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Americans abroad

Pulisic, Aaronson, Miljevic, and Balogun star in a mixed weekend for Yanks abroad

ASN's Brian Sciaretta looks at the weekend for Americans across the globe, which saw Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun, Paxten Aaronson, and Matko Miljevic score impressive goals. But on the other hand, not all was great among Yanks abroad. 
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
October 07, 2024
7:05 AM

It wasn’t the busiest weekend for Americans abroad as many players remained on the sidelines with injuries and others aren’t in the best form. But given the high number of Yanks across the globe, there are always going to be highlights.

Some of the best moments came from the players you’d expect. Christian Pulisic is in world class form now, even by his standards. He continues to be the top player at AC Milan this season. Josh Sargent also is scoring at a steady rate, and he bagged another goal in Norwich blowout win.

Then there are the players wo don’t surprise you when they do something good, but they’re showing signs of breaking through to the next level. Paxten Aaronson has scored another important goal for Utrecht which is in surprisingly great form, second in the Eredivisie this season. The younger Aaronson brother is showing signs that he is putting it together and hitting big moments in his development.

Then there are players who continue to impress but are still difficult to read.  Richard Ledezma has been a serviceable makeshift right back for PSV, but has only really done well against the bottom of the Eredivisie. Santiago Castaneda came out of nowhere and has started every game for Paderborn, which is yet to lose in the 2.Bundesliga. Then you have Matko Miljevic, who scored a wonderful goal for Newell’s Old Boys in Argentina, but who has a past that should give pause when trying to forecast his future.

Anyway, let’s get into it all in great detail, including the good, the bad, and the ugly.

 

Yanks in the Premier League

 

Antonee Robinson battled hard in a tough assignment for Fulham as they travelled north to take on Manchester City. Fulham overall battled really hard but ultimately came up short in a 3-2 loss away to the four-time Premier League chams. Robinson fought hard defensively, he stretched the defense with runs. He ultimately didn't create much but he was a key battler for his team. Overall, it was a respectable effort. With the loss, Fulham fell to eighth place.

Also in the Premier League, Chris Richards remains injured with a hamstring issue. He missed Crystal Palace's 1-0 loss at home to Liverpool on Saturday. He will now rehab during the international window.

Sticking with injury news in the Premier League, the situation is more positive with Tyler Adams. The USMNT World Cup captain was not in the squad for AFC Bournemouth in a 1-0 loss to Leicester City, but Adams is now listed as day-to-day and the club now believes his return is very close. He is expected to be training with Bournemouth's first team on a regular basis during the international window.

Bright & Hove Albion and their Houston-born manager Fabian Hurzeler rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Tottenham 3-2 on Sunday. Hurzeler, at just 31 years old, has been a revelation as a head coach and has already won the Premier League manager of the month. Now his Bright & Hove team will enter the break sitting sixth.

 

Yanks in the Championship

 

In the Championship on Friday, Leeds United earned a point on the road after a 2-2 draw with Sunderland. It was a frustrating ending for Leeds United which conceded via an own goal in the seventh minute of stoppage time. Instead of finishing the weekend in third or fourth place, they now head into the international break in fifth.

Brenden Aaronson had a good performance, particularly on the defensive end where his press and running helped to disrupt Sunderland's potent attack. Aaronson will likely feel he should have had a goal from is three shots, all were inside the box, two were saved and one was blocked. But he still had ways of being very useful to Leeds United and he will now head to the USA where he should feel confident about being able to make a good impression with Mauricio Pochettino.

Norwich is starting to heat up and Saturday's 4-0 romp over Hull City saw the team end the week on a three-win, one-draw run over the last for games. Those 10 points now move Norwich into seventh place, which is a huge improvement after a slow start.

What makes Norwich so difficult is the attacking duo of Borja Sainz (seven goals) and U.S. national team forward Josh Sargent (four goals). Both players added a goal in the win over Hull and Sargent's goal in the 29th minute made the score 2-0. It wasn't perfect from the St. Louis native who missed a penalty in the 56th minute as his shot clanked off the right post. But it did not matter, and Sargent was still a net positive on the day for both his goal and his overall combination work in the attack.

