FOR ANY ACCOMPLISHMENTS for Americans abroad this weekend, the events of the past few days are completely overshadowed by Gio Reyna suffering an injury which appeared to be another pulled hamstring (possibly a reinjury of the one he suffered in September). The status of him the remainder of this season and for the upcoming March World Cup qualifiers is now up in the air.

The game was a dominant performance from Borussia Dortmund, which routed Borussia Monchengladbach 6-0 and Reyna’s injury appeared to happen before Dortmund’s opening goal in the 26^th minute by Marco Reus. At first their appeared to be discomfort but minutes later, Reyna left in tears.

It’s important to not jump to conclusions. Yes, Reyna is injured but were his tears simply a matter of frustration, or was it him knowing something is serious? As with injuries, it’s never smart to speculate because often players don’t know themselves. Dortmund’s medical staff will release the information soon.

The loss doesn’t mean much for Dortmund, who would like to have him, but will finish second in the Bundesliga with or without Reyna. His loss was felt in the team’s failure to advance out of the group stages of the Champions League.

The U.S. team could certainly use Reyna for March, but the team should have enough to get across the finish line and qualify for Qatar. Even if he is able to play before the March window, the ability to start games is another matter.

For Reyna, it’s just sad. He’s starting at the prospect of a lost season at a point when he hoping to become one of the most promising young players in the Bundesliga.

Mostly a lackluster weekend

Aside from the Reyna injury, the weekend was mostly uneventful period and there were a bunch of uneventful or disappointing results and/or performances.

In the Dortmund – M’Gladbach game, Joe Scally was on the bench to start but came into the game in the 67 minute with the score 2-0. He was on the field for Dortmund’s final four goals. The deluge of goals wasn’t his fault and they would have been conceded regardless (although Scally perhaps could have done better on the fourth goal when Youssoufa Moukoko got ahead of him on the cross from the right side). While Scally is not at fault, he hasn’t been in a position recently to offer up anything positive and it’s been a tough season for M’Gladbach.

Scally has shown himself to be a player with real Bundesliga potential, but the hot start has cooled off and he has to fight through a tough patch and get back into the starting lineup.

Throughout most of Germany, the news was average at best. Ricardo Pepi played the final nine minutes for Augsburg in a 2-1 loss to Freiburg. Pepi was part of a big chance in the 90^th minute when his header set up Alfred Finnbogason for a chance – but the Icelandic forward hit a shot just wide. Augsburg remained in the relegation playoff position as a result.

George Bello was an unused substitute for Arminia Bielefeld in a 1-0 win over Union Berlin. It was a big result for Arminia Bielefeld to move further towards safety. The news was brutal for VfB Stuttgart and its American head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo as the club had a 1-0 lead on Bochum for most of the game but surrendered a late equalizer to squander two points that would have moved it within a point of pulling out of the automatic relegation zone.

Julian Green had the rare opportunity to play some real minutes for last-place Greuther Furth and he came into the game against league-leaders and his former club, Bayern Munich, in the 69^th minute down 2-1. He was eager, and quickly attempted a 30-yard shot that went high. Aside from that, he was generally quiet and Bayern scored two more goals for a 4-1 win.

Timmy Chandler started and played 82 minutes for Eintracht Frankfurt in a forgettable 1-0 loss to Cologne (the goal was scored in the 84^th minute after Chandler left). Chandler was just 11/18 in passing over 82 minutes and did not make much of an impact.

In the 2.Bundesliga, Ryan Malone started for Hansa Rostock but made a mistake that conceded a goal in a 1-1 draw with third place Darmstadt.

In France, Tim Weah came off the bench for Lille in the 26^th minute due to an injury to Angel Gomes. Despite playing against a relegation battling Metz team, Lille could not muster anything offensively and settled for a 0-0 draw. Weah was very quiet in this game and Lille, the reigning champions, fell to 11^th place.

The rest of Ligue 1 wasn’t great for American players. Nicholas Gioacchini did not get off the bench for Montpellier in its 1-0 win over Lorient. Konrad del la Fuente was not in the lineup for Marseille in its 2-0 loss to Clermont Foot on Sunday.

Erik Palmer-Brown has broken into the starting lineup at Troyes and after a solid run to start 2022, Troyes has hit a really tough patch following Saturday's 4-1 loss to Rennes. Combined with the 5-1 loss to Brest, Troyes has conceded nine goals over its past two games. Just a single goal in goal differential is keeping it out of the relegation playoff zone.

