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Americans abroad analysis

McKenzie and Genk continue domination, Dike leading West Brom, & much more

ASN's Brian Sciaretta is here with his weekly mega roundup for Americans abroad where he covers all the top stories to bring you up to date. The top stories this week are Christian Pulisic's Chelsea future, Daryl Dike's resurgence following injury, Weah's use at Lille, and much, much more
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
January 17, 2023
12:30 AM

THE WEEKEND FOR AMERICANS abroad, again, wasn’t great. Sure, there were some interesting exceptions which we will expand. But overall, few of the top American players had all that much to write home about from the past few days.

Let’s get right into it.

 

Pulisic at Chelsea

 

Christian Pulisic is out for two months. With no major U.S. national team games on the horizon, that has quelled the concern for some of the U.S. fans. But there is the big question over what happens when he gets back?

First there is this. Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk signing a seven-year deal with Chelsea following a £62 million transfer (with the ability to rise to £89 million) from Shakhtar Donetsk.



Then there is also the poor start Graham Potter is under at Chelsea. Yes, they beat Crystal Palace over the weekend 1-0 but Potter is off to a terrible start since taking over for Tuchel. Unless Potter’s team continues to win, he could be in trouble.

Combined with the roster changes and another coach in trouble, it seems like it is only a matter of time before Pulisic leaves. His current knee injury makes him harder to move now. But, you can’t see him lasting beyond this summer with the way the pieces are moving.

 

Reynolds and Wright hurt

 

Two players who are likely going to be missing the remainder of January are striker Haji Wright at Antalyaspor and right back Bryan Reynolds at Westerlo. Both players have had strong first halves of the season.

First with Wright. He is listed as out for the next three weeks with a back injury. That is unfortunate as transfer rumors were starting to pick up. In the calendar year 2022, he scored 20 Super Lig goals for Antalyaspor.

There is some debate as to whether this is an injury or an “injury” – aka Antalyaspor keeping him out due to a pending transfer. But no rumor has picked up tremendous heat over the past week.

Wright, 24, is likely to go but it wouldn’t be surprising at all if, instead of a move to a Big 5 European League, he moves instead to a bigger team in Turkey. This happens a lot in Turkey given what the big Istanbul teams can pay. We saw how Tyler Boyd moved up from Ankaragucu to Besiktas after a eye-opening run for five months. Big Super Lig teams are also going to be less warry of Wright’s struggles early in his career in Eredivisie and the Bundesliga.

Reynolds, 21, is also out for a few weeks for Westerlo with a broken collar bone. This has been the best season of his career and the first where he really started to play like an effective right back (which he only learned in 2020 while playing at FC Dallas). This season he has helped the newly promoted club surpass expectations and sit inside the top seven at the halfway point.

But he doesn’t look like he’s ready for Roma anytime soon. The question is whether Roma can sell him, or does he stay on the loan army? It depends on how much Roma asks for him. But there is a risk that the clubs where he is a best fit, like Westerlo, won’t be able to afford him.

 

McKenzie & Genk continue run

 

Mark McKenzie and KRC Genk are just much better than everyone else in Belgium this year. On Saturday, they defeated Zlute Waregem 1-0. Genk has 17 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss in their last 19 games. They have a seven point cushion atop the First Division table over second place Union SG.

McKenzie, 23, continues to be a lock starter and Saturday’s win was a big outing for him. 7/11 long balls, 2/2 tackles, 2/4 ground duels, 5 clearances. He stood out in every defensive metric.

While he was cut from the World Cup team, he’s should be in a better position to succeed as a lock starter for a first-place team. He’s used to the consistent demands of a title run and should soon have Champions League experience. The World Cup came too soon for McKenzie. But, regardless of whoever the coach is, he should have more opportunities and be in a better position to succeed.

At the club level, he’s in a great spot and shouldn’t be looking to move in 2023. He needs to succeed in the UCL first.

 

McKennie and Juve demolished

 

Weston McKennie, 24, and Juventus were pounded 5-1 by Napoli on Friday. It was a meeting between the top two teams in Serie A and second-place Juventus was looking to close the gap to three points with a win. Instead, Napoli played Juventus off the field in a 5-1 win and now has a nine point lead.

Napoli has essentially secured the scudetto. They are simply much better than everyone else.

As for McKennie, his name will continue to be mentioned in transfer rumors and it is only a matter of time before he’s gone. He’s unique, but Juventus has questions surrounding its future after the board resignation in November. He’s done all that he can do in Juventus.

I get the sense Juventus isn’t necessarily itching to sell him. And they won’t settle for a cheap price because they don’t have to. But McKennie should be interesting to some deep-pocketed teams. There aren’t many who play like him.

