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Americans Abroad: Weekend Rewind (De La Fuente, Richards, Yedlin and more)

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Konrad De La Fuente and Josh Sargent were among the players who narrowly missed the cut for the U.S. men’s national team’s October World Cup qualifiers, but the consolation of those snubs is that it allowed them to jump into their club starting lineups in the first weekend after the October international window.

De La Fuente made his first start in almost a month, turning in a strong showing in Marseille’s 4-1 romp against Lorient. The young winger had gone four straight matches without a start, and had earned just one starting nod in the eight total matches since the September international break, when he was part of Gregg Berhalter’s setup.

Sargent made his fourth straight Premier League start for Norwich City, but couldn’t help the Canaries find a goal in their 0-0 draw with Brighton. Sargent had a golden chance to score his first league goal, but squandered the chance.

International duty couldn’t keep Chris Richards from contributing to his club team, even on just two days rest. Just two days after starting in his first World Cup qualifier, Richards was back in Germany, and he was rushed into duty as a first-half substitute, putting in a 54-minute shift in Hoffenheim’s 5-0 romp over Cologne. Richard contributed a game-high four aerials won while completing 21 of 28 passes after coming on with Hoffenheim leading 1-0.

Antonee Robinson had a memorable return to club duty as well, as did Zack Steffen, who posted a shutout in his first English Premier League start of the season.

Robinson was one of a long list Americans to score goals this weekend, a list that includes Ulysses Llanez, Christian Ramirez, Duane Holmes, Terrence Boyd, Johan Gomez, Andrija Novakovich and Christian Cappis, who scored the winner in Brondby’s 3-2 win vs. Vejle.

Here is a closer look at this weekend’s Americans Abroad action:


England


PREMIER LEAGUE

Zack Steffen started and made two saves in Manchester City’s 2-0 win over Burnley on Saturday.

Josh Sargent started and played 76 minutes in Norwich City’s 0-0 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.

Christian Pulisic is OUT (Injury) for Chelsea.

LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP

Duane Holmes started, scored ONE GOAL, and played 90 minutes in Huddersfield’s 2-0 win over Hull City on Saturday.

Tim Ream started and played 90 minutes in Fulham’s 4-1 win over QPR on Saturday.

Antonee Robinson came off the bench, scored ONE GOAL, and played 32 minutes for Fulham.

Ethan Horvath dressed but did not play in Nottingham Forest’s 2-1 win over Blackpool on Saturday.

Matthew Olosunde is OUT (Achilles injury) for Preston North End’s match vs. Derby County on Saturday.

LEAGUE ONE

Lynden Gooch did not dress (Foot Injury) in Sunderland’s 2-1 win over Gillingham on Saturday.


Germany


BUNDESLIGA

John Brooks started and played 90 minutes in Wolfsburg’s 2-0 loss to Union Berlin on Saturday.

Joe Scally started and played 81 minutes in Borussia Moenchengladbach’s 1-1 draw with Pellegrino Matarazzo’s Stuttgart on Saturday.

Timothy Tillman started and played 72 minutes in Greuther Furth’s 1-0 loss to Bochum on Saturday.

Chris Richards came off the bench and played 54 minutes in Hoffenheim’s 5-0 win over Cologne on Friday.

Timmy Chandler started and played 45 minutes in Eintracht Frankfurt’s 2-1 loss to Hertha Berlin on Saturday.

Julian Green came off the bench and played 23 minutes for Greuther Furth.

Tyler Adams did not dress in RB Leipzig’s 1-1 draw with Bochum on Saturday.

Gio Reyna is OUT (hamstring injury) for Borussia Dortmund’s match vs. Mainz on Saturday.

3. LIGA

Terrence Boyd started, scored ONE GOAL, and played 90 minutes in Hallescher’s 3-2 loss to Saarbrucken on Saturday.

Johan Gomez started, scored ONE GOAL, and played 90 minutes in FC Zwickau’s 3-2 win over Duisburg on Saturday.

Bryang Kayo came off the bench and played 12 minutes in Viktoria Berlin’s 2-1 loss to Osnabruck on Friday.


