It was quite a weekend for the young Americans plying their trade in Europe, headlined by Christian Pulisic earning a surprise start for Borussia Dortmund.
The recent U.S. Men’s National Team debutant played 73 minutes on Sunday, as Dortmund drew 2-2 with Schalke 04. It was Pulisic’s second-ever start in the German Bundesliga, and the young attacking talent played a role in Shinji Kagawa’s opening goal for Dortmund.
In the 2. Bundesliga, Bobby Wood continued his sizzling club form by scoring a brace in FC Union Berlin’s match against SC Paderborn 07. Wood broke the American goal-scoring record in Germany’s top two tiers by striking twice in the first 15 minutes to put his season total at 16 goals.
Matt Miazga earned his second consecutive start for Chelsea, but was replaced by Kenedy at halftime after getting a yellow card in the first half. A poor defensive header from the former New York Red Bulls defender put the ball in the path of Gylfi Sigurdsson for Swansea City’s winning goal.
Saturday was a day to remember for birthday boy Emerson Hyndman, as the 20-year-old American midfielder played 90 minutes and scored the game-winner for Fulham in second-half stoppage time. The goal was Hyndman’s first for the senior team, and helped his side climb further away from the relegation zone in the English Championship.
Here’s how the Americans abroad fared this weekend:
MEXICO
Jorge Villafana started and played 90 minutes for Santos Laguna in a 2-0 win over Veracruz.
Sebastian Saucedo wasn’t in the squad for Veracruz.
Jonathan Bornstein was on the bench for Queretaro’s 0-0 draw with Toluca.
Luis Gil wasn’t in the squad for Queretaro.
Ventura Alvarado was on the bench for Club America’s 6-1 victory over Club Tijuana.
Paul Arriola started and played 90 minutes for Club Tijuana.
Michael Orozco, Greg Garza, and Alejandro Guido didn’t dress for Club Tijuana.
Edgar Castillo wasn’t in the squad for Monterrey’s 6-0 win over Chiapas.
Omar Gonzalez started and played 90 minutes in Pachuca’s 2-1 win over Tigres.
Jose Torres didn’t make the squad for Tigres.
Joe Corona came off the bench and played 45 minutes in Dorados de Sinaloa’s 3-0 win over Cruz Azul
Sonny Guadarrama didn’t dress for Dorados de Sinaloa.
William Yarbrough, Miguel Ibarra and Club Leon play Pumas on Sunday night.
NORWAY
Ethan Horvath started and played 90 minutes in Molde’s 1-0 win vs. IK Start.
AJ Soares and Viking play Odds BK Sunday afternoon.
Cole Grossman didn’t dress for Staebek’s 2-1 win vs. Valerenga.
ENGLAND
Premier League
Brad Guzan started, played 90 minutes and made one save in Aston Villa’s 2-1 loss vs. Bournemouth.
Geoff Cameron started and played 90 minutes in Stoke City’s 4-1 loss vs. Liverpool.
DeAndre Yedlin started and played 90 minutes in Sunderland’s 2-0 loss vs. Leicester City.
Tim Howard dressed but did not play in Everton 1-1 loss vs. Watford.
Matt Miazga started, played 45 minutes, and received a YELLOW card in Chelsea’s 0-1 loss vs. Swansea City.
Championship
Duane Holmes did not dress in Huddersfield Town’s 2-2 draw vs. Hull City.
Eric Lichaj is suspended for Nottingham Forest’s match against Brighton and Hove Albion on Monday.
Emerson Hyndman started, played 90 minutes and scored a GOAL in Fulham’s 2-1 win vs. Cardiff City.
Tim Ream wasn’t in the squad for Fulham.
Cody Cropper started, played 90 minutes and made four saves in Milton Keynes Dons’ 4-0 loss vs. Rotherham United.
Danny Williams started and played 90 minutes in Reading’s 2-0 loss vs. Birmingham City.
Jonathan Spector was on the bench for Birmingham City.
GERMANY
Bundesliga
Alfredo Morales dressed but did not play in FC Ingolstadt 04’s 1-0 win vs. Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Fabian Johnson started and played 78 minutes for Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Timmy Chandler started and played 90 minutes in Eintracht Frankfurt’s 2-0 loss to TSG Hoffenheim.
Russell Canouse did not dress for Hoffenheim.
Christian Pulisic started and played 73 minutes in Borussia Dortmund’s 2-2 draw vs. Schalke 04.