Sargent will now head to Texas to join the USMNT. Injuries have limited his ability to contribute with the national team since the World Cup, but this camp under a new manager could be different.

After a very strong start in the Championship since joining Middlesbrough in the summer, Aidan Morris did not stand out much in a 2-1 away loss to Watford on Saturday. Morris was on the ball a lot in his 89-minute stint, with 91 touches and 72/76 passing but he didn't really help his team find another level in the loss. He might have been one of his team's best midfielders on the day, but the expectation now for Morris is that he can be the winning edge Boro. He has the talent to be a true difference maker in a promotional challenge.

After a goal for Coventry midweek against Blackburn, there was hope that Haji Wright would start to catch fire after an otherwise tough start to the season for the USMNT attacker. But Wright wasn't able to get much going on Saturday in Coventry's ugly 2-1 loss at home to Sheffield Wednesday, which was a step back after the Blackburn win. Coventry scored the opener then conceded an equalizer just before halftime. Then in second half stoppage time, Sheffield Wednesday found a winner. Conceding goals at the end of the half was reflective of Coventry's lack of concentration to see games through. Wright had four shots but didn't really threaten. He was very direct with his play, but didn't create much for the team.

Coventry enter the break sitting in 20th place with eight points from nine games.

Duane Holmes had an active 14 minute shift off the bench for Preston North End in a 0-0 draw away against a good Burnley team. Holmes, 29, had 10 touches, was 4/4 in passing, drew two fouls, and was 3/3 in ground duels, 1/1 in dribbles, and had a good clearance to help preserve the point. Preston North End is pushing towards midtable with nine points from nine games.

Lynden Gooch is still out with a knee injury and did not take part in Stoke City's 0-0 away draw with Swansea City. Stoke end the weekend in 17th place in the 24-team league.

Ethan Horvath continues to watch from the bench as Cardiff City’s back up goalkeeper. His team played Bristol City to a 1-1 draw on Sunday. Horvath has not played since before the last international window, but he will still join the USMNT next week in Texas. It might be the last time he gets a call up until things change for him at Cardiff.

 

Yanks in Italy

 

While AC Milan lost on the road to Fiorentina 2-1, Christian Pulisic has had a great month. His beautiful 60th minute goal equalized the game at 1-1. Pulisic was dangerous throughout his 82-minute shift.

Pulisic created a number of dangerous chances, including with his set piece delivers (setting up a very good Milan chance in the 66th minute). He also assisted on the play in the 44t minute tat resulted in an unsuccessful penalty. His cross in the 62nd minute put pressure on Fiorentina's backline. Earlier in the 33rd minute, he set up what was Milan's best chance up until that point.

Pulisic now has six goals and two assists across all competitions this season. What is also important to note is that he has scored against great teams including Inter Milan, Liverpool, Fiorentina. He has six goals in his last seven games (starting with the USMNT draw with New Zealand).

 

He's the best American player ever at the club level and he's in the best form of his career. Now he will travel to Texas to play with Mauricio Pochettino as he takes control of the national team.

Venezia fell on the road to Hellas Verona to end the weekend in 19th place in the 20-team league. Gianluca Busio went a full 90 in an up and down outing for Venezia. He had four shots, all from outside the box, only created one chance, was 31/37 in passing, and he lost a lot of duels. Busio is a good possession midfielder but he needs  to get on the ball more for him to be effective. In this game, he just wasn't able to do that. Part of that is on him, part of it is just with Venezia looking like an overmatched squad facing a tough relegation fight.

Busio, 23, will now head back to the USA to join the USMNT for the first time since 2022. He needs to have a good camp because there are other central midfielders (domestic and abroad) who are also competing for call-ups.

Weston McKennie was on the bench for Juventus on Sunday at home against Cagliari. He was subbed into the game in the 62nd minute with Juventus up 1-0. Unfortunately for Juve, they could not hold on after Douglas Luiz conceded an 88th minute penalty. With the 1-1 draw, Juventus fell to third place with 13 points from seven games.

