Sergino Dest’s future at La Liga club Barcelona was in question during Xavi Hernandez’s early days in charge of the club, but since then the American defender has continued to impress and remain a regular in the starting lineup.
Dest delivered back-to-back starts for Barcelona in victories over Napoli and Athletic Bilbao respectively, featuring as both a left back and right back for the club. The USMNT right back’s fourth start in his past five appearances helped earn him SBI Americans Abroad Player of the Week honors in the process.
After helping Barcelona clinch a spot in the UEFA Europa League Round of 16, the 21-year-old moved to left back on Sunday with veteran Dani Alves taking the right back spot at the Camp Nou. Dest completed over 90% of his passes in the match, while also making zero mistakes in defense as Barcelona registered a first clean sheet since mid-January.
Dest has now went the distance in five matches across all competitions in 2022, growing his confidence for the next phase of the league season.
Here is a look at some of the other top Americans Abroad performers from the past week:
Luca De La Torre
Luca De La Torre played the hero for Dutch side Heracles Almelo on Saturday, scoring his first goal of the season in a 2-0 win over PEC Zwolle. De La Torre not only scored the opening goal in the match, but logged another impressive 84 minutes for the Eredivisie club from his midfield position. He made eight recoveries and also drew two fouls, helping Heracles move seven points clear of the relegation zone.
Yunus Musah
Valencia’s hopes for European qualification took another boost on Sunday after a 1-0 win over Mallorca, with Yunus Musah delivering a solid shift as a right midfielder. Musah successfully completed all three of his tackles and also won eight of 12 duels in the match in his 78 minutes on the field. Musah has now earned seven starts for Valencia in all competitions this calendar year.
Tim Ream
Fulham is currently running away with the English Football League Championship title this season and Tim Ream has been a major part of it. Ream helped the London club earn a 1-0 road win over Cardiff City on Saturday, moving 11 points clear of the playoff places. The 34-year-old has showed zero signs of slowing down, making four interceptions and six clearances in Fulham’s latest victory.
Ian Harkes
Dundee United remains in the top-five of the Scottish Premiership table and Ian Harkes delivered a Man of the Match performance in a 1-1 draw with Aberdeen. Harkes won 12 of his 17 duels in the match and also made 12 recoveries from his central midfield position. The former D.C. United homegrown has continued to excel for the Tangerines this season.
What did you think of the top Americans Abroad performances this past week? Who impressed you the most? Who didn’t make the list that you feel deserved a mention?
Share your thoughts below.
Great to see so many of our guys battling through adversity and ultimately impressing.