In Spain, Matt Miazga got a rare start for Deportivo Alaves and it came at a big stage against Real Madrid at the Estadio Bernabeu. The central defender from Clifton, NJ was given the nod to fill in for Víctor Laguardia who is suspended. Madrid rolled to a 3-0 win and Miazga didn’t stand out much (which isn’t the worst thing for a defender going against one of the world's biggest clubs). The second goal from Vinicius Junior was a team goal from Madrid that rippled through six different Alaves players, including Miazga. Madrid was operating in a lower gear until the final 30 minutes and this could have been worse. Miazga didn’t do poorly but will likely return to the bench when Laguardia returns.

It continues to be a tough season for Matthew Hoppe who was an unused substitute for Mallorca in a 2-1 loss to Real Betis. He wasn’t the only one in Spain as Yunus Musah didn’t get off the bench for Valencia in a 4-1 loss to Sergino Dest and Barcelona. Tenerife is playing like a promotion contender to go to La Liga but Shaq Moore is not playing much of a role and he was an unused sub in Sunday’s win over Ibiza. It seems likely he will look to move on in the summer.

Musah’s role at Valencia is weird – both in how it relates to his future at Valencia and with the national team. He’s obviously talented on the ball but there are issues that prevent him from starting or playing important minutes. Obviously, there is the position, and sometimes he is forced out wide as opposed to his preferred central role. There is also the issue is whether he is as creative with his passing yet as he need to be in order to succeed as a central midfielder at a bigger club in La Liga. Part of what makes it frustrating for American fans is that it is tough to know his progress while he is sitting on the bench.

For the U.S. team, Musah is clearly on the roster, but I am not sure his starting job will be secure in the short-term future. With Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah in the midfield, there are two players who have the instinct to dribble-first and the creative passing might not be there (at least not yet) in that duo. Does that duo provide a sufficient link into the final third?

Staying with Weston Mckennie, the Juventus midfielder was on the bench for the Derby della Mole against Torino. He entered the game in the 53^rd minute and played the final 37 minutes in a 1-1 draw, a disappointing result for Juventus at home. McKennie only had 18 touches and was 11/14 in his passing in generally a quiet performance.

McKennie was likely coming off the bench in this one to rest for the midweek Champions League game against Villarreal – the first leg of its Round of 16 knockout. The quote from Max Allegri was telling and positive – even if it didn’t mean much for the draw against Torino.

More indication that Allegri rates McKennie. Despite all the talk about McKennie being linked to various Premier League teams, I still think the best situation for him is staying with Juventus as it aims to return to being the best in Italy. https://t.co/hhKYBbiSpH

— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) February 21, 2022

The rest of the news in Italy wasn’t that great.

Venezia played to a 1-1 draw with Genoa on Saturday in a game they really needed to win at home. It was a rare occasion to host a team below it in the table and winning this game would have gone a long way towards survival. Gianluca Busio was suspended but Tanner Tessmann played the final 15 minutes. Both goals were scored in the first half. It was good that Tessmann got into this game although he didn’t make that much of an impact offensively – he had one shot over seven touches. Defensively, he was strong as Genoa pressed for a late winner.

The draw was actually enough to move Venezia out of the relegation zone (by one point) but this will probably be viewed by the team as two crucial points lost at home. It’s going to be really close for Venezia to avoid relegation. Part of the key will be their remaining home games. With 10 games left, five are at home. Four of their remaining five home games are against teams outside of the top 10. Those four games are where survival lies. Any win or points on the road will be a huge bonus but four of their five remaining away games are against top 10 team.

In Serie B, Andrija Novakovich played the final 20 minutes for Frosinone in a 2-2 draw with Brescia and now only holds a spot in the promotional playoffs based on goal differential.

In Belgium, Mark McKenzie’s up and down season for Genk continued as he started but was pulled at half-time in a 2-0 loss to Anderlecht. The former Philadelphia Union central defender slipped on the first Anderlecht goal. On the second goal, a small midfielder beat him on a cross for a finish with a volley. McKenzie might not start for a bit as a result and Genk fell to 8^th place.

Staying in Belgium, Sam Vines only played the final five minutes for Royal Antwerp in a 2-1 loss to KV Mechelen. Antwerp has not been playing well this season, regardless of whether or not Vines is on the field. Vines will continue to get opportunities and it is up to him to put in convincing, not merely sufficient, performances to seal a spot in the XI. He hasn’t done it yet but he will have more chances to do so.