For McKennie, it was a quiet performance. Positionally, he was smart but he didn't have any big defensive moments. His passes were safe, and he wasn't part of any scoring chances.

Overall, it was a disappointing day for everyone on Juve. Including Tim Weah, who wasn’t in the squad due to his injury, and he was later removed from the USMNT roster.

In Serie B, Andrija Novakovich played the final 23 minutes for Bari in a 1-1 draw away at Cremonese. The forward from Wisconsin came into the game with Bari ahead 1-0, only to see Cremonese equalize minutes later. But Novakovich was dangerous the rest of the way, but his team settled for a point to end the weekend in 11th place.

United States national team left back Kristoffer Lund went 90 minutes for Palermo on Sunday in a 1-0 loss at home to Salernitana. Despite the loss, Lund had some good moments going forward in the first half. His best came in the 40th minute, his cross found Jacopo Segre, only to see the ensuing header miss wide. With the result, Palermo end the weekend in ninth place. 

 

Yanks in the Bundesliga

 

While he went as an unused substitute on the day, it was a milestone occasion for U.S. U-20 winger Cole Campbell who made Borussia Dortmund's bench for the first time on Saturday in a 2-1 loss to Union Berlin. Campbell, 19, is viewed as the top player on the U.S. U-20 team and he impressed during the March international window in a two goal performance in a 3-2 win over England.

That performance came shortly after he filed his one-time switch to represent the USA from Iceland. Born in Texas and raised in Georgia, Campbell and his family moved to Iceland in is teenage years to be closer to with is Icelandic maternal grandfather who was sick at the time. But Campbell blossomed as a player in Iceland and eventually attracted the interest of Dortmund where he is the next highly promising American teenager. His first team debut should be coming soon. Campbell will not play with the U.S. U-20 team this window but rather with remain with Dortmund to train.

Also in this game, Gio Reyna is still not fit. The club announced that Reyna had suffered a setback recently and won't be back until after the November international window. If that timeline holds, he will only have played a little more than 2100 club minutes in just short of 3.5 years.

Also in this game, Jordan Pefok, 28, played the final 23 minutes for Union Berlin to see out the win. He was effective in his hold-up play and created a pair of decent chances as BVB pushed forward. But Pefok is still without a goal this season.

In the Bundesliga on Friday, Borussia Monchengladbach dropped a 2-1 decision on the road to Augsburg. Joe Scally started and played 76 minutes for M'Gladbach and wasn't in top form in this game.

Scally's best moment came in the first half when he made a great run in his own box to block a very dangerous shot from Dimitrios Giannoulis. But aside from that, Scally struggled. He didn't get forward much and lost most of is duels. He left just minutes after M'Gladbach scored to pull one back. M'Gladbach ended the weekend in a mediocre 14th place with six points from six games. Scally will now travel to the USA to join the USMNT in Texas.

Lennard Maloney played 64 minutes for Heidenheim on Sunday in a 1-0 loss at home to RB Leipzig. Maloney sat deep in the midfield to defend, as he usually does, and he had a decent shift limiting Leipzig chances. Offensively or in possession, he did not have much to do and completed 16/20 passes. But minutes after Leipzig scored, Maloney was removed in a tactical shift to go with a more offensive approach. Heidenheim fell to ninth place with the loss while Leipzig sits second.

Meanwhile, Kevin Paredes continues to miss games due to the ankle injury he suffered at the end of August. The recent Olympic winger did not take part in Wolfsburg’s 3-1 away win over Bochum that moved them into 12th place of Germany’s top league.

Timmy Chandler was not in the squad Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday as they played Bayern Munich to a 3-3 draw. Eintracht currently sit a surprising third in the Bundesliga.

Finally in the Bundesliga, American manager Pellegrino Matarazzo was moments away from an important and personally satisfying win as his Hoffenheim team had a 1-0 lead deep into stoppage time against his former club, VfB Stuttgart. But in the ninth minute of stoppage time, Ermedin Demirovic equalized for Stuttgart off a set-piece scramble to see the game to a 1-1 draw. Hoffenheim would have moved out of the bottom three with a win, but instead, they sit 16th in the 18-team league at the break. Hoffenheim has been on the wrong end of a number of truly heartbreaking results to start the season. Matarazzo will now hope that the international break can reset the club's mentality.

