Category: Americans Abroad

Fulham names Antonee Robinson 2023-24 Player of the Season

Robinson had a career year, and Fulham fans recognized the USMNT left back’s contributions

Antonee Robinson is heading into the Copa América on the back of some significant praise.

The U.S. men’s national team defender was on Thursday named Fulham’s Player of the Season for the 2023-24 Premier League campaign.

Robinson appeared in 37 of Fulham’s 38 league matches this season, putting up a career-best seven assists. Robinson played the full 90 minutes in 18 of Fulham’s final 19 games, playing 1,698 consecutive minutes before being substituted in the 78th minute of the Cottagers’ final contest of the season.

Per WhoScored, Robinson lead all Premier League players with 80 interceptions (15 more than any other player), and was seventh in the entire division with 93 successful tackles this season.

Robinson’s success has sparked some discussion as to whether he might be a transfer target for bigger clubs. For his part, Robinson — after being named to WhoScored’s Team of the Year for 2023 — had a self-deprecating response to praise, posting a clown meme directed at himself to Instagram.

On Thursday, Fulham posted a video from Robinson thanking fans for voting for him.

“I just wanted to send a quick message to say thank you so much to those of you who voted me as your Player of the season,” said Robinson. “Coming off the back of a year where so many of the lads had such strong seasons — it could have been anyone — it makes it that much more special for you to pick me.”

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Boost for Gio? Terzic steps down as Dortmund head coach

The coach never seemed to fully trust the USMNT midfielder

Edin Terzić has stepped down as Borussia Dortmund head coach after two years in charge.

The move comes less than two weeks after Dortmund fell to Real Madrid in the Champions League final.

Bild has reported that ex-Dortmund midfielder Nuri Şahin, who served as an assistant under Terzić, is the clear favorite to take over as the club’s head coach.

“Edin Terzić leaves Borussia Dortmund. The coach, who won the DFB Cup with BVB in 2021, finished runner-up in the 2023 championship and reached the 2024 Champions League final, asked BVB to terminate his contract with immediate effect,” a club statement read.

“Borussia Dortmund agreed to the request after a joint discussion.”

Terzic added: “I feel that the club’s new era should begin with a new man on the touchline.”

The news could potentially be a boost to Gio Reyna, who will return to Dortmund ahead of the 2024-25 season after a disappointing loan spell at Nottingham Forest.

Terzić never seemed to fully trust Reyna, who started just two games for Dortmund in the first half of the season before a midseason switch to Forest.

Terzić was reportedly unsatisfied with Reyna’s defensive effort, saying last year that “Gio still has many aspects to work on to become a more complete player.”

For his part, Reyna told The Athletic this week that he was unsure if he would stay at Dortmund in the upcoming season or look for a new club once again.

“There’s been discussions and I’m not quite sure what’s going to happen,” Reyna said. “I just want to go somewhere that is at the highest possible level, but still play an important role, get consistent minutes and be an important player for any team, whether it’s at Dortmund or somewhere else.

“I’m just looking for the right fit for me, playing at a high level and a club that wants me — where I feel valued.”

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Reyna: I want to go to a club where I feel valued

The USMNT star admitted he could leave Borussia Dortmund again this summer

Gio Reyna isn’t sure where he’ll be playing his club soccer next season, but he does know he wants to be somewhere he’s wanted.

The U.S. men’s national team star has returned to Borussia Dortmund after a disappointing loan at Nottingham Forest. After joining the Premier League side at midseason, Reyna played in 10 games, starting twice, while earning a total of just 230 minutes.

That followed a difficult first half of the campaign at Dortmund where Reyna also played sparingly.

That leaves the 21-year-old at something of a crossroads looking ahead to 2024-25. In an interview with The Athletic, Reyna admitted his spell at Forest “didn’t work out,” saying his short stint and the club being in a relegation battle didn’t help his cause.

“It didn’t go as planned. The goal was to go there and play games and get really consistent minutes but the club was under a lot of pressure and things happen,” Reyna said. “It’s never that simple, going on loan for three to four months.

“I was blessed to be at Dortmund for a few years, finishing top-five guaranteed and playing Champions League every year. At Forest, I saw the other side of it. It gave me a perspective of a different kind of football. One day, I’d love to go back to the Premier League, so to get a taste of that was also really valuable for me going forward.”

If he stays at Dortmund, Reyna will have to win over manager Edin Terzić should he wish to earn more playing time. That has proven to be a difficult task for the USMNT playmaker, who admitted he could play somewhere else come next season.

Wherever he goes, though, Reyna knows the most important thing is a goal that has proved challenging of late: consistent playing time.

“There’s been discussions and I’m not quite sure what’s going to happen,” Reyna said. “I just want to go somewhere that is at the highest possible level, but still play an important role, get consistent minutes and be an important player for any team, whether it’s at Dortmund or somewhere else.

“I’m just looking for the right fit for me, playing at a high level and a club that wants me — where I feel valued.”

