Category: Americans Abroad

The Americans Abroad Five: Tillman already a Rangers folk hero, Dest on his way out

A star has been born in Scotland, while some other USMNT players were less fortunate last week

Welcome back to the Americans Abroad Five!

This week we lead on the rise of Malik Tillman in Scotland. The USMNT forward would have hoped to settle well after his loan from Bayern Munich but without much senior action on his resume, there were plenty of question marks. But Tillman has passed his early tests with flying colors.

Elsewhere there were some unfortunate injuries to Americans in Europe, with the hard-luck duo of Richy Ledezma and Daryl Dike the headliners.

Let’s get to the Five.

The ‘Tillman Header Challenge’ is now a thing at Rangers

Another reminder that pro athletes are not like the rest of us

Malik Tillman’s dramatic game-winning header in the Champions League this week has already become part of Rangers folklore.

For evidence, look no further than the club’s “Tillman Header Challenge,” which was set up for fans to try outside of Ibrox prior to Saturday’s match against St. Johnstone.

Tillman rose up above Union SG goalkeeper Anthony Moris to head home the winner for Rangers on Tuesday, giving the Scottish side a dramatic 3-2 win that sent them through to the final round of Champions League qualifying.

Rangers set up a cardboard cutout of Tillman and a ball at the exact height of the U.S. national team attacker’s leap, giving Rangers fans the chance to try to match their player’s feat.

The result, for most fans, was more evidence that professional athletes are not like the rest of us.

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Jozy Altidore scores first Puebla goal in second appearance

The veteran striker came off the bench to help his side to a comeback draw at Club Tijuana

Jozy Altidore appears to be settling into life in Mexico nicely.

The veteran forward scored his first goal for Puebla on just his second appearance, coming off the bench to help his new team to a 3-3 comeback draw against Club Tijuana on Friday night.

Altidore entered the match in the 73rd minute with his team down 3-1. With five minutes to go in regulation the forward got on the end of a long pass and expertly held off his defender before finishing low to halve his team’s deficit.

That goal would prove to be important, as Israel Reyes scored deep into stoppage time to give Puebla a dramatic late draw.

Altidore joined Puebla on loan from the New England Revolution last month after he scored just one goal in 17 games with the Revs.

The 32-year-old has not featured for the U.S. national team since 2019 but a strong run in Mexico could give Gregg Berhalter something to think about ahead of the World Cup.

Watch Altidore’s first Puebla goal

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Tim Weah to miss time for Lille with foot injury

USMNT and Lille forward Tim Weah is likely to miss at least two games for his club, as manager Paulo Fonseca confirmed a foot injury.

Tim Weah will have to wait at least a week or so before starting his club season.

That’s the verdict of Lille coach Paulo Fonseca, who told La Voix Du Nord that a foot injury will keep the U.S. men’s national team forward out of Friday’s match at Nantes, and that he will likely miss their next match (home vs. Paris Saint-Germain) as well.

“I don’t think Tim (Weah) will be back for the next match (against PSG),” said Fonseca of Weah, who last season was a regular for Lille, appearing in 35 matches across all competitions.

Weah missed Lille’s season-opening 4-1 win over Auxerre due to a suspension that carried over from the end of the 2021-22 season, but in the meantime apparently picked up the knock in training.

Will this impact Weah’s USMNT hopes?

It is not known at this point how long Weah will be out, but with Daryl Dike’s USMNT hopes pretty much sunk due to the severity of a recent thigh injury, USMNT fans would be advised to keep an eye on Lille’s lineups when they face Ajaccio and Nice in the last week of August.

The good news for Weah is that he has about a month to get fit before the USMNT names its roster for friendlies against Japan and Saudi Arabia. With Fonseca’s statement not even conclusively ruling Weah out for the PSG match, the early signs are that this injury may only be short-term.

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Daryl Dike’s World Cup hopes are all but over after latest injury setback

A thigh muscle tear will sideline Dike “at least a couple months”

Daryl Dike is set to miss at least two months with a thigh muscle tear, which appears likely to spell the end of his World Cup hopes.

The West Brom striker suffered the injury in training last week, with his manager Steve Bruce saying earlier this week that the 22-year-old was “devastated” after his latest setback.

On Thursday, Bruce confirmed at a press conference that the U.S. national team forward is now set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Bruce said: “The scan results have confirmed our fears that he’s got a tear to his thigh muscle. Last time it was his hamstring. We’re devastated for him and for the whole lot of us. I don’t want to put a timescale on it, because that’d be unfair.

“It’s substantial, it’ll be weeks, at least a couple of months. He’s got to stay mentally strong the kid, because he’s had an awful time and the way he’s worked and the way he got himself into the condition he’s in, it’s really disappointing for him and everybody.

“He’s kicked a ball. It’s so innocuous that it’s scary. He’s tried to score a goal. It might even have been just a tap in, last minute of training session. It’s frustrating for everybody.”

Dike’s World Cup dream fading

Dike made just two appearances for West Brom after joining from Orlando City in January, suffering two separate injury setbacks.

The forward was hoping to get in the mix for a World Cup spot by staying healthy and finding goalscoring form in the new season, but instead played just one game before his latest injury.

Dike has not played for the USMNT since July 2021. An optimistic timetable for this latest injury would see Dike back in mid-October, meaning he would have only a couple weeks to regain his fitness and form in time to impress U.S. head coach Gregg Berhalter.

For a player who at that point wouldn’t have been in the USMNT picture for well over a year, and wouldn’t have had an injury-free run for nearly a year, it would be a herculean task.