 

Yanks in the 2.Bundesliga

 

In the 2.Bundesliga, Paderborn defeated last-place Jahn Regensburg 3-0 on Friday. Santiago Castaneda, 19, put in a strong 84-minute shift in the win. He is starting to take a growing role within the team with his involvement in the games. In this game, the central midfielder from Tampa had 76 touches and was 59/65 in passing. That is more time on the ball than he had earlier in the season. But Castaneda is one of the more surprising stories among Americans abroad as he has started every game this season and his club finished the weekend in third place with 16 points from eight games. They have yet to lose and should be in a promotional race the rest of the way.

Meanwhile, Jahn Regensburg’s American manager Joe Enochs might find his seat getting hot as they only have four points from eight games to go along with a -18 goal differential.

Julian Green had a good day at the office for Greuther Furth in a 2-2 away draw against second place Magdeburg. With Furth down 2-0, the former USMNT midfielder/forward ignited the comeback when he converted a 42nd minute penalty after a Magdeburg handball. In the 86th minute, his shot from 30 yards forced a great save in what would have been a winner for Furth. In total, Green created four chances, was a perfect 5/5 on his duels, 4/7 on crosses, and 2/2 with his dribbles. Green was the MOTM.

Recent U.S. Olympian Max Dietz had a good shift for Furth on the right side of a three-man backline with his decent passing out of the back and shutting down Magdeburg after their two early goals.  Furth ended the weekend in 10th place.

Eintracht Braunschweig moved out of the bottom three of the 2.Bundesliga after a surprising 2-0 win over Hannover. Johan Gomez started and went 89 minutes in the win. He had a big shot in the 56th minute that forced a save and then created two good chance in his hold up play from the right wing.

Staying in the 2.Bundesliga, FC Cologne defeated SSV Ulm 2-0 on Saturday. The win was made easier for Cologne after Ulm was reduced to 10 players in the 21st minute, after already trailing 1-0. Damion Downs, 20, has been red hot recently with four goals from five games but was kept off the scoresheet in his 66 minutes of action. The American center forward never really got going in this game. He had two blocked shots, 15 touches, and just seven completed passes. Still, with the club winning, there isn't much of a reason to tinker with the starting lineup. Koln finish the weekend in seventh place with 12 points from eight games, five points off the top of the table.

John Brooks remains out injured and missed Hertha BSC's 2-2 draw on the road wit Schalke. Hertha BSC finished the weekend in ninth place.

 

Yanks in Ligue 1


The good news is that Folarin Balogun is heating up at a great time for Monaco, which is pushing PSG to enter the international break atop Ligue 1. On Saturday, Balogun scored a 22nd minute goal to give Monaco a 2-0 lead away at Rennes. It ended up being a 2-1 win for Monaco and it was the third straight Ligue 1 game Balogun has scored, after he failed to score in his first three games.

Even when Balogun was scoring, he was still getting 4-5 shots a game where he'd nearly miss the target or see a shot saved. He was never invisible or uninvolved. It always seemed like a matter of time before he would heat up. Which he now has.

But the flip side to this is that Balogun was forced out of the game in the 64th minute with a shoulder injury which left him in considerable pain. Monaco manager Adolf Hutter confirmed the injury and the pain after the game. For Monaco, they don't play for two weeks for international break - which is good news for them. For the USMNT, it is unfortunate timing as Balogun will now miss the team's first camp under Mauricio Pochettino.

Also in Ligue 1, Mark McKenzie and Toulouse fell into the bottom three of the league with a 2-1 away loss to Lille on Saturday. Toulouse took a 1-0 lead into the second half but couldn't hang on in the second half.

McKenzie played on the left side of a three-man backline. He was involved in both of Lille's goals (both times with the final pass) although he was not primarily at fault for either goal. In the end, no one on Toulouse is likely satisfied with how they're playing.