 

Sargent impresses in win

 

A lot of eyes are on Josh Sargent right now. He is just getting started under former U.S. national team forward David Wagner, who took control of Norwich last week after Dean Smith was fired. In his first media conference, Wagner said he seeds Sargent as a center forward, not a winger, and knows Sargent well from his time in Germany.

That’s fine, but the question is how the pieces fit because Teemu Pukki is still a very good forward in Championship and his inclusion has put Sargent on the wings.

In Saturday's 4-0 away win over Preston North End, Sargent was everywhere. He was almost a second striker to Pukki (who scored twice), but also drifted out wide. In the second half, he was one of the best players on the field. He might not be the set No. 9, but the approach Wagner used worked for Sargent and the team. Sargent showed a lot of skill and was a handful to defend, even if he wasn’t part of the goals.

Here is Sargent's touchmap from the game:

It's justified to be optimistic about Sargent for the second half of the season.

 

Forest angry about Mighten’s loan

 

Alex Mighten, 20, made one appearance in the Premier League in August for Nottingham Forest. He was then loaned to Sheffield Wednesday in third-tier League One for the remainder of the season to get playing time and help in Wednesday's promotion campaign. But after mixed results, Wednesday terminated his loan last week (under the terms of the loan, either party could terminate his loan in January).

Nottingham Forest is furious about Wednesday terminating his loan. Since Mighten played a game in August, he cannot go out on loan again because he can’t play for three teams in a season. Playing Mighten in one Premier League game was also a mistake made by Forest.



Mighten has represented English youth national teams but his agent has said he is in the process of gathering updated paperwork to switch to the United States. While he seems a ways off a full USMNT cap, he could be an Olympic wing option.

Forest had Migthen on the bench for Saturday’s 2-0 win over Leicester City. That’s a good thing. But Mighten is not in a great position to play a lot.

January camp wouldn’t be a bad option for him, and Forest is unlikely to block his release since he could get games. It probably won’t happen, but it would be useful.

 

Slonina debuts for Chelsea’s U-21 team

 

Gaga Slonina, 19, made his debut on Friday for Chelsea’s U-21 team in a 2-0 win over Wolves in the Premier League 2.

 

Slonina did well to keep the clean sheet but all reports say he was rarely tested. Still, it is good to see him off and running. Next up for him will likely be the U-20 World Cup.

 

Weah features at left back

 

Lille likes Tim Weah, 22, for a lot of reasons but the top reasons is likely his versatility. In 2022, he played as a No. 9, a right winger, a left winger, and a right back for Lille.

On Sunday in a 5-1 win over Troyes, Weah went the distance at left back and did well. He stayed close to his endline but had some central touches in the attacking half. Here is his touchmap from the game:

 

It is great that Weah continues to play, but in the long term, is it useful for him to develop at a place where he is used mostly to fill holes? Would he be best served to have a position where he can grow and learn to be an impact player? Probably.

But part of the reason he is in his current situation is that he’s missed so much time with injures. The club has learned to grow without him. He needs to make himself the starter in the front three – and he has yet to do so.

But Lille doesn’t appear to be in a rush to sell him either. But why should they? They are only three points out of the European-berths positions.

"It's out of the question of losing players who make us less efficient," Lille president Olivier Letang said on Saturday at a press conference. "Tim Weah had an injury at the beginning of the season and today he is doing well. He can play several positions."

As for the 5-1 win over Troyes, fellow American Erik Palmer-Brown,25, went the distance in the loss. He was probably the least of the many problems on the day for Troyes, but it wasn’t a memorable day at the office for the Kansas City native.

 

De la Torre goes 45 for Celta

 

On Friday, Luca de la Torre played 45 minutes for Celta Vigo in a 1-1 draw with Villarrreal. He came into the game with Celta Vigo trailing 1-0. While he didn’t factor into the goal, his team still did better with him on the field. That will continue to keep him in the rotation and possibly earn his first La Liga start.

De la Torre’s best moment came in the 75th when his nice maneuver freed himself from a shot at the top of the box – which he narrowly missed wide.



But he had 33 touches in his 45 minutes and was tidy in possession. This allowed Celta to grow into the game. Overall, it was a positive 45 minutes for de la Torre in his longest outing of the season.

For de la Torre, Celta Vigo sits in 16th place and two points from the relegation line. He has a chance to do what he couldn’t do last season with Heracles in saving his club from a second-half collapse to avoid relegation.

 

Positive club debut for Michel

 

Benji Michel, 25, left Orlando City on January 5th when his contract option was declined. He promptly signed for FC Arouca of Portugal’s top-flight. In its first game of 2023, Michel was on the bench for Arouca as they visited Chaves.