John Brooks did not dress in Hertha Berlin’s 2-2 draw vs. Hannover 96.
2. Bundesliga
Caleb Stanko dressed but did not play in SC Freiburg’s 4/3 win vs. St. Pauli.
Andrew Wooten started and played 90 minutes in SV Sandhausen’s 4-1 loss vs. Arminia Bielefeld.
Bobby Wood started, played 90 minutes, and scored TWO GOALS in FC Union Berlin’s 4-0 win vs. SC Paderborn 07.
https://dailymotion.com/video/x431jrt
https://dailymotion.com/video/x431l24
Shawn Barry started and played 90 minutes in FSV Frankfurt’s 4-1 loss vs. VfL Bochum.
Terrence Boyd and RB Leipzig play Fortuna on Monday.
SCOTLAND
Perry Kitchen started, played 90 minutes and received a YELLOW card in Hearts’ 2-1 win vs. Aberdeen.
NETHERLANDS
Rubio Rubin dressed but did not play in FC Utrecht’s 3-1 win vs. NEC Nijmegen.
Desevio Payne did not dress for FC Groningen’s 3-1 win vs. De Graafschap.
FRANCE
Alejandro Bedoya did not dress in FC Nantes’ 2-1 loss to Stade de Reims.
Am I the only one who thinks that bobby wood moves a lot like Davies before the car accident?
I know gyau said he wasn’t feeling any pain the other day, any word on when he will get a chance to play for the reserves or just make him wait it out till their summer preason
Nothing on twitter from him, which is where the pain free quote came from. BvB II’s last game is May 21, so might be a chance he gets in a few minutes before then, but no pictures or mention of him going through regular training yet.
Zelalem? What’s going on there?
Won the Scottish Challenge Cup (Cup does not include Premiership teams). Zelalem dressed but did not play. Rangers have already guaranteed promotion so I’m not sure how much more of Zelalem you’ll see since it doesn’t sound likely he will go back to Rangers next year.
I think the fact that Kitchen is playing so well in Scotland gives the USMNT it’s potential replacement for Beckerman. If he continues to play out this way the rest of the way, would not be shocked to see him called in for Copa.
He was playing OK in MLS. Now he goes to Scotland and he is “bossing” games in the midfield. What does that tell you about Scotland?
It tells you the Scottish league is not as good as MLS. But other than the people who think anything in Europe is automatically better, we all knew that already.
It also tells you fan sites are full of hyperbole.
Andy Dorman was a decent player for New England, went to St. Mirren in Scotland and was one of the leading scorers in the league two seasons later. The basic view, back when Rangers were in the first division, was that Celtic and Rangers were mid-table EPL quality and the rest of the league not very good. Without Rangers to push them, based on their international play, I think Celtic has declined in quality.
Five irrelevant games left for Fulham. I really hope Emerson gets 5 more starts but nothing in it for the club.
Excited to see where Emerson and Bobby Wood end up next year, less excited about where Guzan and Miagza might end up next season.
Chelsea usually loans players out to decent clubs, at worst he should be in the Championship.
Chelsea loans Miazga to Sunderland.
Sunderland signs yedlin to a permanent (“big” money) move (lol…)
Bobby wood signs (traded for Defoe) with Sunderland.
Cameron gets loaned to Sunderland.
Hyndman transfers to Sunderland.
Brek Shea gets another chance in the EPL with a loan move (for an OSCS profit) to Sunderland.
Zelalem impresses over the summer at arsenal but gets one last loan out to gain EPL starting experience to Sunderland.
———-wood——
Khazri—-Lens—Gyau
—zelalem—Hyndman
Shea-Cameron-Miazga-yedlin
Boom….. Mind blown…..
I know that has like a 5000-1 chance of becoming reality but, hey, so did LyKaster City have of winning the EPL… 🙂
Oops, failed to mention Gyau with a loan to Sunderland as well haha
So is Sunderland staying up for this all to happen or in the Championship?
lol. They will beat Norwich and arsenal and draw the rest to stay up.
Does Bob Bradley replace Big Sam?
No if Bob was brought in he’d transfer for Ricardo Clark and Maurice Edu instead of Hyndman and Zelalem and bring in Bornstein for Shea.
I believe Cairney was out with an injury so depending on how that goes, will probably determine Emerson’s time on the pitch. He played well Saturday, but Fulham is pretty much safe and they aren’t likely to play the guy leaving over the guy staying too much.