Spain


LA LIGA

Sergino Dest started, registered ONE ASSIST, and played 81 minutes in Barcelona’s 3-1 win over Valencia on Sunday.

Matt Miazga started and played 90 minutes in Alaves 1-0 loss to Real Betis on Monday.

Yunus Musah came off the bench and played 15 minutes for Valencia.

Matthew Hoppe did not dress in Mallorca’s 1-0 loss to Real Sociedad on Friday.

SEGUNDA DIVISION

Shaq Moore started and played 90 minutes in Tenerife’s 2-1 loss to Las Palmas on Saturday.


Italy


Serie A

Gianluca Busio started and played 90 minutes in Venezia’s 1-0 win over Fiorentina on Monday.

Weston McKennie dressed but did not play in Juventus 1-0 win over AS Roma on Sunday.

Bryan Reynolds dressed but did not play for AS Roma.

Tanner Tessmann dressed but did not play for Venezia.

Serie B

Andrija Novakovich came off the bench, scored ONE GOAL, and played 33 minutes in Frosinone’s 1-1 draw with Cosenza on Saturday.


France


LIGUE 1

Konrad De La Fuente started and played 75 minutes in Marseille’s 4-1 win over Lorient on Sunday.

Tim Weah started and played 71 minutes in Lille’s 1-0 loss to Clermont Foot on Saturday.

Nicholas Gioacchini came off the bench and played seven minutes in Montpellier’s 1-0 win over Lens on Sunday.

Erik Palmer-Brown dressed but did not play in Troyes 1-0 win over Nice on Sunday.


Portugal


PRIMEIRA LIGA

Alex Mendez came off the bench and played 15 minutes in Vizela’s 1-1 draw with Benfica on Sunday.

cup

Reggie Cannon started and played 65 minutes in Boavista’s 4-0 loss to Rio Ave on Sunday.


Netherlands


Luca De La Torre did not dress in Heracles 4-2 loss to Go Ahead Eagles on Saturday.


Turkey


DeAndre Yedlin started and played 90 minutes in Galatasaray’s 1-0 win over Konyaspor on Sunday.

Haji Wright came off the bench and played 32 minutes in Antalyaspor’s 2-2 draw with Sivasspor on Saturday.

Tyler Boyd started and played 12 minutes in Rizespor’s 2-0 loss to Giresunspor on Saturday. Boyd received a red card and was ejected in the 12th minute.


Austria


ADMIRAL Bundesliga

Brenden Aaronson did not dress in Red Bull Salzburg’s 1-1 draw with Rheindorf Altach on Saturday.

2. Liga

Ulysses Llanez started, scored ONE GOAL, registered ONE ASSIST, and played 90 minutes in SKN St. Polten’s 6-1 win over Grazer AK on Friday.


Belgium


Chris Durkin started and played 83 minutes in Sint-Truiden’s 2-2 draw with Anderlecht on Sunday.

Mark McKenzie started and played 82 minutes in Genk’s 2-0 loss to Sporting Charleroi on Sunday.

Sam Vines did not dress in Royal Antwerp’s 2-1 loss to Zulte Waregem on Saturday.

Owen Otasowie did not dress in Club Brugge’s 2-0 win over Kortrijk on Friday.


Switzerland


SWISS SUPER LEAGUE

Jordan Pefok started and played 45 minutes in Young Boys 1-1 draw with Luzern on Saturday.


Denmark


Superliagen

Christian Cappis came off the bench, scored a GOAL, and played 27 minutes in Brondby’s 3-2 win over Vejle on Sunday.

Emmanuel Sabbi did not dress in Odense’s 2-1 loss to Randers on Sunday.

Jonathan Amon is OUT (knee injury) for Nordsjaelland’s hosting of Midtjylland on Sunday.


Scotland


PREMIERSHIP

Christian Ramirez started, scored a GOAL, and played 90 minutes in Aberdeen’s 2-1 loss to Dundee FC on Saturday.