Michel subbed into the game for Arouca in the 66th minute trailing 1-0. He drew a penalty in the 78th which his teammate converted for the equalizer.  The game finished 1-1 and Arouca remained in seventh place in Portugal.

 

It's possible to see Michel doing well in Portugal. He’s a powerful player that is pretty unique. The league can be very physical and chippy, but that plays to Michael’s strengths.

While he has played for the United States at youth levels (including officially with the U.S. U-23 team in 2021 in a failed Olympic qualification effort), Haiti’s national team might be his best bet to remain in the international game.

 

Dike vs. Horvath

 

Two Americans faced off against each other in the Championship on Saturday as West Bromwich travelled to Luton Town and came away with a 3-2 win.



In the game, Luton Town took a 2-0 lead, but West Brom scored three unanswered goals. Daryl Dike scored the first goal for West Brom to start the comeback. He took advantage of a poor clearance from Ethan Horvath that ricocheted off Dike and into the goal.

For Dike, he has two goals and two assists since play resumed after the World Cup. His return has been a huge boost to the club which has now won four in a row to move into the playoff positions. He is also likely on the short list of American forwards pushing for U.S. callup this March or this summer. He has been a huge part of helping Orlando, Barnsley, and now West Brom surge whenever he is on the field.

For Horvath, this was his worst game of the season. He could have done better on all three goals – but the second was his worst. Horvath has had a good season, and this won’t jeopardize his starting job as it was just one bad outing. But he needs to rebound next against Wigan in the next game.

 

Booth continues rise


Taylor Booth, 20, continues to be one of the breakout American players this European season. On Saturday he played 85 minutes for Utrecht in an away game against Go Ahead Eagles. Booth left with Utrecht up 2-1 and was not on the field when his team conceded a stoppage time equalizer.

But Booth played well – again. He played at the left side of the midfield and helped as his team control possession the road. Aside from when set pieces moved him to the other side, almost all of his touches were in the middle third of the field – and he was very effective there. Here is his touchmap from the game:

Booth is still settling into being a regular first-team starter and is doing well. For the national team, it seems like he would be best used for the Olympic team to take a big role in Paris 2024. Then, if he continues to do well there, make a smooth transition into the full national team.

 

Pressure mounts on Leeds United

 

Leeds United lost to Aston Villa 2-1 on Friday and the club has been in a tough spot since play resumed following the World Cup. It has just two points from four games in that span and wins are tough to come by. Pressure is now mounting on Jesse Marsch to turn things around and avoid a relegation battle the rest of the season.

In this game, it was a bit of tough luck as Emiliano Martinez made extremely impressive saves in the first half and Leeds did not capitalize on their chances. Tyler Adams was effective on the defensive side while Brenden Aaronson did not play well after taking a knock in the first half. It has been a tough start to the New Year for him as well.

Leeds will have to find a way to turn things around quickly and next up is Brentford (who have won three straight) followed by Nottingham Forest (who have won two straight). For Aaronson, the issue is confidence in his ability to take players on 1v1 and also to hit big passes.

 

Fossey assists in Standard draw

 

Back in Belgium, Marlon Fossey assisted on Aron Donnum’s 41st minute equalizing goal for Standard Liege in an otherwise disappointing 1-1 draw with last-place RFC Seraing. The 2017 U.S. U-20 right back has been enjoying his move to Belgium where he starts most of the time for Standard Liege.

The play was fortunate as Fossey, 24, blindly crossed the ball back to the top of the box. Donnum was fortunate to collect the ball and fire home a deflected shot. It might not have been by design, but Fossey’s speed was critical to the play.



Fossey is in a good spot right now as he is now starting in a level higher the League One and Fulham’s reserve team. Injuries have set back his career until now, but he has not lost any of his speed or athleticism.

Will he factor into the U.S. national team? It’s tough. The right back position is dominated by Sergino Dest, Joe Scally, and DeAndre Yedlin. When Yedlin ages out, Bryan Reynolds is also knocking at the door.

But Fossey loves to push forward into the attack and perhaps he can get a look if he continues to climb. The door is certainly not closed, despite strong competition.

 

Tomkinson loaned to Stevenage

 

Jonathan Tomkinson, 20, made just one appearance the first half of the season for Norwich City. Now the central defender will get a chance at consistent playing time as he heads to Stevenage on loan. While that is at a low level in fourth-tier League Two, Stevenage is in a promotion hunt and currently sits in second place. What it lacks in quality, it will make up in intensity.

