Ricardo_pepi_-_asn_top_-_psv_hat_trick_-_11-23-24
Americans abroad

Pepi's hat trick, Gio's return, and goals from Yow & Iloski highlight weekend in Europe

ASN's Brian Sciaretta writes about the weekend for Americans abroad - which featured a big day from Ricardo Pepi, the return of Gio Reyna, plus a long list of injuries. 
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
November 25, 2024
5:30 AM

IT WAS A ROCKY weekend for Americans abroad with some highs, a lot of lows, and plenty of mixed news on the injury front. The star of the weekend was unquestionably Ricardo Pepi, who notched a big hat trick in a statement performance while Gio Reyna took the first steps in his comeback.

But the number of American players who missed games this weekend due to injury is unusually high, even with the return of Reyna, Chris Richards, Caleb Wiley, and Tyler Adams. Joe Scally became the latest American to suffer an injury as he was forced out of M’Gladbach’s game in the opening half.

Now with Scally, you also saw Haji Wright, Josh Sargent, Aidan Morris, Folarin Balogun, Johnny Cardoso, Kevin Paredes, Gaga Slonina, and Luca de la Torre miss time this past weekend due to injuries.

The injury front news continues to be a dominant theme but the return of Reyna, even for a inconsequential shift, was a big news.

It also shouldn't go unnoticecd how good things are in the Eredivisie right now, as Americans are contributing significnatly to the top two teams in the league. 

Elsewhere, there were good performances from Griffin Yow, Paxten Aaronson, and Milan Iloski to round things out.

Here is a complete breakdown

 

Yanks in the Netherlands

 

It was a banner day on Saturday for Ricardo Pepi who had one of the most important games of his career with a hat-trick for PSV in a convincing 5–0 win over his former club FC Groningen. to add context into why this game was so important for the former FC Dallas homegrown, it came on the heels of a very successful international window with the USMNT where he scored in both legs of a quarterfinal win over Jamaica. 

For Pepi, it has always been a matter of him, earning the trust of various coaching staffs for important minutes. That has not always been easy, and he has faced very difficult competition to play in important games. At PSV, he has had to play behind Luuk de Jong. He would only play when there was a need to rest de Jong. Even when he would do well in his limited minutes, it would not lead to more playing time. Similarly for the national team, he has always been behind a variety of players. The past two years it has been Josh Sargent and Folarin Balogun. 

But lately, things have been changing significantly for him on both the club and international levels. 



With these three goals, Pepi now has 9 goals in 508 Eredivisie minutes and all signs point to the fact, he is going to play more and that he can shoulder more of the load. PSV will eventually have to make a decision whether Pepi is ready to be the successor to de Jong, who is now 34. He should be.

He looks like the kind of forward right now who should be both a star for his club and for the USMNT. It has been a while since the national team has had a player like that with this position. 

Also in this game, Malik Tillman played the final 29 minutes for PSV and Richard Ledezma played the last 15 in the win. For Tillman, it was a pretty quiet shift as Groningen was getting blown out and the intensity was dialed down. For Ledezma, he was a little more active and created a couple of chances to nearly make the score even more embarrassing for the guests. 

PSV remain atop the Eredivisie with the win and Groningen is just north of the relegation zone. 

Utrecht remained in 2nd place of the Eredivisie, five points behind PSV, after a 2-1 away win over NEC Nijmegen on Sunday. Paxten Aaronson, 21, was credited with an assist on the opening goal but the truth is that it was a simple pass to Yoann Cathline who then proceeded to dribble to find an open shot and then unleashed a beautiful shot from distance. 



That doesn’t mean aaronson did not play well. He did. In his 90 minute shift, he had 47 touches and was 27/30 in passing - with most coming in the attacking. In the 61st minute, the younger Aaronson brother nearly created another goal on a fierce counter attack, which ended with him feeding Cathline who then missed the target with his shot. Overall, it was a pretty good performance from Aaronson who is having the best season of his young career. He looks ready to help his parent club, Eintracht Frankfurt, next season. 

