Tim Weah capped off his Lille campaign in style on Saturday, setting the U.S. men’s national team winger up nicely for a busy June schedule at international level.
Weah scored a brace in a 2-2 Ligue 1 draw with Rennes, giving him three goals and one assist in his final two appearances this season. For the second-consecutive week, the 22-year-old winger earned SBI’s Americans Abroad Player of the Week honors for his Man of the Match performance with Lille.
Weah delivered a pair of headed goals, with one coming in each half at the Stade Pierre Mauroy. Although the Ligue 1 hosts were pegged back on both occasions by Rennes, manager Jocelyn Gourvennec will be pleased with the USMNT forward heading into the summer on a positive note.
Despite totaling 34 combined appearances this season, Weah struggled to find the back of the net for most of the season. He did though set a new career-high in league appearances (29), assists (4), and starts (17), while also equaling his best goal-haul with three in each of the last two seasons.
With the USMNT set for four matches this June, Weah will aim to carry over his club form to the international schedule as he tries to boost his stock in Gregg Berhalter’s plans.
Here is a look at some of the other top Americans Abroad performers from the past week:
Catarina Macario
Lyon captured the 2021-22 UEFA Women’s Champions League trophy on Saturday and its fourth out of the past five years with Catarina Macario capping off a strong European campaign in the process.
Macario scored the third goal in Lyon’s 3-1 victory over Barcelona on Saturday, giving her 22 combined goals for the season. The 22-year-old currently sits in second place in the Division 1 Feminine golden boot race with Lyon just one league win away from capturing the title.
Macario has already impressed with the USWNT and now could take a strong club season into a busy summer at the Concacaf Women’s Championship.
Sam Rogers
Sam Rogers retained his spot in Rosenborg’s starting lineup on Sunday, scoring his first Eliteserien goal in a 1-1 draw with his former club HamKam.
The former Seattle Sounders and USYNT player logged his first 90 minutes for the club since his transfer this summer. Rogers not only scored his club’s only goal of the match, but also won eight of 12 duels and two tackles in a strong all-around performance.
Rosenborg next hosts Haugesund in league play on Thursday.
Lynden Gooch
Lynden Gooch and Sunderland clinched their place back into the EFL Championship on Saturday with the American veteran logging a strong 90 minutes in a playoff final victory.
Gooch helped the Black Cats defeat Wycombe Wanderers at Wembley Stadium, making three interceptions, winning one duel, and making six recoveries. The 26-year-old logged 41 appearances in league play this season and now enters an offseason where he will hope to sign a new contract with the Wearside club.
Sam Vines
Royal Antwerp solidified its spot in next season’s UEFA Conference League qualifying round as Sam Vines logged his final appearance of the season.
Vines played 90 minutes in a 1-0 road win over Union St. Gilloise, helping Royal Antwerp snap a four-match winless run. The USMNT left back made three clearances, seven recoveries, and created two chances as Antwerp ended its season on a high note.
Vines finished his first season with 29 combined appearances for the Belgian Pro League side.
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.
Part 4- Examples- Track is run counter clockwise. If you had someone running track for 5-6 years, then you tell them to run clockwise. And expect the same results, as good as they ran counter-clockwise. They will have major problems in their programming. Same thing in boxing. Righty to southpaw. Same thing with blocking on the offensive line in tackle football. Depending on what side. Weah’s Specific examples of this- Rollback vs CR June friendly. On the left side, he normally rolls the ball towards the defender, then an ankle breaking move. This match, he rolled the ball backwards, crowd went nuts! …but again, away from goal. In the same match, he hits the post, coming in from right to left, shooting right footed. He did the exact same shot, which hit the post, hits the GK, for an own goal vs CR home WCQ. I’m with Gomer on this one. No credit for Weah for a goal but should’ve gone down as a chance created, imo. Move him 10 yards back to left. Both shots are passed the GK, on frame. Have you ever seen Weah shoot with his left foot? Ugh?! A flip v Jamaica isn’t shooting. I’d rather have him than Arriola at RW (yes!), but his best position is LW. CP, Medford Messi, Reyna, Nico (hit the post v Haiti GC) can all shoot & pass with their left foot better than Timo, @ the moment. This isn’t unique to players, let alone Americans. Konrad is going thru it. He spent 3 years at RW at La Masia. Now, 1st time pro was thrown in, as a LW. Hoppe has only been playing CF for almost 2 1/2 seasons, after being a 10. Servania is learning how to play the 8, instead of 6. Cardoso was a youth forward, now is a 6. (Craziest/ most difficult position change, imo). Finally, once Mo Salah got to play under Klopp. He left him at RW, unlike every other team, which played him all over the attack. Weah needs the same. No RW or CF. Leave him at LW, and let Tdubb do his thing! Hope, this brings some clarity to Weah’s production. Peace
Based on transfermkt stats so not necessarily 100% accurate.