Ian Harkes started, registered an ASSIST, and played 90 minutes in Dundee United’s 3-0 win over Hibernian on Saturday.

Cameron Carter-Vickers started and played 90 minutes in Celtic’s 2-0 win over Motherwell on Saturday.


Sweden


Allsvenskan

Jeffrey Gal dressed but did not play in Degerfors 2-1 win over Halmstads on Saturday.

Romain Gall did not dress in Malmo’s 3-0 win over Ostersunds on Saturday.

Nebiyou Perry did not dress for Ostersunds.


Mexico


Liga MX

Sebastian Saucedo came off the bench and played 24 minutes in Pumas 1-0 win over FC Juarez on Sunday.

Fernando Arce dressed but did not play in Necaxa’s 1-0 loss to Puebla on Friday.


Argentina


Liga Profesional

Alan Sonora started and played 78 minutes in Independiente’s 1-0 loss to Aldosivi on Sunday.

Joel Sonora dressed but did not play in Banfield’s 1-1 draw with Lanus on Saturday.


Brazil


Serie A

Johnny Cardoso started and played 70 minutes in Internacional’s 1-0 loss to Palmeiras on Sunday.

Comments

  1. Both Pulisic and Reyna have been out injured the entire period between the September and October qualifiers. Let’s hope they return soon. I find it hard to believe either team will be entirely open to a call up in November. If either is still out next weekend, one questions whether either will be game fit by the time to travel for Mexico.

    Reply
    • Report today was Gio is still 2 to 3 weeks away which puts him on the edge of being available for November. Seems unlikely he’d be available for significant minutes if at all in 4 weeks.
      —————————
      Timetable for Pulisic seems harder to come by. No official confirmation but reports are he’s very unlikely for CL this week, I haven’t seen any report that he is back to team training yet either.

      Reply
    • i think people want to fill spots so badly, and often against type, but it’s like, forget where GB put him out there in games, and watch like it’s a practice scrimmage with no preconceptions. what would you say this player is good at? or bad at? objectively, he leans attacker. he occasionally does something on defense but so does everyone in our front 6. in our concept he should be a wing forward.

      side point but one thing he does at wing that we need is he every so often cuts in/inverts, which is both goals he has. we’ve kind of gotten in the “take it to the flag” and “take it to the line” habits. teams are sitting on the endline run. so fake that and cut back across the top of the 18. it’d cut against expectation but also i think we need to go to goal more directly anyway. that or the more effective ‘crosses” for us are ground square balls off a troughball into the box.

      i also think with weah and dest you would have a speed element (but with technique) that tactically varies from what pulisic and reyna do. if you’re butting your head against the wall i think it’s useful to have different player types to replace them.

      Reply
      • Do we want to take off Reyna, Weah, Aaronson, Hoppe, or Pulisic just to add Shaq Moore or Joe Scally. If your talking Dest instead of Arriola sure but one of the other guys makes little sense. Adding one of the other RBs makes you very one dimensional offensively because their only move is to the endline to get marginally better defense. Those guys aren’t going to combine with Musah and Weah like Dest did from his RB spot.

      • Johnnyrazor…I would say to you if there’s one thing these 3-game windows (which mirror the fixture schedule of a World Cup) has taught us is, you really do need (at least) two of everything.
        I think Gio’s a center mid, of the same type (sort of that 8/10 hybrid) that Musah is, whereas McKennie sort of an 8/6 type…more 8 than 6, but a definite box-to-box guy you want roaming around (I’d favor Busio as his backup), whereas Gio and Musah want to go forward. I think Gio and Musah split that one spot, McKennie and Busio the other, and you aim for about 135 or so minutes apiece out of that 270-minute window, and if you can keep to that rotation you’re probably keeping both player fresh and healthy…and available, should you achieve your goal of getting deep into the Cup.
        I’d split Pulisic and Aaronson at left wing, I still opine Hoppe is a CF and should be splitting the minutes with Pepi, and Dest and one of whoever’s best – if it’s gotta be Arriola, fine, but I’d prefer Konrad de la Fuente – splitting RW.
        I think RB is likely held between Scally and one of Yedlin/Reynolds/Moore/Cannon. Right now that next guy is probably Yedlin but in a year’s time it might not be. But Scally looks just way too good to just ignore.

