

In Sweden’s Allsvenskan, Romain Gall played a full 90 for Orebro in a 3-0 loss to Haecken on Sunday. Meanwhile, Mix Diskerud was very sharp for Helsingborg in a 0-0 draw with Falkenbergs. Helsingborg need a win and help to avoid relegation in the season finale next week.

In Argentina’s Copa Diego Maradona, Joel Sonora played the final 22 minutes plus stoppage time for Talleres de Cordoba in a 1-0 loss to Lanus – who scored in stoppage time.

In Greece’s Super League, 2015 U.S. U-23 attacking midfielder Gboly Ariyibi played 70 minutes for Panaitolikos in a 2-1 loss to Panathinaikos.

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