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Americans abroad analysis

Ream & Robinson punish the Yank duo at Leeds, Valencia get needed win, & much more

ASN's Brian Sciaretta digs very deep and goes into the weekend for Americans abroad. It was another tough weekend on the balance, but there were some positives to report as well. Through good and bad, here's the analysis. 
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
April 24, 2023
9:50 AM

THE WEEKEND FOR AMERICANS ABROAD was another bad one. Friday was uneventful, Saturday was a disaster, and Sunday was slightly better but still not enough to change the narrative. Overall, this season has been a tough one for Yanks in Europe, and it is thankfully ending in a month.

Overall, the difficulties are found with key national team players. Yes, Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson are the exceptions. But throughout the rest of the roster, it almost all disappointing.

 

Fulham add to Leeds woes

 

Four Americans were in action in a Premier League game but for Leeds United, it was another miserable experience for a team skidding in a relegation battle. As expected, Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson started for Fulham while Weston McKennie and Brenden Aaronson started for Leeds United.

The game opened up in the 57th minute when Harry Wilson put Fulham ahead and it was Robinson who led the build-up in carrying the ball into the attacking third.



Then in the 72nd minute, it was Robinson again who was instrumental in another goal when his cross was dangerously sent into the box. After a slight deflection, it found Andreas Pereira for another close-range finish.



A Joao Palhinha own goal pulled one back for Leeds but that is as close as they would come and Leeds United dropped their third in a row.

In this game, Weston McKennie struggled in his 80 minutes and he has not been playing well over the past month. He’s far from the only player on Leeds not playing well but it is a concern for the club and the U.S. national team. If he stays at Leeds (if they avoid relegation) what will be his future? If he returns to Juventus after this unsuccessful loan, will he play there or will he need to find another team?

As for Brenden Aaronson, he was better over his 65 minutes. He always finds a number of moments in a game to be dangerous. He has plenty of room to improve, but it is easy to see why he is starting now. But for Leeds to survive, Aaronson is going to need his dangerous plays to result in more goals.

As mentioned, Robinson had a great game and Tim Ream was also solid. His passing from the back is truly elite by any standard.

Fulham is looking at a top 10 finish, but not within Europe.

 

Leeds is in a tough spot. Yes, they’re still not in the relegation zone in 16th place. But they’re only a point from the drop and their goal differential has taken a big hit in the event they need a tiebreaker. They are a point clear of 17th place Leicester and 18th place Everton.

Leeds United’s next two games will tell the story. They host Leicester City on Tuesday and then visit AFC Bournemouth on Saturday. If they don’t win one of these games, the schedule gets a lot harder in the final four games.

But it’s more than just looking at schedules. The team is playing very poorly and has no positive momentum. It’s hard for anyone to like their chances at the moment.

 

Dortmund down Frankfurt

 

In the Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund moved into first place in the Bundesliga after a 4-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt combined with Bayern Munich’s loss to Mainz. This is the most serious challenge to Bayern Munich’s 10 season championship run in the Bundesliga. There are now just five Bundesliga rounds to go and Dortmund has a favorable schedule.

But the 4-0 win told separate stories for Yanks. On the winning team, it was disappointing. On the losing team, there was encouraging news.

Gio Reyna did not get off the bench for Dortmund in the win. While is scoring ratio is great (six goals in 532 minutes), he is still not in a regular rhythm of playing. He’s looking at a second straight season of very limited minutes. With Dortmund’s success in the Bundesliga and the Champions League leaving very important games over the next month, it’s hard to see Reyna playing much the remainder of the way.

What this means is that he is now starting at a 2023/24 season next year where he has to get things right. A third straight season of limited minutes will make things harder for a future sale.

On the flip side, Paxten Aaronson played the final 20 minutes off the bench and was very good. He was very progressive in his passing and dribbling. He showed himself well. It remains to be seen if he will be released for the U-20 World Cup, but he certainly could have a big stage there.