 

He should be a welcome addition to Stevenage but the club has been playing well prior to his arrival. The goal is for this to put him in a better place to compete at Norwich next season.

Internationally, Tomkinson remains a U.S. U-23 eligible defender who could factor into that team later this year as it is very thin in central defense.

 

Americans across the globe

 

England
 

Tim Ream went the distance for Fulham on Sunday in a 1-0 loss to Newcastle but Antonee Robinson was suspended for the game. Few would have predicted this game would have been a matchup of two good Premier League teams a few years ago but that is the case. Ream played well but Newcastle won by a slim margin on an 89th minute Alexander Isak goal. 

Auston Trusty continues to play every minute for Birmingham City but the club has now lost four in a row in the Championship following Saturday’s 4-2 loss on the road to Bristol City. Trusty is now coming back to reality after a dream start in the opening few months.

Staying in the Championship, Duane Holmes started and played 75 minutes for Huddersfield in a 1-1 draw against Hull City. Huddersfield is three points deep in the relegation zone. Zack Steffen earned a cleansheet for Middlesbrough in a 1-0 win over Millwall. It was good rebound for Steffen following an ugly 5-1 elimination from the FA Cup at the hands of Brighton & Hove last week. Lynden Gooch started and went 90 for Sunderland in a 3-1 loss to Swansea.

Where will Chris Richards get minutes? That is a big question for him, Crystal Palace, and the U.S. national team. He did not get off the bench in a 1-0 loss to Cheslea on Sunday. Also in the Premier League, Matt Turner watched Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Tottenham from the bench in the North London Derby.


Italy

 

Sergino Dest played the second half for AC Milan in a 2-2 draw with Lecce. The good news is that Dest came into the game with Milan down 2-0 and he presided over the comeback. The bad news is that he didn’t really make a significant impact and he also played left back. Will AC Milan exercise its option to buy on Dest’s loan from Barca? It once seemed automatic. Now, it could go either way.

In Serie B, Venezia dropped a 1-0 decision to Genoa on Monday. Gianluca Busio started and played 89 minutes while Tanner Tessmann also started and played 81 minutes. Andrija Novakovich came off the bench for the final nine minutes. Venezia remains in 18th place in Serie B - two points deep in the relegation zone.

 

Scotland

 

Familiar rivals Celtic and Rangers will meet in the final of the League Cup next month as both prevailed over the weekend in the semifinals.

Cameron Carter-Vickers started and went the distance for Celtic in a 2-0 win over Kilmarnock.

Rangers defeated Aberdeen 2-1 in extratime. Malik Tillman started and played 75 minutes for Rangers while James Sands did not suit up. For Sands, his decline in minutes seems to indicate Rangers are unlikely to exercise their option to buy on his loan. Christian Ramirez played both extra time sessions in the loss for Aberdeen as rumors continue to link him on a return to the United States this month. Dante Polvara did not suit up for Aberdeen.

In the Premiership, Ian Harkes started and scored for Dundee United in a 2-2 away draw with Hibs. Dundee United is now three points clear from the bottom of the table.

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Scott Pittman also played the final 20 minutes for Livingston in 4-2 win vs. St. Johnston on Saturday.

 

Portugal

 

Alex Mendez and Alejandro Alvarado were not in uniform for Vizela on Saturday and missed its 3-0 win over Maritimo. Reggie Cannon served his suspension and missed Boavista's 1-0 loss to Braga on Saturday.

On Sunday, John Brooks was again not in uniform for Benfica in its 2-2 draw with Sporting CP. Brooks has now fallen to fifth or sixth on the club's depth chart in central defense and there is now speculation among local journalists that Brooks could be released this month.

 

Holland and Belgium

 

Ricardo Pepi played the entire game for Groningen on Sunday but could not muster much as his club dropped a 3-0 decision at home to a Feyenoord team which sits surprisingly in first place. For Groningen, it was their fourth loss in a row and only goal differential separates it from the relegation zone.

Djordje Mihailovic did not get off the bench for second place AZ Alkmaar in a 2-0 away win over Heerenveen. The former Montreal standout is at a club that is exceeding expectations and is now a tough starting lineup to crack. Still, the benefit for Mihailovic is that AZ paid a fortune for him and he will get plenty of chances. He is still very new to the club. 

Richard Ledezma did not get off the bench for PSV in a disappointing 2-2 away draw with Fortuna Sittard. The Arizona native seems likely to go on loan in the coming weeks in a way to secure playing time.

In Belgium, Griffin Yow made the bench for Westerlo but did not make his league debut. He watched as his club fell at home 2-1 to OH Leuven.

For Club Brugge, there is still no sighting of Owen Otasowie.

 

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