Taylor Booth had his best performance in a long time when he came off the bench in the 58 minute. in the 77th minute, the Utah native fed Cathline, who missed the target again. Booth worked hard on both sides of the ball, winning both of his tackles and winning 3/4 of his ground duels. So need three clearances as Utrecht was able to hold on for the win. 

In the second-tier Eerste Divisie, Zach Booth did not play for league leaders Excelsior in a 3-0 win away over Den Bosch. 

From an American perspective, it was a much better day for left back John Hilton and Korede Osundina who both started and played well for Dordrecht on Friday. Unfortunately, the American duo was unable to prevent 2–1 loss away to MVV Maastricht. 

Osundina opened the scoring in the 6th minute with a nice left-footed shot to the top left of the goal for his 4th goal of the season. He also drew four fouls in his 90 minutes of action. 



Meanwhile, Hilton was impressive defensively  winning 5/6 of his tackles and 9/13 of his ground duels. He also drew two fouls and set up a good scoring chance in the second half before being subbed out in the 87th minute. 

In the end, the good American performances, mean little as Dordrecht lost to fall to eighth place.

 

Yanks in Italy

 

A highly anticipated game from an American perspective turned out to be a dud as AC Milan and Juventus played to a 0-0 draw with none of the USMNT contingent standing out for better or for worse. For Milan, Yunus Musah started and played 84 minutes and Christian Pulisic came off the bench to play the final 20 minutes. For Juventus, Weston McKennie started and played 80 minutes before he was replaced by Tim Weah. 

Musah was playing right wing in the game and didn’t create anything and his crossing was erratic. 

McKennie found it tough to be an attacking midfielder with Juve playing in a forward-less formation. He had a few good moments but game was a grind. The same for Weah’s 10 minute shift off the bench. 

The best that can be said is that Milan’s attack improved with Pulisic on the field. His dribbling put Juve on their heels at times. 

With this result, Juve sits 6th place with 25 points from 13 games and Milan has 19 points from 12 games to sit 7th in Serie A. 

The situation for Kristoffer Lund continues to get worse. After losing his starting job for Palermo, he is no longer even getting off the bench. The USMNT left back was an unused substitute for Palermo on Sunday in a 1-1 away draw with Sampdoria. This coincides with him not earning the USMNT call up for the November international window. Things are trending downward for him and he needs to fix the situation soon. 

Bari finished the weekend in 6th place of Serie B after a 3-2 win over 19th place Cittadella. American forward Andrija Novakovich, 28, played 65 minutes in the win and while he didn’t score, he was very effective with his hold up play. He directly created two chances. In the 37th minute he set up a chance with a header and in the 6th minute he set up a teammate for a shot that was saved. He had two shots of his own and he won 5/7 of his aerials and was 3/5 in winning his ground duels. The Wisconsin native has been playing very well as of late, and is in an exciting period of his career where he is in another promotion battle for the first time in years.

 

Yanks in the Premier League

 

Tyler Adams continued his long road back to consistent playing time with another start for Bournemouth on Saturday against Brighton. He was not selected to play for the national team this past window so that he could remain with his club to establish a firm role there.

The performance from Adams on Saturday was mixed. He played 65 minutes and was subbed out with Bournemouth trailing 0–2. Defensively, he made some steals and broke up some of Brighton’s plays, but he also overcommitted and left some vulnerable space for Brighton to attack. He had an impressive four tackles and was 5/7 in winning his ground duels. With the ball, he had a bad giveaway, but was otherwise okay. Bournemouth ended up on the wrong side of a 1–2 defeat to fall to 13th place. 

Brighton, meanwhile, are managed by Houston-born Fabian Hurzeler and are now 5th in the league. 

It was a rare game to forget from Antonee Robinson who played the whole game for Fulham in a 4-1 loss at home to Wolves. Despite the final score, the game was actually close until Wolves found two very late goals to make it seem like a rout. It wasn’t a good game from Robinson who didn’t contribute much offensively and was beaten a few times defensively as Fulham fell to 10th place with the win. 

