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Americans abroad analysis

Tessmann's first Serie A start, Aaronson assists, Cappis to the rescue, & much, much more

ASN's Brian Sciaretta looks back in detail with his thoughts and analysis on all that happened over the weekend for Americans abroad. Plus he also looks at how it all could affect the national team for the November window. 
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
November 01, 2021
5:00 PM

THE WEEKEND FOR AMERICANS ABROAD had it all. Struggles, big goals, tough losses, and a bunch of players in limbo with their playing time. This has made it very interesting ahead of this week’s roster release.

Here is some analysis of how it came together along with some thoughts on how it relates to the USMNT


USMNT roster affected

 

As we wrote about on Friday, there are a lot of spots up for grabs on the upcoming U.S. national team roster – some due to injury, some due to form. There are players in MLS as well doing well and competing for roster spots, but this weekend abroad raised some interesting questions.

Here are some of my observations:

It is hard to say Joe Scally hasn’t done enough for a call-up. I would expect him to be on the roster.

Mark McKenzie has always been in an out of the lineup with Genk but he has not played in the last two league games for the club. This will hurt his case in a competitive central defense pool.

The same could be said for Matt Miazga who had been doing really well for Deportivo Alaves but has also been an unused sub the last two games. For someone on the bubble, these DNP’s came at the worst time.

John Brooks boosted his stock over the weekend with his performances in Wolfsburg’s win. The coaching changed helped everyone at Wolfsburg.

With that said, I have the USMNT central defenders for November at: Brooks, Richards, Zimmerman, M. Robinson, and Ream.

Sam Vines is going to be a really close call for the U.S. roster. It’s very possible he overtook George Bello with Scally overtaking Shaq Moore. Berhalter seemed to really rate Vines after the Gold Cup and Vines is now healthy.

Christian Pulisic being on Chelsea’s roster this week against Malmo is huge. It is unlikely Chelsea can claim an injury to prevent his call-up.

Yunus Musah and Tyler Adams both should be on the USMNT roster but their form is a concern. Both players did not play and both might have lost their starting spot. Adams will probably be okay as Jesse Marsch knows him and the team also has Champions League games to juggle. Musah is a bit more of a concern as he has never been a lock starter. The reason he has probably fallen out of favor is on the defensive side of the ball where he has indeed struggled this season. Defense is the reason why he rarely plays in the middle for Valencia and the last few games have backed that up.

The forward pool also failed to see anyone step up over the weekend. Matthew Hoppe did not play again for Mallorca and he hasn’t played since the last U.S. national team game. Josh Sargent still hasn’t scored in the Premier League for last-place Norwich and Jordan Pefok is also cold for BSC Young Boys. A likely bet seems to favor Ricardo Pepi and Daryl Dike.

The winger pool is also up for grabs. Konrad de la Fuente will be a close call. He is getting minutes for Marseille but has he done enough to reverse where he stood last window when he was left off? Probably not.

Tim Weah will certainly be called up to the national team for November, but he remains only an occasional starter for Lille. That is not bad, but it makes his form a little less certain coming into camp. The return of Jordan Morris will make things more competitive in 2022 for the winger pool as players need to play. 


ASN's final USMNT November Roster prediction

 

Goalkeepers: Zack Steffen, Matt Turner, Sean Johnson

Fullbacks: Sergino Dest, Antonee Robinson, Joe Scally, Sam Vines, DeAndre Yedlin

Central Defenders: John Brooks, Chris Richards, Miles Robinson, Walker Zimmerman, Tim Ream

Central Midfielders: Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, Kellyn Acosta, Gianluca Busio, Christian Roldan, Sebastian Lletget, Luca de la Torre.

Wingers & Attackers: Brenden Aaronson, Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, Paul Arriola, Jesus Ferreira

Center Forwards: Ricardo Pepi, Daryl Dike




Tessmann & Busio start for Venezia

 

Tanner Tessmann and Gianluca Busio both earned the start for Venezia in a 0-0 draw away at Genoa on Sunday. While Busio has been a regular starter for Venezia, this was Tessmann’s first start of the season for Venezia and his most extended run-out in Serie A.