    • Quozzel: you need to find The Yank Report on YouTube and watch their CR recap. There’s a point where he shows exactly why Reyna doesn’t fit as a like for like with Musah. When you look at where Musah is in build up phase and defensive phase it is not where we want Reyna or anywhere close to where he plays for Dortmund. Unless Berhalter changes the tactics of where each player should be Reyna cannot be our 8/10. Busio or DeLaTorre would be better fits as subs for Musah. Dest and and Reyna would split time. I’d be shocked if Reyna plays as an 8 in this current formation.

      Reply
      • What you just said reminds me of something that I have heard said about the manager before, that he believes his formations matter, not the individual players.

        Gio is the best player of the ones you mentioned. Yet the manager can’t seem to find a way to make use of all that talent.

        JOHNNYRAZOR

        In other words he fits the players to his system, no his system to the players.

        It’s all about him.

      • Vacqui: I don’t think that’s really true either. We’ve seen Berhalter change a lot of things since Jan. 2019. He’s moved CP from a 10 to a wing, he changed his whole midfield philosophy around Musah and Wes dropping them deeper into true box to box 8s instead of 8/10 hybrids, he’s gotten rid of the stay home LB he used in 2019 because of Jedi’s emergence. I think where you see the issue with his belief in the system is when he try’s to play the same way with the Gold Cup roster as he does with the NL roster. For the most part he’s putting his stars in the same spaces they play for their club which is about all you can do when your 11 starters come from clubs running 7 or 8 different formations. The lineup diagram might look different but where are they on the field.

  2. Alex Mendez scored a goal and played 60 minutes for Vizela in their 2-0 victory over Vitoria de Setubal in the Taca de Portugal. They don’t play Benfica until next weekend, should I put money down on a 1-1 draw?

    Reply
    • i was a mendez fan c. U20. not sure if he’s ready as an all-around player but not everyone has to be able to start. what i saw was someone who could hit a dead ball as well as that 20-30 yard edge of the box shot dest did. those are both missing elements in the current roster. article i read suggested our dead ball goals, despite appearances, are actually tepid. and i think it would help with our “endless perimeter passing” problem if we had some interior players or people like dest who could just trap the pass and shoot. we need some cheaper goals. what panama got was cheap. what costa rica got lasted about 10-15 seconds.

      tangential point on the passing but, perhaps because the goal is to run around the opponent, we tend to force the ball just to keep the tempo. they do know they can just put their foot on the ball and stand there, wait for the other team to shift?

      Reply
      • Alex has struggled in his transition to Europe. He’s off to a pretty slow start finding minutes for a not strong side in Portugal. It should be noted the other team this wis in the 3rd division. What he really needs is a solid run of minutes. Here’s hoping yesterday’s goal leads to more playing time.

      • here’s the deal, club status or not, based on what i’ve seen, we need someone for the midfield bench who can hit corners, dead balls, and 30 yard pot shots.
        acosta is the closest thing to that but is effective doing it once every few games. if you had dead ball and long shot capability we could get some cheaper goals coming in, or late winners.

        i think we keep looking for club coach seals of approval and certainty about their career arcs when we should be looking for specific skill sets to fill out the 23 with tactical variety as opposed to layers of hustle players. we need some people who can defend, who have speed, who have height, who can set up others or hit pot shots. some of the candidates for those roles may not be in ideal career situations but may be better fits for a role than others.

        now, to me the fairer question on mendez would not be his career situation per se, but fitness, effectiveness in adult games, whether he can execute his value points in adult games.

        fwiw moore, turner, zimmermann, if you can do a job well you’re useful to us, and to deal with the career thing, if you show it with us it probably gets back to the parent club who displays more interest, or to clubs scouting for transfer. steffen plays a US game and magically gets a City start. the snobs would suggest he should fix his career then get the NT payoff, but i’d suggest if we think they can hack it, we leverage the player, who then gets their career fixed based on a showcase. as i argued on gold cup.
        cause and effect flipped.

        i do think quali is an awkward time to try stuff like this but this is why i’ve suggested call 30 for the 3 game windows and the last bodies in are trialists who are playing for whether they earn dressing or at best a 10′ sub in a blowout.

        but it would help quali along if we got someone with the skillset i am talking about. and if we show up to qatar with lousy set pieces and few players able to whack a ball at the cage corner, we’re gonna have to work too hard to win games. you want some “easy” capability beyond 20 pass keepaway possessions and low percentage crossing.