 

Valencia get a needed win

 

On Sunday, Valencia visited Elche in a matchup between two teams in La Liga’s relegation zone. But this was a game Valencia desperately needed against a very poor team with just 12 points on the season. Fortunately for Valencia, they got two first-half goals in a 2-0 win and are now in the relegation zone by a matter of goal differential. Even more important, they now have some positive momentum heading into a pair of critical and winnable games.

 

Yunus Musah played 80 minutes in the win. He was moved out of central midfield and back into the right midfield spot. He worked hard defensively but was mostly out of the game. In his 80 minutes, he had just 23 touches and was 8/11 in passing. He nearly created a goal in the first half with a dangerous pass but eight completed passes amounts to a largely invisible outing.

The next two games are critical as Valencia will take on Rayo Valladolid and Cadiz who are just ahead of them in the table. This will largely dictate whether they survive the drop. It’s been a tough season for Musah, but for now it is putting that behind him, finding a way to get his team to safety, and then regrouping in the summer.

 

Maloney & Heidenheim near promotion

 

Heidenheim defeated Hannover 96 3-0 to remain in second place in the 2.Bundesliga by a point over Hamburg. The race for second is tight and stakes are high because the third-place finisher has to play a playoff against the 16th place finisher in the Bundesliga (who is typically favored).

Lennard Maloney continues to have a strong season as he is a regular starter for Heidenheim. This is his first season as a first team starter and his first since being moved from central defense and into defensive midfield. He is typically a role player and doesn’t stand out much.

What is big for Maloney now is impressing to the point where he not only helps his team earn promotion, but that he proves he can help the team in the Bundesliga. It’ll be a close call whether a promoted Heidenheim seeks an upgrade for Maloney in the Bundesliga. If Maloney wants to get into the U.S. team picture, that will be critical.

 

Sonora’s beautiful assist

 

In Liga MX’s Clausura, Toluca and Club Juarez played to a 1-1 draw. Four Yanks were on the matchday sheet in this game.

Alan Sonora earned just his second start for Club Juarez and hit this beautiful assist to Diego Chavez for the only Juarez goal.

 

His older brother, Joel Sonora, played the final 20 minutes for Juarez while former U.S. youth international Bofo Saucedo started and played 66 minutes for Toluca. Ventura Alvarado did not get off the bench for Juarez.

It was a nice draw for Club Juarez which is in 16th place in the 18-team Mexican top flight. Toluca, meanwhile, sits in fourth place. This season has been about adjustment for Alan Sonora. The test will be next season. Whether he continues to consistently be part of the national team picture moving forward remains to be seen. It will come down to the next coach and how he prioritizes athleticism, something that is a weak point for Sonora.

 

Fontana & PEC Zwolle promoted

 

In Holland’s second tier Eerste Divisie, Almere City hosted PEC Zwolle over the weekend and it finished a 1-1 draw. That result was enough for PEC Zwolle to clinch promotion to the Eredivisie next season as they are 13 points clear of third place with just four games to go.

 

Former Philadelphia Union homegrown Anthony Fontana played the final 20 minutes for PEC Zwolle and he has been a regular player off the bench since arriving in January. But he is only signed for the remainder of this season. Now the question is whether he is doing enough to convince PEC Zwolle to sign him next season for the Eredivisie run?

That would be a huge boost for his career if he can take part in that.

 

Hoffenheim fall to FC Cologne

 

After winning three games in a row followed by an impressive draw away at Bayern Munich, Hoffenheim fell to FC Cologen 3-1 at home. For Hoffenheim and their American manager Pellegrino Matarazzo, they still sit four points above the relegation zone.

John Brooks, 30, went 90 minutes in the loss and he continues to be an important player to their backline. Whether he returns to the U.S. national team remains to be seen and that will likely be determined by the next U.S. national team manager. But he’s been helping his case.

The concern over Hoffenheim is that while they have a four point cushion over the relegation playoff position, there are five games left and the next four are against top 10 opponents (Leipzig, Eintrach Frankfurt, Wolfsburg, and Union Berlin). This could turn out to be a close case but Matarazzo has been good in these situations.