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Weston McKennie closing in on early return from injury for Juventus

McKennie was supposed to be out 3-4 weeks, but he might play on Monday

Weston McKennie might be back on the field for Juventus sooner than anyone expected.

Just 10 days after the club said McKennie would need at least three weeks to recover from a preseason shoulder injury, Corriere dello Sport said that McKennie had returned to training, and that his recovery has come along so quickly that there’s at least some chance he suits up for Monday’s match against Sassuolo, the Serie A opener for both sides.

Initial reports from Italy pointed towards McKennie missing four weeks, which would have kept him out for possibly as many as three Serie A matches.

McKennie confirmed his return to training on Instagram, where he posted a story celebrating a win in a small-sided game. Video also emerged of McKennie participating in training without any apparent issues.

McKennie’s quick return is welcome news for the U.S. men’s national team. The USMNT is only a few weeks from facing Japan and Saudi Arabia in the September FIFA window, which will function as their final two matches before Gregg Berhalter names his roster for the World Cup in November.

 

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USMNT attacker Matthew Hoppe signs with Middlesbrough

Hoppe is heading to the Championship after a tough season with Mallorca

Matthew Hoppe has completed a seemingly needed move, signing with Middlesbrough after an ill-fated spell with Mallorca.

With spots on the U.S. men’s national team roster at a premium, Hoppe signed a four-year contract with Middlesbrough, joining Zack Steffen’s side in the English Championship.

Pro Soccer Wire reported in late July that Hoppe had serious interest from clubs in the Premier League, Championship, and MLS. Atlanta United, Nashville SC, Orlando City and the San Jose Earthquakes were all pursuing Hoppe at times, but in the end a move to the Championship was the most likely outcome.

Hoppe joined Mallorca last summer, but only made seven total appearances in 2021-22. Even with a coaching change in March, Hoppe never really broke through, which is never a good situation going into a World Cup. Hoppe, 21, was involved during the USMNT’s successful run through the Octagonal, but didn’t appear for Gregg Berhalter in any of the last eight qualifiers.

What does this mean for Hoppe’s USMNT chances?

A good run through the early months of the Championship season could vault Hoppe right back into the picture. While Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, and Brenden Aaronson appear to be Berhalter’s preferred options as wide forwards, there’s still plenty of competition to make the final roster to head to Qatar (particularly if Aaronson is thought of as an option in the midfield as well).

That said, Hoppe will have plenty of work to do. Paul Arriola has had a career season after moving to FC Dallas, and Aaronson started the season out wide for Leeds. A healthy Gio Reyna, whether he’s viewed as a winger or central player, leaves one fewer roster spot for Hoppe. Cristian Roldan, Jordan Morris and Konrad de la Fuente are still in the mix as well.

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The Americans Abroad Five: Aaronson steals the show, Steffen flaps at air

Get acquainted with the five biggest stories from the weekend that was

Welcome to the Americans Abroad Five! Each Monday we’ll be delving into the five most significant performances by Americans Abroad over the weekend.

It could be good, bad or ugly, but we’ll cover the five stories that had the biggest impact over the weekend – and could have the biggest impact going forward.

We’ll start with a weekend that saw the Premier League, Ligue 1 and Bundesliga kick off, while we wait for La Liga and Serie A to get started.

Jordan Pefok scored from an impossible angle on his Bundesliga debut

The USMNT striker is making himself comfortable early at his new club

Jordan Pefok seems to be loving life with Union Berlin so far.

Just days after scoring an acrobatic overhead kick on his competitive debut for the club, Pefok netted a header from a nearly impossible angle in his Bundesliga debut on Saturday.

The USMNT striker, who joined from Swiss outfit Young Boys in the offseason, opened the scoring for Union against city rival Hertha Berlin midway through the first half.

Pefok looked like he may be too far inside the near post when he met a cross from the left, but expertly glanced a header across the face of goal to score his side’s first goal of the season.

Union went on to win 3-1, marking a perfect start to the season for the club and for its newest addition.

Watch Pefok’s debut goal

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Brenden Aaronson doesn’t quite score Leeds winner in Premier League debut

PL Goal Accreditation Panel won’t let folks have some fun

Brenden Aaronson started his Premier League career with a bang, being heavily involved on both goals as Leeds came back to beat Wolves 2-1 at Elland Road on Saturday.

Jesse Marsch gave Aaronson and fellow U.S. men’s national team midfielder Tyler Adams starts as Leeds started the season off with a win. After last season’s final-day escape, it’s exactly the kind of result they need to make sure the threat of relegation is much lower this time around.

Aaronson was initially credited with Leeds’ 74th minute winner, a move that kicked into high gear when Adams turned upfield and split the defense, bypassing three Wolves midfielders.

Mateuz Klich tidily kept play moving upfield, slipping Patrick Bamford into space on the left, and from there the striker crossed low for the onrushing Aaronson to fire home what stood as the match-winning goal.

But wait! The Premier League decided Aaronson and USMNT fans couldn’t have a perfect opening day, as they eventually ruled that Wolves defender Rayan Ait-Nouri actually got the final touch. Just like that, Aaronson’s debut goal became an own goal.

Aaronson was also a major factor on Leeds’ first goal, though he won’t get credit for an assist. Leeds had an attack break down inside the Wolves box, only for Aaronson to show the tenacity Leeds was looking for when they brought him in, re-pressing to win the ball back immediately. That pressure saw the ball pop loose to Jack Harrison, who teed Rodrigo up for a 24th minute equalizer.

Aaronson went 84 minutes on the wing for Leeds, while Adams played the full 90 as a defensive midfielder in his Premier League debut.

Watch Aaronson not quite score

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