Weah as pro:
CF: 41 app 7g 4a
RW: 32 app 4g 1a
LW:: 17 app 3g 2a
Pulisic as a pro:
RW: 100 app 11g 25a
LW: 73 app 20g 10a
I 100% agree Tim would be effective as a LW, for the reason you said. However, because our best player also does his best finishing on the left it’s not going to happen. The guy on pace to be our best goal scorer of all-time gets first pick. If Timmy was dropping double digit goals for Lille, CP and Gregg might defer but the alpha gets first pick. Ideally you’d have someone that can go both ways on either side (Gio Reyna). The good thing is that Tim and CP can interchange during the match and Tim still gets chances on the left.
This is a USMNT profile only JR, this wasn’t about club comparisons. CPs last 2 goals with Chelsea he scored shooting with his left, which makes his miss vs El Tri away, that much more disappointing. His 1st Prem goal was scored with his left foot, then went on to have a hat trick. I brought up CPs left footed shooting in contrast to Weahs left footed shooting. Weah doesn’t use his left by comparison. What you did was compare club stats, which has nothing to do with everything I posted. You really love muddying up the waters, don’t you?
I don’t disagree with anything you said. What I’m saying is Pulisic is our best player and he wants to play on the left so he’s going to play on the left.
Part 3- All his best moves come left to right. At RW, he doesn’t make the inside pass using his left foot, to the 9, RM, or 6. (Think, Mo Salah, Hakim Zyech, or Mahrez,). Push comes to shove, players want to get the ball on their strongest foot, so they can drive pass the defenders. Weah is right footed, thus taking him this direction ↗️. Taking him Away from goal, y’all. Where he only crosses with his outside foot, which is his right. If he’s on the left, now his right foot is driving in, on goal. He makes inside passes with his right. Plus, he gives you the left footed crossing -Jamaica @ Home WCQ -2nd half. Or the left footed dead leg in the same match. Or the switch of play, back to goal, using his right foot v CR home WCQ pass to Musah on the opposite side of the 18. Musah lays it off to Dest. Dest scores. I’m not finished…
Now to shed a little light, as to what people are seeing with his finishing. Otra Vez!! U17-U20s YNTS- Weah 30 caps w/ 11 g. As people know, he has 20 caps w/ 2 g w/ the Senior team. What happened? Well, Hackworth was the U17 manager. Sargent & Akinola also played CF. Weah is STILL listed as a CF on transfer market. I don’t care that Richie Williams shows up. (Alex Mendez is listed- both -on the foot dominant section, instead of right or left. We know he’s a lefty.) When all 3 were healthy, who starts? Hackworth started all of them in U17 CONCACAF tourney.
Weah, Sargent, Ayo. Weah as a LW. Tab Ramos was the U20 coach, how did he play them? He started them the exact same. Ayo was part of U20 CONCACAF qualifying, Weah wasn’t. (Amaya & Pomykal split duties at LW). Weah was part of the U20 WC, so Tab had Uly Llanez & Konrad on the right because Ayo was hurt. His 1st start with Sarachan, was at RW. I know I made a fuss about it. ‘Sargent needs Weah playing over his left shoulder!’ – because of everything I just mentioned. 15 out of 20 caps have been a RW. 2 at CF. 3 at his best position LW. (‘4 sub, England friendly, Panama away WCQ). Not many minutes at LW.
Senior Squad goals/assists: 1st goal came from an S curl run in btween 2 Bolivian CBs, from a cross from Jedi. Right foot. Left side in goal. 2nd goal left footed flip, from left side of goal. His 1st assist v Colombia, came at a LW position, with his right foot, splitting 2 defenders. (Can’t remember who scored, tho). 2nd assist was at RW to CP against El Tri home WCQ. I can’t leave that out. Every match his contributed, he’s starts out at RW.
I’m glad Weah had a good finish to a long season. He’s not the only US player to end a season on a high note.