It has been a frustrating season to date for American attacker Brenden Aaronson, but hopefully Saturday’s performance will spark a second-half surge for the 23-year-old.
Aaronson scored the game-winning goal on Saturday in Union Berlin’s 1-0 Bundesliga triumph over Hoffenheim. It marked Aaronson’s first goal of the club season, which moved Union Berlin eight points clear of the relegation zone.
Both teams were reduced to 10 men before halftime with Stanley N’Soki and Kevin Holland both receiving second yellow cards in stoppage time.
Aaronson entered the match in the second half and delivered the breakthrough moment with six minutes left to play. The U.S. men’s national team midfielder slotted home Yorbe Vertessen’s pass to cap off a Union Berlin fast break, giving the visitors a 1-0 advantage.
Nenad Bjelica’s squad would hang on for a crucial three points, giving them back-to-back league victories.
Aaronson, who hadn’t scored or assisted this season prior to Saturday’s match, now receives a major confidence boost going forward. The Leeds United loanee has mainly featured off the bench during his loan spell from the Yorkshire club.
Up next for Union Berlin is a home league showdown with FC Heidenheim on Feb. 24.
He needed that. Been a slog for him this season.
And half of last. Hard not to root for him- hope it’s the first of many!
Yeah.
I personally really like the guy and there was a case to be made about eighteen months back he was actually performing the best of any player in the USMNT pool. He even looked great the first month or so with Leeds.
And then the brutal physicality of the Prem happened, and his confidence cratered. He needs to find a fit – and find his feet again – and I’m not sure he’s at a great spot for that this year either. But it’s still nice to see him have a big moment where he delivered in the clutch and hopefully it’ll help turn around his confidence.
Leggo, Leeds go back to EPL Brendan needs to be red hot 🔥⚽ 🚀🥅
I don’t think he belongs in the Prem, personally. (Or probably the Bundesliga either, for that matter.) Just to my eyes his best fit is probably Serie A. He’s coachable, versatile, conscientious, intelligent, and willing to play any role asked of him for his team…which is a perfect fit for a less physical but more tactical league. Brendan’s big problem wasn’t skill, IMHO…it was basically just lack of size and a lack of collision radar and he basically got roughed right out of the Prem. But that wouldn’t be nearly as big an issue in Italy.
“it was basically just lack of size and a lack of collision radar and he basically got roughed right out of the Prem.”
Is that all?
+ Brenden is approximately the same size as Tyler and Christian. He’s “bigger” than a lot of guys in the EPL. He has alleged that he frequently works out so if it is a question of physical strength, whatever he’s doing is not working. Charlie Davies was also “compact” but he was a very good college wrestler and pretty hard to get physical with. Landon was smaller but was much quicker, more evasive and just overall, a much “headier” player. I never saw anyone “body” LD off the ball.
+ “a lack of collision radar”. That’s another way of saying he’s not skilled enough, quick enough and athletic enough to either avoid or “ride” tackles and retain the ball. Serie A is full of excellent tackling players, a lot of whom are quite dirty and ruthless. I’m not convinced that Brenden will have any more luck with them than he has with the ones in England and Germany.
+ I like Brenden as much as anyone does but what he’s shown since he hit Leeds is that he’s very much a “confidence” player, meaning that at Salzburg he was used to riding roughshod over his puny opponent’s and then when he went to the USMNT he was used to riding roughshod over poor opposition. If you want to be a top class player it helps to sharpen your game vs. top class opposition as much as possible.
Brenden is an example of what happens when you don’t do that.
He gets to Leeds and his “Ariolla with better touch and better pressing skills” act gets swatted down and it’s the same thing in Germany. Being able to run all day and being relentless in the press can only take you so far.
I hope I am wrong because the Aaronsons are a nice fairly tale story but this has gone on far too long. Brenden is quite beloved on SBI because he’s seen as not being a diva shitbag like Gio but it’s starting to look like he’s nowhere near as skilled as Gio and has been overrated from the start. The proof is in the pudding as they say.
The overestimation of Brenden’s abilities and skills by Jesse Marsch is my main reason for questioning Jesse Marsch’s player evaluation skills. As his manager in a very weak league Jesse could maximize his skills and protect him but Jesse could not do that at Leeds, a very different and much more exacting and demanding place.
And I’m not talking about the fans.
It also speaks to Jesse’s naivety and hubris in thinking that he could do the same thing with Brenden in the EPL that he did at Salzburg. Unless Brenden shows much more improvement at Union he shouldn’t be in the Copa team and his place should go to a Paredes, a Jonny or a LDLT.
But I’m sure Gregg, who would bring Aaron Long and Ariolla if he thought he could get away with it, has him already on the roster.
So far I am loving this weekend with our “boys”.