Two Yanks feature as Gladbach fall to Union 1-0

 

U.S. national team right back Joe Scally played 69 minutes for Borussia Monchengladbach in a 1-0 loss at home to Union Berlin. American forward Jordan Pefok played the final 22 minutes for Union Berlin and he came on just minutes after Union scored their goal.

While Pefok didn’t score, he played well. He won 4/6 of his aerials and completed three passes into the attacking third. He was more progressive with his midfield passing than we are used to seeing from him.

Scally had 63 touches in this game to stay involved, but he was never part of anything too dangerous. Scally is still young, and he has over 5000 Bundesliga minutes, but next season Gladbach will want to see Scally raise his game from being a decent Bundesliga player and into an impact player.

 

Getting ugly in Groningen

 

Ricardo Pepi and Groningen had their game against NEC Mijmegen halted in the first half thanks to a fan who threw a beer bottle onto the field and apparently hit a referee. It was the third time a Groningen match has been halted by referees due to poor behavior. That stems from the team’s miserable season where it is 11 points deep in the relegation zone and has little hope of climbing out.

 

It’s been impressive how Pepi has kept his head down and played well, scored double digits, on a bad team in a bad environment. He’s going to be a better player for this. But he can’t get out of there soon enough.

 

Cannon returns to right back

 

Reggie Cannon is talked about much these days but he is a regular starter for Boavista, which is midtable in Portugal sitting 11th in the 18-team league. He largely fell off the U.S. national team radar last year when he shifted to central defense at Boavista and was no longer playing right back. While he was decent in central defense and probably learned a lot, it clearly wasn’t his best position.

On Sunday, Cannon returned to right back for the first time (for meaningful minutes) in well over a year when he went 80 minutes for Boavista in a 3-2 win over Rio Ave. Local media indicated he played well in his return to the position. It remains to be seen if this is a permanent return.

No matter what, Cannon probably needs a club switch at some point soon. There is no indication that Boavista will ever offer anything more than middle/bottom third of Portugal in the years ahead.

 

McKenzie scores, but Genk squander lead



U.S. national team defender Mark McKenzie scored his first goal in Belgium’s top flight for Genk on Sunday against Sporting Charleroi. But it wasn’t enough for a win as Genk settled for a 2-2 draw.

McKenzie played well, his goal was a nice volley off a free kick, and he was rewarded with being named to the First Division team of the week in a number of different publications.



With the draw, Genk’s once double-digit atop Belgium is now reduced to a lead only on goal differential as Union SG ended the regular season with six wins and a draw in their last seven.

The playoffs will now start as the top four teams will have their points halved and then play in a round robin where teams play each other twice. But right now, Genk is going to be hard pressed to win the league based on what we’ve seen the past few months. It would certainly be a huge disappointment for Genk if that happened.

 

Tessman continues to help Venezia

 

In Serie B, Venezia posted a big 4-1 away win over Ternana and the club is now surging. Saturday’s win gives it five wins over its last six games. It has comfortably lifted them out of the relegation zone but is there still enough time for it to climb into the promotional playoffs?

The win over Ternana now has Venezia closer to the promotional playoffs (four points away) than from the relegation playoffs (five points away). But there are just four games to go. If the club can continue to play like it has, it might still have enough time to make it.

 

Tanner Tessmann continues to be at the heart of the team’s big push. He played all 90 minutes in the big win and once again, played well in central midfield. The U.S. Olympic hopeful is giving himself options for a likely club move this summer.

Gianluca Busio hasn’t had the season he wanted but he played the final 31 minutes and his minutes have been increasingly lately off the bench. Andrija Novakovich, meanwhile, was unused. For Busio, moving him is going to be tricky based on his salary. But he is going to have to find a place where he can start next season.

 

Celta Vigo fall in Madrid

 

Luca de la Torre has had a very good season when compared to other American players. After last season when he was part of a Heracles team that was relegated out of the Eredivisie, he has found a better home in La Liga where he is a starter for a midtable team. Compared with Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Brenden Aaronson, and Yunus Musah, it is a much better situation.

On Sunday, de la Torre went the distance for Celta in a 2-0 loss to Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. It wasn’t his best game and he struggled with the athleticism at this level, but he still had some really nice moments on the ball.