In the first half, Genoa completely controlled the run of play but in the second half, both Americans raised their game and grew into it. Tessmann has good feet and can hit diagonals well to switch the point of attack.

Tessmann started this game primarily because Ethan Ampadu was suspended. While Tessmann probably isn’t a regular starter yet, he did not hurt his case and should be in line for at least longer sub appearances.

Busio continued to play well and also grew into the game. By the second half, he was one of his team’s better players. He should continue to start in what is looking like a very tight relegation battle in Serie A.

 

Scally impresses in M’Gladbach win

 

What is so impressive about Joe Scally is just how consistently he well he is playing. Game in and game out, he is putting in quality performances.

Joe Scally, 18, started on Saturday against Bochum and hit an outstanding cross for an assist on the team’s opening goal of a 2-1 win.

Scally had one tough outing, in the second of the season against Bayer Leverkusen, but aside from that is just a model of consistency. At his age and in the Bundesliga, it is really impressive. He’s almost certainly going to be called up in November and is now building a case for real playing time.

Thus far, he’s been the biggest American breakout performer in Europe in 2021.

 

Brooks’ strong rebound performance

John Brooks hasn’t had a good month and neither have Wolfsburg. Last week, head coach Mark van Bommel was sacked as a result and replaced by former Werder Bremen manager Florian Kohfeldt. On Saturday, however, Wolfsburg notched a big 2-0 away win over Bayer Leverkusen.

Brooks looked solid winning 6/9 duels and notching four clearances en route to a clean sheet win. You don’t want to read too much into one game, but this looked like a different Wolfsburg team – and Brooks was much improved.

There is often a boost in the first game or two under a new coach, so only time will tell if Brooks has firmly put his rough patch behind him.

 

Yanks strong in Fulham win

 

In one of the best games for American players, Fulham defeated West Brom 3-0 in a matchup between two Championship teams expected to contend for promotion this year.

Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson both went the distance and played well. Robinson’s athleticism continues to be a massive asset in the Championship with a club that has an edge in talent. Tim Ream was a perfect 4/4 in his duel winning and his 11/18 in long balls out of the back were important to the team in a big win.

 

Fulham is playing strong soccer at the moment and are second in the Championship. Both Yanks are key to how Fulham is playing and the success they’re having so far.

 

Cappis: Brondby’s super sub

 

For the second time in its past three Superliga games, Christian Cappis has come off the bench and delivered a winner for Brondby. After a slow start to the season, Brondby has been getting its act together and now has three wins in a row.

With the score 0-0 on the road against Viborg, Cappis came into the game in the 76th minute and scored an 86th minute winner. The three points moved Brondby into sixth in the Danish Superliga.

Cappis now has three goals in the Superliga to go along with two in the Danish Cup.

The next step for him will be to increase his minutes and perhaps do it on a starting level. He’s on a good path considering his last season at Hobro was probably not a healthy environment for his development. Three months into Brondby, he’s scoring and should be ready to take on a bigger role in the second half of the season.

 

 

Vines steady in Antwerp win

 

Sam Vines has generally been decent for Royal Antwerp in his return from his broken collarbone. At times he’s been tentative but overall, he hasn’t made any bad mistakes in his normal left back position.

In Sunday’s 1-0 win over Cercle Brugge, Vines stepped it up a little on the offensive side where he had 70 touches with most coming in the attacking half.

 

With the win, Antwerp remained in third in the Belgian league and Vines is in a position now to continue starting and continue to showcase himself in the league. He did well for Colorado as a steady and reliable player and thus far has looked the part in Belgium.

 

De la Fuente starts in Marseille win

 

Konrad de la Fuente started for Marseille on Sunday in a 1-0 away win over Clermont Foot. The performance was mixed. As was usual, he was good on the ball and almost always looked to take defenders on with a dribble.

He played just 58 minutes, and in that span, he was just 7/9 in passing with only 20 touches. It is easy to forget how new to first-team minuets he is and with that, he still has a lot to learn. He’s good with the ball but needs to do more in terms of getting more touches and active in his passing/possession game. The dribbling skills are important, but he’s heavily reliant on this.