St. Truiden won its third game in a row on Sunday with a 2-0 victory over Oud Heverlee. Chris Durkin made his first appearance in that run and played the final 16 minutes to help see out the win. It was 1-0 when he came on. Durkin has been decent at times during his tenure at St. Truiden and he’s also had long-stretches where he hasn’t really stood out. It seems likely to expect that he will be at a different club this summer.

In rather disappointing news that was no one’s fault, the storm in England postponed Ethan Horvath’s start for Nottingham Forest against second place AFC Bournemouth. Horvath is poised to start the next three games for Forest as Brice Samba serves a suspension for a straight red card.

In Scotland, James Sands hopes to remain in the national team picture but was an unused substitute again for Rangers in a 1-1 draw with Dundee United.

Now let’s talk about the games where Americans had a bigger impact this weekend.

Aaronson helps boost Salzburg win

Everyone knows that Brenden Aaronson has an engine that is on another level. It was cited in the recent interest Leeds had in Aaronson during the January window – and the reason why their $20 million bid wasn’t enough. Aaronson can run for days and still make impacts late in games.

But this weekend was another prime example. On Wednesday, Aaronson covered a ton of ground for Salzburg in an impressive 1-1 draw with Bayern Munich in the first leg of a Champions League knockout. He was tired at the end of the game but found another gear late to put pressure on the German giants as Salzburg looked for a winner.

Despite Salzburg having a comfortable lead in the Austrian Bundesliga table, Aaronson was not rested on Sunday when Salzburg hosted second place Wolfsberger. Aaronson not only started, but he was the main catalyst when the team found two late stoppage time goals to win it 2-0. Aaronson scored the second goal on a move that required him to use more energy and make a sprint into the box.

Brenden Aaronson’s stoppage time goal to seal a 2-0 win for Salzburg pic.twitter.com/gKloNZXhJ6

— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) February 20, 2022

Over 90 minutes, Aaronson had 53 touches, three key passes, three shots, a goal, and was 3/5 with his long passes. He is regularly among his team’s best players, he is accumulating trophies regularly (Supporters Shield, 17 points atop the table for his second Austrian Bundesliga trophy, still alive for his second Austrian Cup, advancing out of the Champions League group stages and competitive with Bayern Munich).

What is standing out now about Aaronson is his combination between stamina and consistency. He checks the boxes for a lot of teams right now.

Holmes leads Huddserfield past Fulham’s Yanks

In one of the biggest games in the Championship this season, Huddersfield stunned leaders Fulham 2-1 at Craven Cottage to strengthen their spot in the race for the Championship playoff positions. This game featured three Americans – the regular starts for Antonee Robinson and Tim Ream at Fulham as well as Duane Holmes for Huddersfield. Holmes hadw one of the biggest impacts in the game and it was his 43^rd minute penalty that gave Huddersfield a 2-0 lead on the Cottagers.

Holmes has enjoyed a strong return to form over the past two months and has played an important part of Huddersfield’s rise. The club is in fifth place and has a four point grip on a playoff spot. The only issue is that it has played two more games than any of the teams chasing it. So it will be close and Holmes has important games ahead.

Holmes was pretty good in this game aside from covering the penalty (which was draw by Sorba Thomas on a foul by Fulham goalkeeper Marek Rodak). He played 76 minutes and dispossessed three times and won just 2/11 of his ground duels but made up for it with seven recoveries and 23/27 passing.

As for Robinson and Ream, neither stood out for reasons good or bad. Fulham remains in great position – a six point cushion atop the table. The only worry is that they are over-reliant on forward Aleksandar Mitrovic to continue his goal/game ratio, which is over one per game. If he cools off, can Fulham still win? That is a lot of pressure on one player.

Bassett makes Feyenoord debut

Cole Bassett, 20, made his club and Eredivisie debut for Feyenoord on Saturday in a 3-1 win over Camburr. Bassett came into the game in the 88^th minute with all of the goals having been scored. He had a few touches, but otherwise didn’t do much. The big takeaway is that he is already starting to see the field and be on the first team roster on a regular basis (he was an unused sub the last two games).