Lyon defeated Nantes 2-0 on Sunday and Tanner Tessmann came off the bench in the 74th minute for Lyon. The recent Olympic team captain was very busy in his 16 minutes where he had 27 touches and was 22/23 passing. He was effective in central midfield to calmly see out the 2-0 win (both goals were scored before he came on). It was a mature but short shift to ensure there were no problems securing three points. Lyon arrive at the break in eighth place with 10 points from seven games.

Emmanuel Sabbi played the final 27 minutes for Le Havre in a 2-0 loss away to Brest on Sunday. The game was 1-0 when Sabbi came on, but Le Havre was reduced to 10 men in the 48th minute. Brest saw a player sent off in 73rd minute to make the game 10 vs. 10.

Sabbi, 26, had a big chance to equalize in the 72nd but sent a close header wide. Despite the miss, Sabbi was a net positive for Le Havre as he drew three fouls to earn free kicks. He also won 5/5 of his duels as he thrives when games become more physical.

With the loss, Le Have sit just a point outside the bottom three.

 Former Atlanta United left back Caleb Wiley missed his third straight game for Strasburg on Sunday in a 2-2 draw with Lens. The veteran of the 2023 U-20 World Cup and the 2024 Olympics is dealing with tendinitis in his knee. Stroudsburg end the weekend in 8th place.

 

Yanks in the Netherlands

 

Paxten Aaronson, 21, had both of big and important game for Utrecht on Saturday in a 3-2 win over RKC Waalwijk. The recent US Olympian got the start and once again, reestablished himself as an integral part of the team’s attempt to be among the best in the Eredivisie this season. Two weeks ago, he only saw limited minutes and was sent to play with the club’s reserve team. But since then, he has scored two pivotal goals in two wins that now has Utrecht in second place, behind only PSV.

On Saturday, it was Aaronson’s goal in the 51st minute that put Utrecht up 2-1.

But it was also a good two-way performance from Aaronson who was effective defensively, winning four tackles and 10/14 of his duels.

Aaronson will stay in the Netherlands during this international window. But if he continues his current form, he could very well be with the USMNT in the near future as Pochettino has said he wants to look at younger players in the coming windows.

 

On another note, Taylor Booth was not in the squad for Utrecht and he is not contributing to the team’s terrific start to the season. We will see if news on his status surfaces during the international break.

PSV continued its perfect start to the Eredivisie season with a 2-1 win over Sparta Rotterdam. PSV now has 24 points from eight games, although they have not faced any of the league's top six teams or traditional powers. PSV will likely be disappointed with their performance against Sparta where they hung on and were bailed out of a late Sparta equalizer by VAR.

Malik Tillman started and played 83 minutes. Richard Ledezma returned from an injury to start and play 83 minutes (leaving the game with Tillman). While Tillman left the game for tactical reasons, Ledezma picked up a knock and was taken out. Ricardo Pepi replaced Luuk de Jong in the 69th minute.

Tillman played well offensively but had a great shot in the 16th minute from the middle of the box that he hit right at the keeper. Ledezma was able to get forward against an overmatched Sparta team, and that suited him well. He had 11 passes into the final third. Defensively, he wasn't tested much. Pepi had 10 touches but no shots with 5/5 passing.

Anthony Fontana is still nowhere to be seen for PEC Zwolle, which played Heerenveen to a 1-1 draw on Sunday.

In the Dutch second tier Eerste Divisie, Dordrecht defeated Jong PSV 2-0 on Friday. Jong PSV went down to 10 men in the 14th minute. John Hilton played 88 minutes for Dorecht at eft back while his American teammate Korede Osudina went 62 minutes at left wing. The top of the table is tight in the Eerste Divisie as Dordrecht sits sixth place wit 15 points from nine games but are just three points off the top of the table.

 

Yanks in Spain

 

Johnny Cardoso played the full 90 for Real Betis in a 1-0 away loss to Sevilla. The game was decided of a penalty via a handball. Cardoso had a few nice defensive plays in the midfield, and his positioning was solid on that end of the game. But overall, he didn't make much of an impact and struggled when the game became more physical in the second half.