 

Dest starts in Barca post Koeman era

 

On Saturday, Barcelona hosted Deportivo Alaves and the teams played to a 1-1 draw. While Ronald Koeman was fired, Sergino Dest continued to start at right wing. Matt Miazga, however, went as an unused sub for Deportivo Alaves.

It is tough to breakdown Dest’s performance in this one as it was simply a frustrating outing for him at a time when his club is in transition. Dest certainly had his moments where he shows a lot of individual quality and his defense is actually pretty good from the wing position. But the team is simply out of synch and lacking chemistry that the players are all suffering from that – combined with lofty expectations.

Dest is still playing at a remarkably high level but he is simply caught at a massive club at a time of rebuilding.

 

McKennie scores in Juve loss

 

Weston McKennie played the final 33 minutes for Juventus and scored in his second straight game for the club – but it wasn’t enough to help Juve avoid a 2-1 loss to Hellas Verona on Saturday.

His overall performance was pretty good, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him sold in the winter – which might not be the worst thing for him. With the way he’s been playing in recent games, his value has only increased. He needs to show that he can be dangerous and score – which he has been doing.

 

Juventus is stuck in ninth place and McKennie has certainly not been great at times this season. But he has been improving and playing closely to the level he was at last winter.

 

Sargent struggles in Norwich loss

 

It was set to be a start of an important period for Norwich when they would finally play a stretch of opponents in the bottom half of the Premier League table. But playing at home on Saturday against fellow relegation battling leads, Norwich dropped a 2-1 loss.

Josh Sargent played 77 minutes in the loss and didn’t standout on a team where everyone is playing poorly. The good news is that Sargent will probably continue to start for the club but his confidence seems to be at a low point.

Sargent is a better player than he is showing but he needs a spark or something to get him back on track.

 

Yedlin features in Galatasaray win

 

DeAndre Yedlin, 28, started and went the distance for Galatasaray in a 2-0 win over Gaziantep on Sunday. The Seattle native did well and posted consistent numbers. He might not be the explosive right back Dest is and Scally might soon overtake him in the national team depth chart as a backup right back to Dest. But Yedlin has a load of big-time experience and playing under the pressure that falls upon the big Istanbul clubs is never easy.

 

Galatasaray is in sixth, but the table is really tight. Just two points separate the club from second place Hatayspor.

 

De la Torre & Heracles draw Ajax


Luca de la Torre, 23, and Heracles had a tough assignment on Saturday against Ajax. Impressively, Heracles was able to escape with a point against the league leaders. Luca de la Torre started and played a full 90 in the win.

What was strong for de la Torre is that he showed off his defensive ability in that Ajax had 70% possession in this game. Despite that advantage, most of Ajax’s chances were not of high quality and Heracles had a great defensive effort.

Typically, de la Torre likes to get on the ball a lot (75+ touches per game). In this game, he was only at 39. His impact defensively showcased another side of the game and he did well to help his team earn a point.

  • 90 minutes
  • 39 touches
  • 1 shot
  • 0 key passes
  • 15/21 passing
  • 6/7 duels won
  • 2/2 dribbles
  • 0x fouled
  • 0 fouls
  • 2 clearances
  • 1/2 tackles

 

Heracles remained in 13th place in the 18-team Eredivisie. It’s a bit tricky for them at the moment as they are just two points clear of the relegation line but de la Torre has been among their top players.

 

Americans in Scotland

 

There are four Americans doing well in the Scottish Premiership – Ian Harkes at Dundee United, Cameron Carter-Vickers at Celtic, Christian Ramirez at Aberdeen, and Scott Pittman at Livingston. All except the suspended Pittman played over the weekend.

The top performer was Cameron Carter-Vickers who did well for Celtic in an otherwise disappointing 0-0 draw with Livingston.

 

Ian Harkes and Dundee United suffered a setback in their push for a top finish with a disappointing 1-0 loss at home to St. Johnstone. Dundee United had been surpassing expectations until this point but this was a step back.

Christian Ramirez has been lights out for Aberdeen and came into the weekend as one of the league’s co-leading scorers. He started Saturday against Hearts despite being listed as questionable with an injury. He didn’t score but he was dangerous and Aberdeen defeated third-place Hearts 2-1.