Hymdman: “the more I can play in positions I’m not used to, the more I can learn, and the better I’ll get”
Let him have it boys!!!!! We don’t tolerate that kind of nonsensical thinking right guys?! ….Right?!?!…. He sounds like a JK clone. Get rid of him!!!!!!!!!!! A player is by law only allowed to play ONE position for their entire career!!!!!!!!!!!
A player who can produce at more than one position is one thing. Shuffling the lineup to a point where it looks like you were drawing names out of a hat is quite another.
Lol smh…. Got any examples?
Lemme guess Cameron at RB? He played RB in the EPL for a season and a half…
Orozco at CB? Orozco IS a cb. Perhaps his form is currently bad but that’s not the same argument as ‘playing out of position’…
Yedlin at right wing? Yedlin grew up only playing there and striker until Seattle found him and asked Caleb porter (his then Akron coach) to switch him to RB because sounders wanted to use him there. So not ‘out of position’…..
Bedoya at CM? Bedoya is a MIDFIELDER capable of playing anywhere except at the 6. Vs Brazil he was not the 6, but a dual-pivoting CM (Rcm) that was asked to share defensive duties with MB I believe. Truly not THAT wild. He didn’t put him at gk or cb. Let’s not start the hyperbole again…
Any others? Nguyen on the outside? He does that from time to time depending on need for NE. Same with nagbe. Any others? Even though all of the examples people have tried to use have been soundly refuted, people still hold on this ‘out of position claim. Makes me chuckle everytime.
And to clarify, if a coach ACTUALLY played people out of position like a cb at winger or the opposite, I’d be enraged, it just hasn’t happened yet haha.
I agree that the “out of position” mantra tends to be repeated mindlessly, but trying to ignore that the USMNT more often than not looks disjointed and unsure what they are supposed to be doing is equally worthy of a chuckle.
Columbus has essentially the exact same lineup and same formation as last year and they look unsure and disjointed.
I actually thought giving Bedoya a shot at CM made a lot of sense when you think about what he brings. He has a good work rate, and solid passing. It’s not like he’s a speedy winger, that takes on players and puts in crosses. He’s not been a real goal threat for the US either.
You see the success he’s had a France and figure there must be a way to get that out of him. While he was exposed at CM/DM, he far too often just disappears on the wings.
So when Bedoya said after the Brazil game that he had never played that position in his life, he was lying? Whatever JK is doing, the results since the World Cup are abysmal and we should expect better. In countries that take soccer seriously, he would been out ages ago, certainly after that Gold Cup debacle.
Slow: I know DLOA’s post was long and full of things that probably ticked you off, but he did say Bedoya playing DM was the one example he could think of, of just crazy bad positioning.
Klinsmann certainly has a problem with trying to force on what he views as his best 11 players. Where does Bedoya really fit into the team if at all is a question I think going forward.
Yes, Jack, but when he got hot this winter in France suddenly he was going to be the savior according to a lot of people on this board and now he cools off and everyone wants him gone. He’s not flashy and most of his goals are going to come in more of poacher fashion so you don’t notice him unless he messes up, but most nights his going to put in his shift and not hurt your team.
DLOA–I think Cameron has played more like 2+ seasons at RB. Here’s an interesting article, albeit a couple of years old, that analyzes what is his best position: http://americansoccernow.com/articles/what-is-geoff-cameron-s-best-position-asn-inquires
While I quibble a bit with a couple other things you say, I agree wholeheartedly with your argument in general. For example, I looked it up and Danny Williams has played almost as many games the past season for Reading at center mid as at defensive mid. And while Bedoya had a bad game at defensive mid, it was against Brazil and almost everyone for the US had a bad game. Had he played against a CONCACAF team, he probably would have done a lot better. People all too often ignore context and history. People should remember that many people, myself included, thought Beasley would never be an adequate LB.
mr. page,
“People all too often ignore context and history.”
i’m sure they do, and that’s a shame. in bedoya’s case, the context was that he was playing a new position against brasil. while i might actually be interested to see him in a more defensive mid role–against a manageable opponent–the only thing that accomplished was to possibly damage bedoya’s confidence if he plays there again, and i guess tell anyone who didn’t already know it that bedoya is not a good enough defender to cope against brasil.
i think managers should get some freedom to get a little fancy in friendlies and try things that may seem a little weird–but only *some*, as friendlies are a finite resource. that one was very obviously klinsmann blindly digging while hoping to strike oil.