Overall, it was a tough game but experiences like this are what has made this a great season for him.

 

Yanks in England

 

It was a tough weekend for Americans in England.

Arsenal played Southampton to a 3-3 draw on Friday with Matt Turner not getting off the bench, as is normal. The same is said for Chris Richards who did not play for Crystal Palace in a 0-0 draw with Everton.

In the Championship, Auston Trusty played all 90 minutes for Birmingham City in a tough 1-0 loss at home to Blackpool. Manager David Wagner & Norwich City are seeing their hopes for the promotional playoffs fade after an ugly 3-0 loss at home to Swansea. Josh Sargent went the distance and made little impact.

The one American who played well in the Championship over the weekend was Lynden Gooch who assisted on Dennis Cirkin’s 51st minute equalizer against West Bromwich to make it 1-1. Sunderland ended up finding a winner for a 2-1 victory. Most importantly, the win put Sunderland into sixth place and into the promotional playoff zone. Sunderland are looking for the rare back-to-back promotions.

The Santa Cruz native Lynden Gooch, 27, is playing a big role for them in their push.



On Monday, it will be a battle of American goalkeepers pushing for promotion as Ethan Horvath and Luton Town host Zack Steffen and Middlesbrough.

 

Yanks in Germany

 

In the Bundesliga, Kevin Paredes was still out with a hamstring injury as his Wolfsburg team smashed Bochum 5-1 on the road.

In the 2.Bundesliga, Hamburg defeated St. Pauli 4-3 in a Hamburg Derby. After winning 10 games in a row to start his managerial career, Fabian Hurzeler’s team has now lost two games in a row. Still, he’s a massive success as his job was to pull the club away from the relegation zone, and that has happened.

Hansa Rostock is still in the relegation zone despite a 2-0 win over Greuther Furth on Saturday. But they are just one point from climbing out of the drop zone and American central defender Ryan Malone is being named to the 2.Bundesliga team of the week by local media for his performance in the win over Furth. Julian Green went 76 minutes in the loss.

Terrence Boyd was not part of Kaiserslautern’s squad for Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Jahn Regensburg.

Finally, Arminia Bielefeld fell to Hannover 3-1 at home and are now just one point from the relegation playoff position. George Bello played the final 17 minutes for Arminia and he came on with the score already complete.

 

Yanks in France

 

Tim Weah was on the bench for Lille away against Auxerre on Saturday. He came off the bench for the final 12 uneventful minutes.

At the bottom of the table, Troyes played Nantes to a 2-2 draw in a performance that likely will doom any sort of hope for a dramatic climb out of the relegation zone. The score was 1-1 heading into stoppage time. Troyes went ahead in the 92nd minute but conceded an equalizer in the 96th minute. With that, they remain 10 points deep in the relegation zone of Ligue 1 with six to go. Troyes also has the added problem of having a very difficult schedule in the remaining games.

Erik Palmer Brown, 26, went all 90 minutes for Troyes. He is likely looking at a move this summer.

 

Yanks in Scotland

 

The top of the Premiership in Scotland has largely lost its luster. Celtic is coasting to the title and Rangers will finish second.

There wasn’t that much to report over the weekend between those teams. Celtic and Motherwell played to a 1-1 draw at Celtic Park. Cameron Carter-Vickers went 90 minutes in a rare game where Celtic dropped points. Still, they gained a point on Rangers who lost to Aberdeen 2-0 on Sunday. Malik Tillman was one of Rangers better players on a disappointing day.

On the opposite side of the table, Dundee United defeated Livingston 2-0 with American midfielder Ian Harkes going 90 minutes in the win and getting an assist, albeit a generous assist, on Jamie McGrath’s shot from distance in the 17th minute. Fellow American Scott Pittmann went the final 17 minutes for Livingston.

Dundee United was in last place two weeks ago but with two wins in a row, they are now four points clear of the bottom.

Finally, things continue to be tough for Matthew Hoppe who only played the final minute for Hibernian in a 1-1 draw against St. Johnston. The American attacker was brought on to kill off time as Hibs was down to 10 players after a James Jeggo 48th minute red card.