Crystal Palace played Aston Villa to a 2-2 draw and it was a useful point on the road for Palace. Matt Turner was an unused substitute but Chris Richards made his first appearance since September 21 when he came on in the final minute to see out the draw. Injuries have limited Richards to just for appearances this season, but we will see if this marks the start of consistent playing time. He very much needs that at this point in his career, for the national team and everything else. 

In more significant news, Palace fell into the bottom three with this result. This will put Richards, Turner, and everyone else into more pressure on a weekly basis.

 

Yanks in the Championship

 

Brendan Aaronson went 90 minutes for Leeds United in a dramatic 4-3 away win over Swansea City on Sunday. Swansea scored an equalizer in the 90th minute, only to see Leeds find a winner two minutes into stoppage time. Aaronson was good with the ball but didn’t create significant danger. That wasn’t all his fault, as he worked very hard over the course of the entire game. There were multiple times when he was in a good position to score or assist, but he was not found by his teammates. The win was enough to put Leeds into first place in the Championship. 

Aidan Morris was injured during the international break with the USMNT. He will miss a few games for Middlesbrough, but he was not missed on Saturday when Boro posted a huge 6–2 win over Oxford United to move into 5th place of the Championship.

Duane Holmes played the final 3 minutes for  Preston North End in a 1-1 draw at home against his former club, Derby County. Holmes turned 30 years old over the international break. PNE, however, is only one point clear of the relegation zone.

Both Daryl Dike and Josh Sargent are injured and watched as Dike’s 6th-place West Bromwich Albion played Sargent’s 13th-place Norwich on Saturday. Both players are expected to be out at least another month.

Lynden Gooch continues to be out with a knee injury and his 12th-place Stoke City team travel to London played Queens Park Rangers to a 1-1 draw in London.

Haji Wright is expected to miss a significant amount of time with his ankle injury. He watched as Coventry played Sheffield United to a 2–2 draw on Saturday to move into 17th place. 

Ethan Horvath was his usual unused sub for Cardiff City in a 2–2 away draw to Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday. Cardiff is just one point clear of the bottom three with this result.

 

Yanks in the Bundesliga

 

Gio Reyna made his long awaited return to the field on Saturday when he played the final 12 minutes for Busia Dortmund in a comfortable 4–0 win over sixth-place Freiberg. All the goals were scored when Reyna entered the game, and there was little pressure on him to perform.

Overall, it was a very positive performance from Reyna, who completed all 12 of his passes and didn’t lose the ball once. He was not under any pressure, but this was a very good situation for him to shake off any rust. He looked composed and mature on the ball and this is what the coaching staff wanted to see. 

Exactly how much playing time Reyna will see in the coming weeks remains to be seen. Dortmund might want to gradually work his way back. But for a player who has missed as much time as him, this was very important. He has only played about 2100 minutes over the last three and a half years at the club level.

Cole Campbell was an unused sub for Dortmund after spending the international window with the United States U-20 team.

With the win, Dortmund ends the weekend in fifth place of the Bundesliga.

Joe Scally became the latest American player to suffer an injury as he started for Borussia Monchengladbach on Sunday against St. Pauli but was subbed out in the 21st minute with a head injury. M’Gladbach ended up winning 2-0. The score was already 1-0 when he was forced out.



As for now, we wait for a proper diagnosis and hope it is not a concussion. Scally is having a much better start to the season than he did last year. Since March, he has been in top form and has significantly improved for both club and country.

Meanwhile Gladbach have climbed all the way into 6th place and this was their fourth win in a row at home.

Lennard Maloney started and played 84 minutes for Heidenheim in an ugly 5–2 loss to Bayer Leverkusen. The American defensive midfielder was a subject of media interest during the international window when he declined a contract offer from Heidenheim. This will likely put him into the transfer market in January. In this game, Maloney worked hard defensively and made a few good plays, but there was nothing he could do against a vast superior opponent. Heidenheim actually took a 2-0 lead before Leverkusen woke up. 