Bassett is at Feyenoord on loan from Colorado for 18 months and Feyenoord has an option to buy. These next few months are about him getting adjusted to the league, his team, and life in Europe. The coming preseason will start the most important stretch of his loan and the club will make a determination if he has a future with a top Eredivisie team.

For now, if he is getting on the field – he’s in a good spot. Feyenoord doesn’t have much of an opportunity to experiment as it trails second place PSV by just one point and passing PSV would push them into a Champions League qualifying spot.

Bassett is a good player and has been overshadowed by several other top American prospects but he’s one that could emerge over the next year. Contending for a spot on the Qatar roster is probably too soon, but he has an excellent chance of being in the mix to start the 2026 cycle – less than a year away.

Pefok now Swiss scoring leader

Jordan Pefok, 25, is on a great run for BSC Young Boys in the Swiss Super League. On Sunday, he scored from the spot (on a penalty drawn by a teammate). The goal was his 15^th of the season in the Super League (over just 1443 minutes) and he is now the leading scorer in the Super League. He also now has 20 goals in all competitions.

Siebatcheu bringt YB bei GC in Führung. Penalty nach Foul an Fernandes. #Bscyb pic.twitter.com/Gwn7d6HhHV

— Zum Runden Leder (@zumrundenleder) February 20, 2022

Pefok also assisted on the second goal with a flick-on header.

Mambimbi trifft zum 2:1 für YB bei GC. Vorarbeit von Sulejmani und Siebatcheu. #Bscyb. pic.twitter.com/m1mQNAYJ5B

— Zum Runden Leder (@zumrundenleder) February 20, 2022

Young Boys will likely see their four-year Championship run end as they trail Zurich by 10 points, but Pefok is having a massive season.

Given the lack of drama in the table, his run shifts focus on what it will do for him both at the club level and the international level.

It seems likely that his scoring streak will get him another call-up to the national team. Even if his style is not the same style as Berhalter likes to play with his forwards and his hold-up play isn’t great, the fact is that goals are goals. Pefok might not start for the U.S. team, but he seems like an ideal sub right now if the U.S. is chasing the game and needs a goal. Also, the U.S. team is playing opponents who bunker with a low block. That might be a great situation for Pefok if crosses are getting launched into the box.

Adams subs into Leipzig rout

Tyler Adams didn’t start for RB Leipzig against Hertha BSC, but got in on the fun of a 6-1 win on the road in Berlin. He came into the game in the 80^th minute with the score 4-1 and assisted immediately after his arrival when his pass found Amadou Haidara’s shot from distance.

Leizpig has responded well after Jesse Marsch left and the club now sits in fourth place and has a great shot of qualifying for the Champions League against next season. Adams isn’t completely a regular starter and everyone on the team played well in this game – Adams included.

Dest starts in Barca win

Sergino Dest started and played the full 90 for Barcelona in a 4-1 win over a Valencia team that was poor on the day (as mentioned above, Yunus Musah did not get off the bench in the loss).  On the flip side, Barcelona probably played their best game of the season. Dest, particularly in the first half, was excellent.

The U.S. national team right back was important in the buildup to Barcelona’s second goal and then had a “hockey assist” on the third goal as Barca took a 3-0 lead into the half. The only blemish was when he committed a turnover after losing a challenge which appeared to lead to a Valencia goal – but it was called back when VAR determined the ball was out of play.

Then in the second half, Dest wasn’t involved in Barca’s goal or defensively responsible for Valencia’s lone strike.

This was the best Dest has looked in a long time and it was refreshing to see. Whether or not he is at Barcelona next season, he will land on his feet at a big club. Even if he’s not consistent, he’s a young, explosive right back who has solid La Liga games under his belt and has performed in the Champions League with two different teams – all by the age of 21.

Books starts in Wolfsburg loss

Three Americans were on the matchday squad but just one played as Hoffenheim rallied for a 2-1 over Wolfsburg after trailing 1-0. John Brooks started and played the entire game for Wolfsburg. Kevin Paredes did not get off the bench for Wolfsburg and his Bundesliga debut awaits. Similarly, Justin Che did not get off the bench for Wolfsburg and awaits his Bundesliga debut. Chris Richards, meanwhile, remains out injured (from the foot injury he picked up for the U.S. national team against Canada) for Hoffenheim.

Despite the loss, Brooks played well in this game and Wolfsburg shifted from a three-man backline to a four-man backline in the second half. Wolfsburg fell apart but Brooks was one of the team’s best players. On Hoffenheim’s winning goal, Brooks was left defending three players.