 

Yanks in the Eredivisie

 

Djordje Mihailovic played the entire second half for AZ Alkmaar and had a positive performance off the bench. He came into the game with AZ Alkmaar up just 1-0 but he helped oversee a good second half as AZ cruised to a 3-0 win.

The former Chicago Fire homegrown had a shot from close range in the 49th minute that forced a big save. Later in the half, he nearly assisted on another big AZ chance. He won 5/6 of his ground duels and drew three fouls. AZ remained in fourth place, two points behind Ajax.

Taylor Booth returned from injury and played the final 28 minutes for Utrecht in a 3-1 loss to Feyenoord.

 

Yanks Elsewhere

 

Sergino Dest was not in the lineup for Milan in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Lecce.

Jonathan Gomez was in the lineup for Real Sociedad in a 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano. The U.S. U-20 left back was an unused substitute.

In Portugal, fifth-place Arouca defeated eighth-place Vizela 1-0. Former Orlando City attacker Benji Michel played the final 16 minutes for Arouca. Alex Mendez went 80 minutes for Vizela while U.S. U-20 mid Alejandro Alvarado did not make the bench.

In Belgium, OH Leuven defeated Standard Liege 3-2 with Marlon Fossey going 90 minutes in the loss. Fossey had six passes into the final third playing as a wingback. Standard Leige finishes the regular season in sixth place and will compete in the playoffs for a conference league spot.

Westerlo will also compete for a conference league spot via the playoffs after finishing seventh. Over the weekend, they wrapped up the regular season with a 1-1 away draw with RFC Seraing. Bryan Reynolds was mostly given the day off but played the final minute to kill off the game.

In Norway, Rosenborg played Sandefjord to a 1-1 draw at home with Sam Rogers going the distance in the middle of a three-man backline. Rosenborg has a win and two draws to open the season. HamKam defeated Stromsgodset 2-0 on Sunday but American defender/midfielder Kobe Hernandez-Foster was an unused substitute.

In Sweden’s top tier, Degerfors fell to Elfsborg 2-1 with American winger Joe Gyau going 73 minutes in the loss.

In the Championship playoff of the Danish Superliga, Brondby sit last in sixth place by seven points after Sunday’s 4-0 loss at Randers. Christian Cappis played the final 30 minutes and entered with his team down 2-0. In the relegation half of the Superliga playoffs, OB defeated Silkeborg 2-0 with Emmanuel Sabbi going a full 90 in the win. OB is now second in the relegation half, four points behind Midtjylland. The top spot will go into a playoff for place in Conference League qualifying.

In the Austrian Bundesliga championship playoff, Austria Klagenfurt defeated Austria Vienna 2-1. Sebastian Soto started for Klagenfurt and left in the 67th minute with the score 1-1. They are still last in the championship playoff but only by a point. They are within reach of earning a spot in the playoff for a Conference league spot.

In Sweden, KTP defeated Marieham 2-1 with Jack de Vries playing the final 33 minutes in the win. A former Philadelphia Union homegrown, de Vries is at KTP on loan from Venezia.

In the Greek Super League relegation playoff, Lamia defeated Atromitos 1-0. Caleb Stanko played the final 14 minutes in the win and Lamia now has four wins in its last six games to climb out of the relegation zone.

In Croatia's HNL, Hajduk Split defeated Varazdin 2-0. Rokas Pukstas didn't suit up as he played for Hajduk Splits youth team in the UEFA Championships. American winger Agustin Anello played teh final 22 minutes in the win. Hajduk Split currently are in second place, 10 points behind Dinamo Zagreb and 16 points clear of third place Rijeka.

In Liga MX, Club America drew Pumas 1-1 with U.S. national team attacker Alejandro Zendejas going 79 minutes for Club America.

In Brazil’s Serie A, Internacional defeated Flamengo 2-1 in a matchup between two of the country’s biggest clubs. Johnny Cardoso started for Internacional but was subbed out in the 66th minute with Internacional down 1-0.

In Turkey, Haji Wright and Antalyaspor host Sivasspor on Monday.

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