Derby County is moving closer and closer to the playoff places in the EFL Championship and American forward Patrick Agyemang has certainly helped in those efforts.
Agyemang scored the winner for John Eustace’s squad on Saturday as the visiting Rams defeated Preston North End 1-0 at Deepdale. The goal marked Agyemang’s seventh of the season in all competitions, one that earned him SBI Americans Abroad Player of the Week honors.
Derby County left it late but found a go-ahead goal through Agyemang’s physical prowess in the 18-yard box. Ben Brereton Diaz delivered a dangerous cross from the right wing, one that Agyemang headed into the bottom-left corner of the net for a 1-0 lead.
It would prove to be the winning goal for Derby County, who moved five points back of the final playoff place.
Agyemang, who now has 10 goal contributions (seven goals, three assists) this season, is picking up steam at the right time. The former Charlotte FC man has stepped up big time in Carlton Morris’ absence, scoring four goals since December 1.
Should Derby County truly be a contender in the top-six race, it will need Agyemang fit and in strong form with 19 matches to play.
Here is a closer look at this week’s top Americans Abroad performances:
Haji Wright
Haji Wright’s three-month goalscoring drought ended in Coventry City’s crucial home win on Saturday.
Wright scored his ninth goal of the season in all competitions as Frank Lampard’s squad earned a 2-1 comeback win over rivals Leicester City. The American forward came off the bench and tucked away the winning goal for Coventry before second-half stoppage time.
Wright will hope his goalscoring performance kickstarts a strong second half of the season.
Gianluca Busio
Venezia concluded the Serie B weekend slate in the top-two automatic promotion places.
Gianluca Busio helped in those efforts by scoring in Saturday’s 3-1 home victory over Catanzaro. The former Sporting KC midfielder tallied his third goal of the season and also delivered a strong 90 minutes in Venezia’s fifth-consecutive win.
Busio remains a key part of the squad this winter and should continue being a consistent starter going forward.
Alyssa Thompson
Chelsea breezed into the FA Cup Round of 16 with Alyssa Thompson being amongst the goals yet again.
Thompson capped off the Blues’ 5-0 victory over London rivals Crystal Palace by scoring for the second-straight match and third in her last five appearances. The 21-year-old has continued to be a major threat in the final third, holding down a starting role in Sonya Bompastor’s side.
With a headlining League Cup trip to Manchester City coming midweek, Thompson will hope to find the back of the net once again.
James Sands
Bundesliga club St. Pauli were unable to leave Signal Iduna Park with three points, but James Sands did walk away with his first goal for the club.
Sands scored in Saturday’s 3-2 loss to Borussia Dortmund, delivering one of his best outings of the season. The NYCFC loanee also won six duels, made two tackles, and four defensive recoveries.
Sands now has 19 appearances for St. Pauli this season and that number should increase with four months to go.
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.
Busio’s a guy I’ve always been higher on than most. Dude is just smooth. His passes are crisp, on the rug, usually pinpoint accurate and exactly the right weight. He’s got a cannon for a foot – actually, both feet – and can endanger bystanders in Row Z when he puts one over the bar. Guy just glides around, feels space well, sees the field well, makes intelligent decisions. In short, just…Italian. He’s no Pirlo but you see why the comparison gets made. Where Busio was weak was, he was sort of a lightweight defensively and not physical enough, but when last I saw him he was sticking in a lot better and showing some bite, which was encouraging. He definitely struck me as another of those guys that will continue to get better later in his career. I always figured he’d be a guy who’d factor for the USA at some point.
Sands is interesting too. He kind of reminds me of where Tim Ream was going into Europe, but he’s doing it earlier on in his career. Definitely a similar profile, and he’s no burner but he’s faster than Ream was.
I’m back and forth on Agyemang. I love his physicality, his enthusiasm, his willingness to put in the work and chase every ball. He is also absolutely not polished and because he spent so many years in college and is well behind the usual curve in pro development I’m not sure if he’s as good as he’s going to get or if he’s still got a fair bit of untapped upside. Right now he’s an above-average Championship/MLS-level striker. Does he have the upside to get to a Top-5 league? I don’t know. But he’s nowhere near the finisher Wright or Pepi are. If he can get better there, he could have something and that is a skill that can develop later on – unlike touch. So…maybe.