Brooks had 95 touches in the game, won 7/8 of his ground duels, won 3/4 of his aerials, was 3/3 in winning tackles, and had 13 recoveries. In terms of form, Brooks has been doing well lately.

There is a lot of talk about Brooks and his form in how it relates to the national team. His recent success shouldn’t cloud the fact he was struggling for long stretches this season. He wasn’t playing well for most of Wolfsburg’s games leading up to the November and January windows. But he’s playing well now and if he keeps it up, he should be back to where he needs to be.

As for Justin Che at Hoffenheim and Kevin Paredes at Wolfsburg, its good that both are making the bench. Similarly, to Cole Bassett at Feyenoord, it is about the players being patient. Anything they get the rest of this season is a bonus. The summer’s preseason will be the most important period for them to prove their worth. Both players should also be focused heavily on the U.S. U-20 national team which has a big tournament this summer that will serve as qualifying for both the 2023 U-20 World Cup and the 2024 Olympics.

Duncan/Reynolds start in Belgium

Two American right backs earned starts in the top-flight Belgium Pro League over the weekend.

Oostende got past Standard Liege 1-0 in a win that was important to move the club further from the relegation zone and into midtable. Former New York Red Bull Kyle Duncan started and played 73 minutes. He struggled with his duels (3/12) and committed four fouls but was solid with his defense and was able to track back several times to prevent Standard's counterattacks from materializing. He's been thrown into the starting role at Oostende and is gradually adjusting well. Meanwhile, Oostended will have little pressure the rest of the season as it is eight points clear of the relegation playoff position but still 10 points away from the top half and a spot to compete for the Europa League playoff.

 Bryan Reynolds started for Kortrijk in a 5-0 rout over Zlute Waregem on Sunday. Zlute Waregem was terrible and everyone on Kortrijk had a field day. Reynolds played well but didn’t standout when compared with teammates. He was 17/22 in his passing and tracked back effectively on defense. It was a good outing for Kortrijk that reversed its four-game skid but the real test will come against the better teams in the league

Sargent & Pulisic make Premier League starts

On Saturday, Josh Sargent started for Norwich in a tough task away at Liverpool. Sargent was actually part of a nice bit of hold up play and a short pass which led to a shot from Milot Rashica. That shot was deflected but found its way into the goal for a surprising 1-0 lead heading into halftime.

Unsurprisingly, Liverpool rallied for three goals in the second half for a 3-1 win. Liverpool has a game in hand against Manchester City and is within reach of potentially contending. For Norwich, they remained in last place and have played 25 games, which is at least one more than any of the teams it is chasing. It’s -38 goal differential is the worst in the league by 17 goals.

Sargent played well in this game. He won 8/13 of his ground duels and was 3/6 in aerials. He was 2/2 with his dribbles and worked hard to press Liverpool and force turnovers. He has a tough job playing for such an overmatched opponent, but there is no question Sargent has been trending up lately (starting with the two-goal outing last month against Watford).

 Sargent hasn’t been with the national team since September but when he’s playing well, he plays the position in a way that Berhalter wants – at least more than Jordan Pefok and Daryl Dike do. When you combine that with the struggles of Pepi at the moment and the offseason form of Jesus Ferreira and Gyasi Zardes, Sargent could be in line to return to the team quickly if he can continue to play well.

As for Christian Pulisic, he started for Chelsea in a 1-0 away win over fellow Londeners Crystal Palace. Pulisic was lively and aggressive but no one on Chelsea really stood out in this game. Still, the Hershey native was successful in five of his dribbles and was 8/14 in his ground duels. His effort was top-notch but Chelsea is not clicking on a consistent basis at the moment. 

Scotland roundup

With so many players in Scotland today, recapping the Premiership these days requires its own special section. Unfortunately, this week there wasn’t that much to report either positively or negatively.

Cameron Carter-Vickers played 90 minutes for first-place Celtic as they avoided a major upset against last-place Dundee FC. Carter-Vickers put up some strong stats, which is common due to Celtic dominating most teams in the league. He was 9/9 in his long balls and was 87/90 in his passing overall. He was 3/6 in his ground duels and 2/4 in his aerials.