It seems unlikely that Maloney will break into the national team anytime soon, but stranger things have happened and we still don’t know what Mauricio Pochettino wants from his defensive midfielders. Maloney only very rarely gets involved in possession or in offensive plays. That might not be what the Argentine manager is looking for.

With the result, Heidenheim now only sits two points clear of the bottom, three of the Bundesliga. A relegation battle awaits. 

Jordan Pefok is still without a goal this season after going 90 minutes for Union Berlin in a 1-0 loss away to Wolfsburg on Saturday. The Washington, DC native had his team’s best chance to score with a close range shot in the 74th minute. He tried to go high, but it was well saved by the Wolfsburg keeper. In the 6th minute, Pefok also saw a header from a set piece get blocked from close range. He is still getting his chances, but has seen a combination of poor finishing, and poor luck go against him. He is good with hold up play, and he draws fouls. But at some point, he will need to score to justify his minutes.

With the loss, Union Berlin fell to eighth in the Bundesliga. 

Timmy Chandler was an unused substitute for Eintracht Frankfurt in a 1-0 win over Werder Bremen to move into 2nd place of the Bundesliga. The former USMNT fullback has made just one appearance this season for Eintracht. 

 

Yanks in the 2.Bundesliga

 

In the 2.Bundesliga, Santiago Castaneda played the entire game for Paderborn in a big 3-2 win over Nurnburg to move into first place, at least temporarily. The defensive midfielder from Tampa celebrated his 20th birthday last week during the international break. In his return to the field, he had a decent outing in this win and he continues to start every game in what is now a race for promotion to Germany’s top tier.

Castaneda only had 33 touches in this game, but he was important defensively. It was a gutsy effort from Paderborn, who was reduced to 10 men in the 78th minute with the score 2-2. Despite being shorthanded, they found a winner in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

For Castaneda, it has been a remarkable story as he came from seemingly out of nowhere to being a key part of a very good 2.Bundesliga team. 

Staying in Germany’s second tier, Damian Downs played the last three minutes plus stoppage time for FC Koln to see out a 1-0 away win over Preussen Munster on Friday. The lone goal was scored long before Downs, 20, entered the game. Downs had 5 touches and was 4/4 passing to help control possession. With the win, Koln moved into fourth place as they continue to play better after a shaky start. 

Julian Green and Max Dietz each went a full 90 for Greuther Furth in a 3-2 loss at home to Karlsruher. For Dietz, it was his first game back since his injury and he played in the middle of a three-man backline. Meanwhile, Green played his usual central midfield position.  Neither American player made much of an impact in the game. Furth fell to 13th place with the loss. An unexpected relegation battle could be ahead, as they are only two points clear of the bottom three. 

Johann Gomez drew a first half penalty, which was converted by Rayan Philippe, but his Eintracht Braunschweig team ultimately fell on the road to Kaiserslautern 3-2, leaving Braunschweig just one point clear of the bottom three (relegation zone). Gomez’s big contribution in this game is that he drew a staggering seven fouls, including the penalty. He also won 7/11 ground duels. But beside that, he was mostly quiet and his team continues to struggle this season.

 

Yanks in Ligue 1

 

Caleb Wiley, 19, made his first start for Strasbourg since August 25 when he got the nod for the club’s game against Nice. Wiley missed over a month with knee tendonitis after having made a quick transition to the first team after transferring from Atlanta United to Chelsea and immediately loaned over the summer.

The good news is that Wiley played relatively well in the first half. But at the end of the first half he picked up a knock and was subbed out at the break. It appears to be minor, but we will see early this week if he will miss any more time.



Wiley is clearly rated at the club, and that offers him a big stage for his development. He needs to continue to play and play well. That is easier said than done, of course, but he has his foot in the door and that is a big deal.

With Kristoffer Lund in a bad position right now at Palermo, Wiley and other players (John Tolkin, George Bello, etc) have a chance to push for a spot on the USMNT to be the backup left back to Antonee Robinson.

On another negative note, Strasbourg lost its third game in a row as Nice prevailed 2-1. The loss saw them fall to 11th place and the club is clearly struggling.