 

Americans in South America

 

In South America, four Americans were in action this weekend.

Alan Sonora, 23, started and played 67 minutes for Independiente in a 1-0 loss away at Newell's Old Boys. He left the game with the score 0-0 and was not on the field when Newell's Old Boys were reducted to 10 players in the 72nd minute but still scored a stoppage-time winner.

Sonora continues to have an impressive season - his first as a consistent starter. Independiente rose to 10th place with the win.

Older brother Joel Sonora, 25, started for Bandfield in a 2-1 home win over Velez Sarsfield. Sonora played 71 minutes but left with his team down 1-0. He was not on the field for his team's 84th minute equalizer or stoppage time winner. Bandfield now sits in 24th place in the 26-team league.

In Brazi's Serie A, Johnny Cardoso, 21, started and played a full 90 for Internacional in a 1-0 loss on the road to Sao Paulo. Internacional fell to seventh place.

In Peru, Sport Boys defeated Sport Huancayo 1-0 on the road. Ernest Nungary went the distance in the win as Sport Boys moved into fifth place in Group B.

 

Notes

Brenden Aaronson started for Red Bull Salzburg and did well again. The New Jersey native assisted on Salzburg’s 2nd goal but Ried equalized late. It was good to see his touch numbers still continue be high (51 in this game is okay). He has 4 shots and 4 key passes to have a big footprint on the game

 

In France’s Ligue 1, Tim Weah played the final 11 minutes for Lille in a 2-1 loss to PSG on Friday, Erik Palmer-Brown did not get off the bench for Troyes in a 2-2 draw with Renes. Nicholas Gioacchini played the final 11 minutes for Montpellier in a 2-0 win over Nantes. In Ligue 2, Amir Richardson played 70 minutes for Le Havre in a 1-0 loss to Dunkerque.

In Germany’s Bundesliga, Julian Green started and played 76 minutes for Greuther Furth in a 3-1 loss to Freiburg. Tyler Adams did not get off the bench for RB Leipzig in a 1-1 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt. Gio Reyna remained out injured and Lennard Maloney was an unused sub for Borussia Dortmund in a 2-0 win over Koln. Head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo’s VfB Stuttgart dropped a tough 4-1 loss to Augsburg on Sunday. In the 2.Bundesliga, Ryan Malone played the final seven minutes for Hansa Rostock in a 2-1 win over Fortuna Dusseldorf.

In Spain, Yunus Musah did not get off the bench for Valencia in a 2-0 win over Villarreal. His playing time has decreased.

In Switzerland, BSC Young Boys are struggling and Jordan Pefok has gone cold. The club dropped a 3-1 decision on the road at St. Gallen.

In Portugal top tier, Reggie Cannon started for Boavista at FC Porto but was subbed out after 17 minutes with an injury in a 4-1 loss. Alex Mendez started and played 90 minutes for Vizela in a 1-1 away draw at Famalicao.

In Austria’s second tier, Uly Llanez started, drew a penalty (which he missed) for St. Poelten in a 1-1 draw with leaders Austria Lustenau. In the top flight, Thomas Roberts did not get off the bench for Austria Klangenfurt in a 3-3 draw with Admira.

In Turkey, Haji Wright was subbed into the game for Antalyaspor to start the second half but was subbed out injured after just 50 second of action. Antalyaspor ended up winning 2-1 over Giresunspor. On Friday, Tyler Boyd played the final 24 minutes for last-place Rizespor in a 2-1 loss to Trabzonspor.

In the Premier League, Christian Pulisic missed out on Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Newcastle but is slated to return this week in the Champions League. Zack Steffen did not get off the bench Manchester City in a shocking 2-0 loss at home to Crystal Palace. In the Championship, Ethan Horvath did not get off the bench for Nottingham Forest in a 1-1 draw with QPR. Duane Holmes started and played 78 minutes for fifth-place Huddersfield in a 1-0 win over Millwall.

In Belgium, Mark McKenzie was an unused sub for KRC Genk in a 6-2 away win over Zlute Waregem.

In Denmark, Emmanuel Sabbi played the entire game for OB Odense in a 0-0 draw with AGF Aarhus.

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