Celtic will surely be upset that this game was as close as it was. Celtic completed 794 passes in the game while Dundee FC completed just 117 (just 20 more than Carter-Vickers himself). This is typical for players in the Old Firm teams. It becomes tough to compare them as the difference between Celtic, Rangers and the rest of the league is huge. European play becomes a better measuring stick, and Celtic has been struggling and is coming off a loss to Bodo/Glimt in the Conference League.

Ian Harkes is having a very good season in Scotland and was very good on the defensive side of the ball on Sunday as his Dundee United team fought hard for a 1-1 draw with Rangers. That saw Rangers fall to three points behind Celtic (as mentioned before American James Sands was an unused sub for Rangers). Dundee United remain in fifth place with the draw and Harkes seems like a player who is reaching a tipping point for Dundee United. He’s one of his team’s best players, but will he be able to find a move elsewhere?

Motherwell and Aberdeen played to a 1-1 draw on Saturday. Joe Efford started and played 63 minutes for Mothewell and didn’t really standout when compared with his first few Motherwell outings where he was lively. Christian Ramirez has been one of the best No. 9 strikers in the Premiership this season and he went the distance. He was dangerous just once and that came when he scored – only to see the goal called back for offside.

At the bottom half of the table, ninth-place Livingston played to a 1-1 draw with seventh-place St. Mirren. Scott Pittman played the entire game for Livingston on the right side of the midfield in a decent but unspectacular shift. Sebastian Soto made his club and league debut for Livingston playing the final 15 minutes – making 10 touches and going 2/5 with his passing while mustering a shot.

Finally, Chris Mueller played the final 20 minutes for Hibernian in a 2-0 win over Ross County. Mueller is still searching for his first goal or assist in the Premiership.

Elsewhere around the globe

In the Austrian Bundesliga, Thomas Roberts was an unused sub for Austria Klagenfurt in a 2-0 win over SCR Altach. In Autria’s second tier, Uly Llanez started and played started and played 75 minuts for St. Poelten in an impressive 2-0 win over second-place FC Liefering. St. Poelten moved into eighth place with the win but are still 17 points off the league’s only promotion spot. Llanez has three goals and an assist over 14 games this season.

In England’s third tier League One, Marlon Fossey played 90 minutes for Bolton in a 4-0 win over AFC Wimbledon. Bolton has been playing well lately with Fossey in the lineup - winning three of its last four. Lynden Gooch was not in action for Sunderland which lost 2-1 to MK Dons. Sunderland is skidding with just one point from its last five games, and is now outside of the playoff positions. Charlie Kelman was an unused sub for relegation threatened Gillingham in a 2-0 loss at home to Plymouth Argyle.

In Spain’s Segunda, Jonathan Gomez started for Real Sociedad B in a 2-0 win over Malaga. Gomez was more up than down in this game and is showing well as he is adjusting to life in Spain.

In the Eredivisie, Luca de la Torre missed Heracles’ 2-1 loss to AZ Alkmaar due to a dental issue. Richard Ledezma is set to miss 4-6 weeks for PSV due to a pulled groin.

The Danish Superliga resumed from its winter break and American winger Emmanuel Sabbi played the final 17 minutes for OB in a 2-0 loss to Copenhagen while Christian Cappis played the final two minutes plus stoppage time for Brondby in a 2-0 win over Nordsjaelland. Jonathan Amon is working is way back from another long-term injury for Nordsjaelland but this game was still too soon for him.

In Hungary’s NB I, Henry Wingo went the distance for league leading Ferencvaros in a 0-0 draw with MTK Budapest in a Budapest derby.

In the Swedish Cup, Romain Gall was an unused substitute for Malmo in 5-1 win over GAIS

In Israel's Premier League, Kenny Saief played the final 45 minutes for Ashdod in a 2-0 loss to Hapoel Jerusalem. Josh Cohen and league leading Maccabi Haifa host Hapoel Tel Aviv on Monday.

In Argentina’s Copa Liga de Profesional, Alan Sonora went 90 minutes for Independiente in a 0-0 draw with Velez Sarsfield. Unfortunately, the first matchup between Sonora brothers will have to wait as his older brother Joel Sonora (former 2015 U.S. U-20 World Cup midfielder) was an unused substitute for Velez Sarsfield.

Johnny Cardoso started and played 85 minutes for Internacional in a 3-2 loss to EC SA Jose in the Gaucho tournament. It was a tough loss for Internacional as EC SA Jose is currently a Serie C team in Brazil.