Tanner Tessmann returned from a very successful international window with the USMNT and played the final 11 minutes for Lyon in a 1-1 away draw with Stade de Reims on Saturday.  The former FC Dallas homegrown midfielder had 10 touches and completed 7/8 passes in his short stint. The result kept Lyon in 5th and Reims in 6th. 

It was a tough day for Mark McKenzie and Toulouse on Friday, who saw a 390 minute scoreless streak end in a 3-0 loss away to leaders Paris St. Germain. After starting both games for the USMNT this window, McKenzie started for Toulouse on short rest. It was a tough outing for Toulouse, although McKenzie was not at fault for any of the PSG goals. Still, the former Philadelphia Union homegrown did not stand out either way in the loss as Toulouse dropped to 10th place. 

Staying in France, Monaco remained in second place with a 3-2 win over Brest on Friday. Flo Balogun continues to miss time with his shoulder injury. 

Le Havre climbed out of the Ligue 1 relegation zone on Sunday with an impressive 2-0 away win over a Nantes team that fell into to bottom three as a result. Emmanuel Sabbi, 26, started and played 59 minutes for Le Havre. His best moment offensively came in the 16th minute when he was on the end of a counter attack, but saw a close range shot from a tight angle saved. He only had 19 touches and seven completed passes, but his high-level athleticism was useful on both sides of the ball as he handled the physical side of the game well.

For Sabbi, he has struggled to gain attention from the USMNT coaching staff. But with the new regime having started, maybe he will now have a fresh opportunity. Playing in the top tier of France helps, but he will need to produce. He has a good stage, but now he needs to shine and offer more than just athleticism. 

 

Yanks in La Liga

 

Johnny Cardoso is still out from the hamstring injury he suffered while with the you. U.S national team. He did not play for 7th place Real Betis in a 4-2 loss to Valencia. He was certainly missed. 

Luca de la Torre remains out for Celta Vigo and he watched his club play to an impressive 2–2 draw with leaders Barcelona on Saturday. Celta trailed 2-0 into the 84th before rallying for a result that lifted them into 11th place. While de la Torre is injured, it is also a question whether or not he is rated by the club’s coaching staff. The likelihood is that he moves in January

 

Yanks in Belgium

 

With a 4-0 victory over lowly Kortrijk on Sunday, Westerlo won for the second time in three games to move into seventh place in Belgium. The club’s top two Americans, Griffin Yow and Bryan Reynolds, both started and put in strong performances to contribute to the result.

The highlight from an American perspective came in the 74th minute when Yow scored from close range to give Westerlo a 3-0 lead. It was a big moment for Yow as he had been struggling this season for playing time and injuries after a breakout last season which put him onto the Olympic team. Starting last November, Yow made huge strides in his game and seemed to emerge as a USMNT prospect. The start to this season was step back, but perhaps this goal puts him back on the top trajectory.



Apart from the goal, Yow was dangerous. He nearly scored again in the 82nd minute as he created an open shot but hit it at the keeper. He also won 9/12 ground duels, was successful in 4/5 of his dribbles, and created three chances in quick succession inside the first 15 minutes of the second half. All were from Yow’s crosses with the best coming in the 53rd minute when he found Allahyar Sayyadmanesh for an open header from close range which was ultimately saved.

Yow should continue to see significant minutes after this game.

As for Reynolds, he was also good at right back. He had 53 touches, and 13 of his 22 completed passes were into the final third as he was aggressive in the attack. He is another player who should compete for a spot on the USMNT as his numbers are superior in many respects to Marlon Fossey, who plays in the same league.

Staying in Belgium’s First Division, there was nothing good to report for Kahveh Zahiroleslam as he was subbed into the game for St. Truiden in the 59th minute of a 7-0 blowout loss to Club Brugge on Saturday. He was then subbed out 5 minutes later due to injury. St. Truiden sits 12th after the game.