    • How many matches would we have had to trial somebody for the last 10 minutes?
      ————————-
      We do also have over 600 minutes of Dutch 2nd division last year to say he’s probably not ready. I was hoping he’d hit a burst of improvement like Aaronson or Busio when he hit his new club but we haven’t seen it yet. We do need a better free kick taker but if that’s his only skill that’s not good enough for international level.

      Reply
    • I’m all for it. A better positional fit for his skill set and strengths as a player. Until Reyna and Pulisic get back for qualifying in 2022:

      Aaronson- Pepi-Dest
      Musah-McKennie
      Adams
      Robinson-Richards-Robinson-Scally

      Reply
      • I am not hating the idea…how did Dest do?

        He honestly SEEMS like a better fit as a winger than a defender but I’d have to watch him awhile to see if that’s actually true…never really seen it.

        We’re short at winger, long on right backs…hey, why not, especially with Scally coming on? That would still leave Yedlin/Moore/Reynolds/Cannon in reserve…seemingly more-than-ample coverage at the RB spot.

      • While I’m not opposed to this, I don’t love it either.
        Dest @ RW makes the most of his creativity and limits his defensive shortfalls, but it’s not like we don’t have a number of RW players (Reyna, Konrad, Aaronson, Weah, Musah). And yes we do have a number of RBs (Scally, Yedlin, Reynolds, Cannon, Moore), but of these RBs only 1 or 2 is actually playing. The others have mostly been riding the bench.
        Now if Gregg were to finally adjust his formation to a 4-2-3-1 and use Reyan as a CM….we could maybe maximize our player pool.
        —————–Pepi—————-
        —Pulisic——-Reyna——–Dest—
        ———McKennie——Adams———
        –A. Rob—-Brooks—M. Rob—Scally-
        That keeps some very strong options as back-ups or alternating starters….
        Musah as a back-up to McKennie.
        Weah as a back-up to Dest
        Aaronson a back-up to Pulisic
        Sargent a back-up to Pepi
        Richards a back-up to Brooks/M. Robinson
        …but it weakens our Back-ups at the outside back position, and we still don’t have a back-up for Adams.

    • Lost : Is Scally better than Musah or is Scally better than Weah? It reminds me of the Fabian as a LB or LW debate. It wasn’t is Fabian better than Bedoya or Arriola or whomever else was tried it was is that player better than an aged Beasley or limited Villafana. To me Musah does something that neither Ty, Gio, or Wes can do, get the ball deep in midfield and turn and drive at the defense. Weah’s ability to run in behind is so tough to defend is that more or less valuable than a slightly better defensive performance from Scally at RB. It really seems personal preference as to what you want to see. Now if it’s Dest at RB so Arriola gets on the field that’s different entirely.
      —————————————
      I think we need to see if Barca see’s this as a permanent move or just a one off to keep him from having to do a lot of running on short rest. If he’s not playing any FB for Barca that worries me some. If then we’re trying to play him as a RB with few reps between windows.

      Reply
      • Razor – I agree with you completely. I don’t love the idea, but I don’t hate it either. Like you said it’s the same argument we had with Fabian. Big difference is that right now we have a ton of young attacking talent seeing consistent minutes with their clubs…and we have only a handful of defensive talent getting minutes.
        With our current pool (when all healthy) some very talented players are going to be on the bench. The only lock starters right now are Adams, Pulisic & probably Reyna. In Fabian’s era he was a lock starter whenever healthy.

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