Luca de la Torre remains out for Celta Vigo with an injury although there are questions whether he is in the team’s plans based on reports over the summer. Celta Vigo, without de la Torre, defeated Las Palmas 1-0 on the road on Saturday to climb to ninth.

Yanks the Belgian First Division

 

In Belgium's First Division, Westerlo played Beerschot to a 2-2 draw at home. This was not a good result against a Beerschot team that entered the weekend with one point from nine games and -19 goal differential to sit deep in last place.

Bryan Reynolds went 90 minutes for Westerlo and was very active in the attack. He had 13 passes into the final third and had a great shot in the fifth minute which forced a great save. Griffin Yow remains out with an injury. Westerlo remained in fifth place but missed a chance to end the weekend in second place had they won, as was expected. Still, not much separates Reynolds from Marlon Fossey, who earned a USMNT call-up. A few more good games and Reynolds might pull ahead in the months ahead.  Westerlo 2-2 Beerschot.

Marlon Fossey, 26, went a full 90 for Standard Liege in a tough 3-0 loss away to Anderlecht on Sunday. The USMNT right back was aggressive getting forward, but was unable to create anything dangerous against an Anderlecht team that was just better on the day. His best moment came in the 85th minute when he got on the end of a corner kick, but saw his header saved comfortably.

Standard now enters the international break in 11th place in Belgium

Fresh off completing his transfer from Sporting Kansas City and getting his paperwork sorted, right back Kayden Pierre made Genk’s bench for the first time on Saturday in a 2-1 loss to Kortrijk. Pierre’s club debut, however, will have to wait as he went as an unused substitute.

Kahveh Zahiroleslam, 22, didn't factor in the scoring for St. Truiden on Sunday, but he was very busy as his team played Gent to a 1-1 draw at home. The former Yale University forward had six shots as he always looked towards the goal. He had a fantastic chance to score in the 30th minute but skied a close shot over the goal with his left foot.

Overall, Zahiroleslam was a mixed outing. He found ways to be dangerous, win duels, and be effective with hold-up play, but that one miss could have delivered a win. St. Truiden sit in 13th place out of 16 teams at the break with 11 points from 10 games.

 

Yanks in South America

 

One of the more unusual stories in the world of Americans abroad is Matko Miljevic. Shortly after millennium, Miljevic's parents moved to Florida to escape Argentina due to the economic crisis. Miljevic was born in Florida but raised in Argentina once his parents moved back. He blossomed into a really nice soccer player with Argentinos Juniors (while also playing for the youth national teams of Argentina and the United States) but an ugly contract dispute saw him locked out from playing for nearly 18 months. He then attempted to reset his career with Montreal.

There a now infamous fallout occurred when he was upset with his playing time, registered with an amateur league in Quebec under a fake name, but then was discovered after he fought with an opposing player and punched him in the face. His contract was terminated with Montreal. But Miljevic returned to Argentina and found a new deal with Newell's Old Boys. Quietly he is putting his career back on track and Saturday was one of the greatest moments of his career.

Miljevic, now 23, was subbed into a 1-1 game with Lanus in the 65th minute. Then in stoppage time, he scored a stunning goal from distance that gave Newell's Old Boys a 2-1 win. Prior to that goal, Miljevic was quiet. But that goal was the best goal of the weekend in the Primera.

 

There is so much we don't know about Miljevic because he has not spoken publicly about his downfall with Montreal. Is he remorseful? Has he matured? Why was he not able to make it work with Montreal? Does he still want to be connected to American soccer?

On the field, he still has a lot of talent. If he does put it all together, he could be a very good player? But we don't know if he's still a huge risk as he moves forward.

Also in Argentina's Primera, CA Huracan defeated Sarmiento 3-1 on Friday to remain in second place, five points behind Velez Sarsfield. Huracan had 76% possession and dominated most aspects of the game. Alan Sonora, 26, went 79 minutes for Huracan in the win. He had four shots but his best came in the 60t minute when he had a open shot in the box, but saw it hit too closely to the keeper for a save. Overall, Sonora was effective in this game against an overmatched opponent who was bunkering most of the game.