After a disastrous showing just before the international break in a 5-0 loss to leaders Gent, Standard Liege rebounded nicely on Saturday in a 1-0 win over Cercle Brugge. Marlon Fossey went the distance in the win as Standard moved into 7th place with the result. Fossey, 26, had 52 touches and was busy defensively to help secure the win. Offensively, he wasn’t very productive. Fossey will probably feel some pressure to raise his game after not being selected to play for the national team this past window. 

 

Yanks in Denmark

 

Milan Illoski had the biggest moment of his career since his move to the Danish Superliga when he scored the winning goal for FC Nordsjaelland on Friday in stoppage time against league leaders AGF Aarhus. The former Real Salt Lake and Orange County attacker entered the game in the 88th minute with the game 0-0. Then in the first minute of stoppage time, he got on the end of a long ball into the box. He laid it off for a teammate, whose shot was deflected. Iloski was then there to fire home the loose ball for a 1-0 win. 



The win moved Nordsjaelland into 4th place in Denmark. For Iloski, the challenge is now to break into the starting lineup for FCN as he is yet to start in Superliga games. But this was an important moment for him just as it was for his team. 

Andres Jasson played 84 minutes for Aalborg BK on Sunday in a 0-0 draw with Viborg. The former NYCFC attacker had four tackles and won most of his duels to help earn a draw against an opponent who was controlling the game. Aab sits 9th in the 12-team Danish Superliga. 

Jonathan Amon started for Lyngby and played 58 minutes in a 2-1 loss away to FC Copenhagen. The winger only had 18 touches and five completed passes, but had a very good chance to score in the 25th minute, but was not able to finish from close range. Instead, his shot was saved. Lyngby now sit 11th in the 12-team Superliga. 

Also in Denmark, 10th place SonderjyskE hosted 7th place Brondby on Sunday and the two teams played to a 2-2 draw. Jose Gallegos wasn’t part of the squad for SonderjyskE while Justin Che was an unused substitute for Brondby. 

 

Yanks Elsewhere

 

In Poland’s Ekstraklassa, Adam Basse was  an unused sub for last place Slask Wroclaw in a 2-2 draw at Jagiellonia Bialystok on Friday. The 16 year old defender had made two appearances for the first team already. 

Staying in Poland, Ian Hoffmann made a late cameo for leaders Lech Poznan in a 2-0 win over GKS Katowice on Saturdays. The American was subbed into the game in the 90th minute, and his team is now four points, clear on top of the table.

Also in Poland’s Ekstraklassa, Danny Trejo was not part of the squad for 14th place Korona Kielce in its 1-1 away draw with 3rd place Rakow Cz?stochowa. 

In Slovakia’s Super Liga, winger Zyen Jones played the last 26 minutes for 5th-place FC Kosice in a 1-1 draw with leaders Slovan Bratislava on Friday. Jones continues to be the first offensive sub off the bench for Kosice - which he has been all season. 

Also in Slovakia, Iowa forward Eduvie Ikoba played the entire second half for 9th place Zemplin Michalovce in an impressive 1-0 away win over 4th place DAC 1904 Dunajska Streda. The winning goal was scored after Ikoba came into the game. 

In Uruguay’s Cup, Boston River fell to Defensor Sporting 1-0 at home on Friday to end their run in the semifinal. Florida-born winger Agustin Anello played the last 11 minutes in the loss which saw Defensor score a winner late in stoppage time. 

In England’s third tier League One, forward Charlie Kelman played the final 26 minutes for Leyton Orient  in a 0-0 away draw with Stevenage. Leyton Orient is in relegation zone and is one point deep inside the bottom four. Kelman will be looked upon to contribute goals in the important months ahead.

Also, in the third tier, Donovan Pines played the final 33 minutes for Barnsley in a 1-0 loss at home to Wigan Athletic. Gaga Slonina is injured for Barnsley, which fell to 6th place but is still in a promotion race at this point of the season.