Davis whatever is out of position on most of his viewpoints
At Davis- Didn’t Williams played RM vs. Italy when up to that time he had only played the 6?
Bradley played the 6 in the BL and RM in the Italian league now JK is trying to make him an ACM with mixed results. And finally trying out Jones as RCB, we know how that went.
Yes he has played Williams and morales wide in a 442. Surely not their best but tactically they were the asymmetric balance to the opposite winger. They tucked in and helped centrally. Still not as crazy as “Guzman at CAM!!” Or “Pulisic at CB!!!”
Bradley being a 10 is still like fabregas or invests playing 10. They are still going to cover the midfield defensively. So MB was still more of an 8 with a 6 behind and usually another 8-partner.
And as for jones at CB, not really crazy to play a CDM at CB, or at least try. And at the time most fans were excited about it. Yet only in hindsight do u say it was bad….. lol
A lot of DM move to CB as the age or based on the needs of their team Cameron and Masherano come immediately to mind.
I’m just rebutting your sarcastic comment of a player playing more than one position. All coaches will try to find the ideal and second best position for a player. In JK’s case, he wasn’t thinking of a player’s best position but rather how to keep him (Jones) in the starting 11. Up to that point, Jones only played CB once or twice at Schalke. When playing the 6 or 8 for us he was not always disciplined when following a game’s plan and his coverage for crosses was always subjective to scrutiny (hence the play vs. Mexico in Texas comes to mind), a trait not suitable for a future CB.
“A player is by law only allowed to play ONE position for their entire career!!!!!!!!!!!”
straw men aren’t attractive, dloa, and tend to signify weak arguments.
if you had given a little thought to hyndman’s quote before claiming it for your side in the debate, you might have come to the conclusion that a club team is a very practical place to “learn” a new position–a national team, not so much.
Not a straw man argument, merely comedic hyperbole. Many commenters on here have said similar things–not to the extent of being against the law but many say “jk, u should use each player in one spot!!”
“jk, u should use each player in one spot!!”
so was that a straw man, or comedic hyperbole? i guess maybe that has been said on here before, but i don’t think i’ve ever seen it, and certainly not from “many” commenters.
as i’ve said before: from what i’ve read, the prevailing criticism is that klinsmann moves players around unnecessarily and unwisely. i’m confident that, against most teams, bedoya could be decent on either wing or in an advanced midfield role. that’s more than one spot, isn’t it? but i wouldn’t give him major defensive responsibilities against brasil. i think that, against most teams, bradley could play d-mid, a-mid, or any of the three mids in a 4-3-3. again, more than one spot. but i wouldn’t use him as an attacking mid against argentina (or even mexico, really).
the problem is when klinsmann puts players in roles that don’t seem to fit their abilities, especially when they’re displacing someone else who might fit that role better, or when it might be better to just change the system to suit the players’ abilities. but that takes advanced management capabilities, and it seems that either klinsmann doesn’t have those, or is simply more concerned with looking brilliant when one of his long shots pays off.
Overall a positive weekend for our young players….Wood, Hyndman, Pulisic, Arriola, & Miazga (even with the Questionable clearance) all showing that they are capable of stepping up their game. Villafana going another 90 minutes making a statement that he should be called into a USMNT camp for a closer evaluation.
Orozco & Alvarado showed (again) that they shouldn’t be called up to the USMNT as they continue to ride the pine/not dress. Until this changes and they are playing consistently they need to remain on the fringes of the squad.
Hearts fans have fallen in love with Kitchen. Apparently he is bringing a lot of bite into their midfield. They just beat a very good Aberdeen team who have been contending with Celtic for the title all year. He seems to be bossing the games in Scotland. I am interested to see if he receives any offers from the championship this summer.
Great to hear! Haven’t been able to see any of his games there. Thanks for the update! But no pun? Hearts heart Kitchen!! Kitchen captures the Heart o Hearts!
I’m a fan of Kitchen and have never really understood why he hasn’t been given more of an opportunity with the National Team. He is basically a Beckerman 2.0 with a bit more speed and size. He may not be fancy, but he is a solid CDM. With JKs apparent crush on Beckerman I would have thought he’d be high on JKs depth chart, but he hasn’t been.