Duane Holmes is on a roll and it is becoming more and more difficult to envision the Derby County midfielder remaining on the outside looking into the U.S. Men’s National Team picture.
Holmes scored in consecutive matches this past week, helping Derby County earn FA Cup and League Championship victories to hit a three-win run that has the Rams surging.
Holmes has three goals since the new year began, and is thriving playing alongside Wayne Rooney, who has helped Derby County hit a strong run of form since his arrival.
Holmes was one of several Americans Abroad to enjoy good performances last week. Here were the top Americans Abroad performers of the past week:
Timmy Chandler
No American had a better game this past week than Chandler’s two-goal performance in Eintracht Frankfurt’s romp over Augsburg. Chandler now has four goals in the new year, second most of any player in the Bundesliga, behind only Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland.
Gio Reyna
It was a truly special week for Reyna, who scored his first professional goal, and did so with an absolute stunner. He followed up with a solid 45-minute shift on Borussia Dortmund’s 4-3 loss to Bayer Leverkusen, racking up more minutes as he grows into a regular role at Dortmund.
Chris Durkin
Durkin celebrated his 20th birthday in style, scoring his first goal for Sint-Truiden to help the Belgian club to a 5-2 romp over Eupen. Durkin has become a fixture in the Sint-Truiden starting lineup, and could be playing his way into a permanent transfer instead of the currently loan he is on from D.C. United.
Shaq Moore
It took a while, but Moore scored the first goal of his pro career this weekend, scoring in Tenerife’s 5-2 win against Extremadura. Moore has earned five starts for Tenerife in all competitions in the new year and is starting to build some momentum as he tries to play his way back into the USMNT picture.
Rubio Rubin
It’s been a rough early going for Mexican second-division side Dorados in 2020, but Rubin scored his first league goal since September to help Dorados earn a draw and snap a two-match losing skid.
Agreed on Chandler. Since his first appearance for the USMN 8 years ago, where he looked like the best US player in a 1-1 tie vs Argentina in a friendly, he has had his ups and downs. His resurgence really deserves special notice.
My choice would have been Chandler. He has been scoring more, playing in a tougher league, and he has historically been a defensive back. All those things make his accomplishment all the more special.
Totally agreed.