In Scotland’s Premiership, Celtic manager Brenden Rodgers selected an all-American central defense pairing of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty for Saturday’s visit to face Hearts. Celtic won, as expected, with a 4-1 score and the two American defenders combined for 226 completed passes against an overmatched opponent. As is the case for Celtic in most of their Premiership games (except in the Old Firm derby), they controlled every area. Defensively, CCV was 2/2 of his tackles, he won 4/4 of his aerials, 3/4 of his ground duels, and had six clearances. Trusty was 1/3 in tackles, 4/5 in ground duels, 2/4 in aerials, and had four clearances. 

Celtic is now three points clear in first place, and both Americans should continue to start for the club for the foreseeable future. It will be interesting to see how they are viewed in 2025 by Mauricio Pochettino with regards to spots on the national team.



Also in Scotland, 2nd place Aberdeen lost its first game of the season in a 2-1 upset defeat away to St. Mirren. American midfielder Dante Polvara made his first match day squad of the season after coming back from an ACL surgery. He was unused in this game, but his return is very close.

Gedion Zelalem was not in the squad for NK Lokomotiva in a 1-1 draw away to NK Varazdin to move into 7th place of the 10-team Croatian HNL. 

In Austria’s Bundesliga, Quincy Butler started and played 69 minutes of a 0-0 draw with 2nd place Rapid Wien. Butler had just 12 touches and completed 3 passes as WSG had just 27% possession playing at home. WSG end the weekend in 10th place in the 12-team league. 

Staying in Austria top league, it was a very good day for George Bello, 22, as the former Atlanta United left back had a strong showing for LASK in a 2-1 away win over RB Salzburg on Saturday to climb into 4th place of the Austrian Bundesliga. Bello had 55 touches and, while he didn’t stand out much, had a very competent performance in the big win.  Bello’s performances have been trending upward over the past month. 

In Norway’s Eliteserien, Christian Cappis played the first half for Viking against FK Haugesund but was subbed out to start the 2nd half after FK Haugesund was reduced to 10 men just before the break. With the man advantage, Viking turned a 1-1 score j to a 5-1 win to remain in 3rd place with just one game to go in the season. They can finish no lower than their current 3rd place but can rise to 2nd with a win over 2nd place Brann in the finale next weekend. 

In the Swiss Super League on Saturday, Konrad de la Fuente made a rare start as he went 89 minutes for Lausanne in a 1-0 win over Sion. The former U.S U-20 winger was solid on both sides of the ball. In the 68th minute, his cross found Teddy Okou - who missed a header from close range. In the 34th minute, it was Karim Sow who couldn’t finish a de la Fuente cross. In the 57th, de la Fuente missed a header on his own. He also was 7/13 in winning ground duels and was 2/2 in his tackles. 

For de la Fuente, he performed well and should remain in the starting lineup for Lausanne. That would be a huge accomplishment for him as he has struggled to earn consistent playing time. Lausanne moved into 6th place with the win. 

In Argentina, Alan Sonora was an unused sub for 2nd place Huracan in a 0-0 draw with Boca Jrs., the club he came through the academy and the club where his father played most of his career. 

In Greece’s Super League. Jonathan Gomez was not in the squad for PAOK in their 2-1 away win over Asteras Tripolis on Sunday. Similarly, Erik Palmer-Brown was not part of the squad for Panathinaikos and its 2-1 away win over Panetolikos. 

In Croatia’s HNL, Hajduk Split played Osijek to a 2-2 away draw on Sunday. Rokas Pukstas, 20, played all 90 minutes for Hajduk. He only had 40 touches in this game (the least of any player) but he created a very good chance in the second half, and he won a significant number of aerials. Hajduk remains in first place by three points.

It’s shaping up to be an interesting winter for Pukstas. Hajduk was looking to sell the Oklahoma native this past summer, but the offers that came in were below expectations. This current season, his production numbers have dipped. So will the club now settle for a lower amount, or will they try to build his value back up for next summer? They also might elect to hold onto him as they chase another Croatian title.

In Slovenia’s Super Liga, American winger Steven Juncaj started and played 61 minutes for 6th place Mura in a 1-0 loss at home to leaders Olimpija Lubljana on Sunday. 

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