In the Uruguayan Primera, after starting the season with four straight wins, Danubio has played to two straight draws. The latest came on Sunday in a 1-1 draw with Defensor Sporting. Mattias Fracchia started at left back for Danubio and left in the 88th while ahead 1-0. Like last week, they had a lead heading into second half stoppage time only to concede late for a draw. Last week they conceded twice in stoppage time. It's certainly a problem they need to fix.

Also in Uruguay's top flight, Agustin Anello made a late cameo for Boston River in a 3-2 win over the Montevideo Wanderers. Boston River sits second to end the weekend.

 

Yanks in the Danish Superliga

 

In the Danish Superliga, Aalborg BK finished with a terrible result in a 2-2 draw away at Vejle Boldklub. Vejle Boldklub started the season with 10 straight losses and this was their first point of the season. Former New York City FC winger Andres Jasson started for AaB but was subbed out at halftime with his club trailing 1-0 as part of a tactical shift. The Rye, NY native had some good moments in the first half but the effort wasn't good enough for anyone on his team.

There was a lot of American involvement in Denmark as Nordsjaelland defeated Sonderjyske 4-1 on Sunday. Former San Antonio FC attacking midfielder Jose Gallegos earned a rare start for SonderjyskE and rewarded that decision when he opened the scoring in the 11th minute with a tap in from close range for a 1-0 lead at home. It was his first goal of the season, in 317 minutes of action. He was subbed out in the 56th minute without much of a contribution other than his goal.

Unfortunately for SonderjyskE, things would unravel quickly Nordsjaelland had a 2-1 lead by halftime. American attacker Milan Iloski came into the game in the 80th minute with the score still 2-1. With a 3-1 in stoppage time, Iloski rounded out the scoring with a goal on the break where he got on the end of a pass inside the box and beat the keeper to the right corner with a right-footed shot. It was his first Superliga goal.

With the result, SonderjyskE remained in 11th place in the 12-team league while Nordsjaelland remained in fifth place.

Jonathan Amon was quiet in his 60 minutes for 10th-place Lyngby as they played to a 1-1 draw away at Randers.

Finally in Denmark, Justin Che was an unused substitute for 6th-place Brondby in a big 2-0 win at home against leaders FC Midtjylland.

 

Yanks in Liga MX

 

In Liga MX on Friday, Tijuana defeated Pachuca 2-1 at home in a good result that keeps in a great position for the playoffs. Joe Corona was an unused substitute in the win.

Brandon Vazquez played the final 27 minutes for Monterrey in a 1-0 upset loss to San Luis. The former Cincinnati forward had one shot, and created one chance, but ultimately was not able to help his team to find an equalizer.

Former U.S U-20 midfielder Fernando Arce Jr. played all 90 minutes for 11th-place Necaxa in a 3-0 away loss to leaders Cruz Azul.

Frankie Amaya was an unused sub for Toluca in a 1-1 draw with Pumas on Saturday. Toluca sits third at the international break.

Cade Cowell remains out injured for Chivas and missed his club’s 3-2 loss at home to 8th-place Atlas. Chivas end the weekend in 9th place.

Alex Zendejas went the full 90 for Club America on Saturday in a 1-1 away draw with Leon. The former FC Dallas winger was America’s most dangerous player with three very good chances created from both crosses and cutting centrally to pass. This was the best Zendejas has looked since returning from injury.

Alex Mendez's problems with earning minutes continues as he went unused again for FC Juarez in a 2-0 away win over Santos Laguna. He has played just 18 minutes over two appearances this season. Juarez sits 13th in Liga MX through 11 games while Santos Laguna sits last.

 

Yanks Elsewhere

 

After a brutal 7-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League midweek, Celtic returned to Premiership action with a visit to Ross County. This game saw Celtic flirt with a disastrous result, trailing 1-0 into the 76nd minute when Celtic equalized through Canadian and former Nashville SC right back Alistair Johnston. Then in the 88th minute Celtic found a winner through Nicholas Gerrit Kuhn.

