Ethan Horvath stepped back into the Sheffield Wednesday starting lineup on Saturday and delivered one of his best performances for the Owls yet.
Horvath delivered a six-save clean sheet on Saturday as the Owls tied West Bromwich Albion 0-0 at The Hawthorns. The veteran goalkeeper’s Man of the Match performance earned him SBI Americans Abroad Player of the Week honors.
After not featuring in Sheffield Wednesday’s last two matches, Horvath jumped back into the starting lineup and had a vital say in the final scoreline. Horvath was tested early by Mikey Johnston in the third minute, diving to his left to palm away the forward’s low drive.
Alex Mowatt became the latest to be denied by Horvath, this time in the 21st minute as Horvath once again used a diving save to keep the score level. Josh Maja’s close-range header off of a corner kick was also kicked away by Horvath ahead of halftime.
Johnston’s second-half effort was caught by Horvath while also he also gathered Maja’s flick-on header to help preserve the road clean sheet. The shutout was Horvath’s second of the season and an impressive one against a top-six contender in West Brom.
Sheffield Wednesday manager Henrik Pedersen praised Horvath’s composure in the match as the Owls walked away with one point from their travels.
“Then Ethan was calm and strong and played a really good game too,” he said postmatch in a club interview.
Horvath will now prepare for a bottom-two matchup against Norwich City on Wednesday, a crucial match for both clubs in the relegation zone.
Here is a closer look at this week’s top Americans Abroad performances:
Ricardo Pepi
Ricardo Pepi didn’t start Friday’s Eredivisie match but did have a vital say on the final scoreline.
Pepi chipped in his fourth goal of the season in all competitions as PSV routed Fortuna Sittard 5-2. The American striker came off the bench and delivered a chipped finish late in the second half to pad the hosts’ eventual win.
After being a substitute in each of his last five appearances, Pepi will aim to start midweek in UCL play.
George Bello
Back-to-back wins this week for Austrin club LASK saw George Bello play a key role in Saturday’s latest triumph.
Bello set up Samuel Adineran for LASK’s only goal in a 1-0 road win over BW Linz. The former Atlanta United homegrown won four duels, made four clearances, and made four defensive recoveries too as LASK extended its unbeaten run to five matches.
Bello, 23, has remained a consistent performer for LASK this season and will aim to carry that forward this fall.
Tyler Adams
AFC Bournemouth did not pick up three points on Sunday, but American midfielder Tyler Adams did score his first goal for the club.
Adams scored the Cherries’ lone goal of the match in a 3-1 road loss to Manchester City. The USMNT midfielder played 80 minutes before being substituted off after receiving a kick into the back of the knee.
His status is unknown for the Cherries’ final match before the November international break.
Lennard Maloney
Lennard Maloney delivered his most productive week as a Mainz player.
Maloney started in back-to-back matches this week as Mainz featured in DFB Pokal and Bundesliga action. The veteran defender played 85 minutes in a 2-0 home cup loss to Stuttgart before going the full 90 minutes in Saturday’s 1-1 league draw with Werder Bremen.
After logging just 147 minutes in all competitions up to that point, Maloney more than doubled his season total in just five days.
What did you think of this weekend’s slate of Americans Abroad action? Is there anyone else deserving of a shout on this list?
Share your thoughts below.