Just several weeks remain in Europe’s domestic campaigns, and the hope and ensuing threat of promotion and relegation loom large. A series of Americans see themselves in major battles across some of the continent’s top leagues, facing loads of pressure to help secure the best possible outcome for their respective clubs.
In England, the Championship race is littered with American influence as four of the five teams battling for the final two promotion spots feature an American.
Danny Williams’ Reading, David Wagner’s Huddersfield Town and Tim Ream’s Fulham are all currently in promotion playoff spots, and each faces personal pressure to succeed. Williams is looking to push his way back into a crowded midfield picture under new U.S. Men’s National Team boss Bruce Arena while Ream is looking to edge back into the defensive picture. Wagner, meanwhile, is looking to validate himself as a top-level coach while leading Huddersfield Town to its first Premier League appearance.
DeAndre Yedlin and Newcastle are currently second in the league, making them a favorite for an automatic promotion to the Premier League. It’s a promotion push that was expected, and one that would be catastrophic if highly-favored Newcastle fell short.
On the other end of the spectrum is Eric Lichaj’s Nottingham Forest, which sits just one point above the red line. An injury robbed Lichaj of a USMNT call-up under Arena, and a relegation could be damaging to his chances of pushing back into the picture.
German soccer is also loaded with drama as several Americans fight relegation. Terrence Boyd and Darmstadt are all but certain to go down, even if the forward does find spectacular form over the next few weeks. Alfredo Morales and Ingolstadt could certainly join them while Bobby Wood and Hamburg aren’t far from the relegation zone. Wood’s status is particularly interesting as the club looks to lock down the forward to a long-term deal.
With that in mind, SBI asks which American you think is under the most pressure as promotion and relegation heat up. Vote in the poll below and state your reasoning in the comment section.
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