Auston Trusty went the distance in central defense for Celtic as Cameron Carter-Vickers remained out injured with a toe problem. For Trusty, he was on the ball a ton as Celtic had a whopping 82% possession given Ross County was bunkering for a result. Trusty was not tested defensively, but he had 120 touches and was 104/109 in passing with almost all short range. He won 5/8 in his duels, which was a positive.

With the win, Celtic now have 21 points from seven games. Aberdeen also has a perfect start in the Premiership through seven games and Celtic will host Aberdeen immediately following the international break.

In Finland's Veikkausliiga relegation round robin, IF Gnistan played FC Lahti to a 2-2 draw. American goalkeeper AJ Marcucci did not make a save for Gnistan but his team remains atop the round robin by a point with one game remaining. If they win that game, they will go into a playoff to make Conference League qualifiers next year. But Marcucci is at the club on loan from the New York Red Bulls and it is unclear if he will return next year to be part of it.

Also in the relegation round robin, Justin Rennicks remains out injury for AC Oulu and missed the 1-1 away draw to EIF. But Oulu guaranteed they will not be relegated this season, so it was a big net positive with the result.

In the Swiss Super League, Konrad de la Fuente was an unused substitute for Lausanne in a 2-2 away draw with Luzern. The former U.S. U-20 and USMNT winger has struggled to get going this season for Lausanne which sits in 10th place in the 12-team league.

In the Austrian Bundesliga, George Bello went 85 minutes for LASK in a 4-0 win over Austria Klagenfurt. Bello, 23, did not stand out for better or for worse but it was a good win for LASK which is back on track after a terrible start to the season. They arrive at the international break in ninth place in the 12-team league.

Also in Austria, Quincy Butler was not in the squad (presumably due to injury) for 10th-place WSG Tirol in a 1-1 draw with third place BW Linz.

In Croatia's HNL, Oklahoma native Rokas Pukstas, 20, was not in the squad for Hajduk Split in a 4-0 win over Sibenik. Hajduk will now enter the break in first place with 21 points from nine games. They have a two-point advantage over Rijeka and Dinamo Zagreb.

In the Greek Super League, Johan Gomez made his club debut when he went 90 minutes for leaders PAOK in a 2-0 win on the road for Levadiakos. Gomez was decent, given it was his debut, but he made one bad mistake in the 70th minute when he conceded a penalty, which was not converted. Aside from that, he was steady as he team extended its lead atop the table to two points.

Also in Greece, Erik Palmer-Brown remained out for eighth place Panathinaikos in a 0-0 draw with Olympiacos.

In Poland's Ekstraklassa, Danny Trejo was an unused substitute for 12th place Korona Kielce in a 1-0 win on the road over Widzew Lodz. Meanwhile, Ian Hoffemann was not in the squad for Lech Poznan, who was upset at home by Motor Lubin 2-1. Despite the loss, Lech Poznan remains in first place by two points (25 points out of 11 games).

In Ireland's Premier Division, Patrick Hickey now has four goals to go along with four assists across all competitions for Galway United as his 41st minute goal put his club up 1-0 on Dundalk. Unfortunately for Galway, they conceded a goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time to have to settle for a point at home against the last-place team. Hickey was subbed out in the 84th minute. Fellow American midfielder Vincent Borden went 69 minutes for Galway United. Bronx-born manager John Caulfield has his team in third place with just three matches to go.

In the English third tier of League One, Gaga Slonina started for Barnsley and had to make fives saves (including three good ones) but he could not prevent a 2-0 away loss to Huddersfield. Meanwhile, Donovan Pines was an unused for Barnsley in the loss. Barnsley fell to 11th place with the loss. Also in League One, Charlie Kelman played all 90 minutes for Leyton Orient in a 2-1 loss to Lincoln City. Kelman assisted on his team's only goal in the 80th minute. Leyton Orient finish the weekend in 19th place in the 24-team league.

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