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McKennie reportedly close to Aston Villa move as part of swap deal

McKennie could be back in the Premier League, and on a side playing Champions League soccer to boot

Weston McKennie could be going back to the Premier League, this time on a permanent basis.

Sky Sport Italia reported on Tuesday that the U.S. men’s national team midfielder could be leaving Juventus for Aston Villa as part of an unusual — at least, for European soccer — multi-player trade.

Per the report, which has since been backed up by multiple outlets, Juve is in talks to send McKennie, wide man Samuel Iling-Junior, and between €18-20 million to Villa in exchange for Brazil midfielder Douglas Luiz.

While the reports caution that the deal is not done, Gianluca Di Marzio has claimed that McKennie’s camp has already agreed to contract details with the Birmingham-based club.

Despite an impressive season that saw McKennie post 10 assists as a full-time starter, Juve has seemed set on moving the USMNT regular out the door.

A March contract offer reportedly involved asking the 25-year-old to take a pay cut, and the Italian giants may have been rushing to get something for McKennie this summer rather than losing him on a free transfer when his contract ends after the 2024-25 season.

Juventus reportedly made an improved offer in April, though McKennie rejected that as well amid rumors of interest from clubs in MLS and Saudi Arabia.

Aston Villa move could benefit McKennie

A move to Villa could be a positive development for McKennie. Unai Emery led the club to a fourth-place finish this past season, getting the Villans into the Champions League for the first time.

With Luiz moving as part of the rumored deal, McKennie would be a frontrunner to start in the Villa midfield alongside John McGinn and Youri Tielemans.

McKennie’s prior spell in the Premier League was a difficult half-season spent on loan with Leeds United in 2023. Leeds ended up being relegated, while McKennie struggled for good form amid multiple coaching changes.

However, this past season with Juventus proved that McKennie could be a consistent starter at a top club. Per USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter, McKennie returned to Turin to find he didn’t even have a locker, with the club seeming to have moved on.

McKennie battled his way into the starting lineup in the season’s first few weeks, and by season’s end had totaled 2,950 minutes in all competitions for the Bianconeri.

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Paxten Aaronson likely to spend 2024-25 on loan, says Eintracht Frankfurt

Aaronson’s next step looks like it will involve another loan away from Eintracht Frankfurt

Eintracht Frankfurt still has plans for U.S. men’s national team prospect Paxten Aaronson, but his next step appears to be another loan away from the Bundesliga outfit.

The 20-year-old spent the back half of the 2023-24 season on loan with Vitesse. According to Eintracht Frankfurt sporting director Markus Krösche, the club seems set to find a similar arrangement for next season.

“We will find a solution for Paxten Aaronson, which will probably involve loaning him out again,” Krösche said at a post-season press conference.

Aaronson’s loan to Vitesse was a success in some important ways for his development. The New Jersey native appeared seven times for Eintracht in Bundesliga play, but totaled just 95 minutes, starting just once. The club found him more playing time in the Europa Conference League, with Aaronson playing 188 minutes.

However, after agreeing to a loan just before the transfer window closed, Aaronson became nearly ever-present for Vitesse. Aaronson, who is considered highly likely to go to this summer’s Olympic games, started his new club’s final 14 league games, scoring four goals in the process.

Aaronson played 1,254 out of a possible 1,260 minutes during his time with the Arnhem-based side.

Despite that personal success for Aaronson, Vitesse is probably not the club Eintracht has in mind for his next loan. The Dutch federation hit the club with an 18-point penalty relating to its links to Roman Abramovich, the Russian oligarch who remains under international sanctions.

Vitesse would have eventually been relegated from the Eredivisie based on its point total, but the penalty guaranteed its place in the second tier next season.

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Reports: Charlotte FC closing in on USMNT defender Ream

After over a decade in England, Ream may be eyeing a move back to MLS

Tim Ream’s European adventure may be coming to a close.

The U.S. men’s national team center back could be on the brink of a transfer to MLS, with Top Bin 90 and The Athletic both reporting that Charlotte FC is close to finalizing a move for the 36-year-old.

Tuesday’s reports say that Ream — who back in December signed a Fulham contract extension running through the 2024-25 season — may be open to the move.

There’s good reason for that: In his final press conference of the just-concluded season, Fulham manager Marco Silva said that he’d like to sign two new center backs. Ream, meanwhile, fell out of favor not long after signing that extension.

The veteran was an unused substitute in both legs of Fulham’s Carabao Cup semifinal against Liverpool — arguably the biggest matches of the campaign — and did not appear for the Cottagers from February 17 until a season-ending 4-2 win over Luton Town.

Ream has had rare longevity at Fulham

Should Ream opt to leave Fulham, it would mark the end of one of the longest tenures at one club for any USMNT player in Europe. After three-and-a-half years at Bolton, Ream moved to Fulham in 2015, and has spent the last nine seasons at Craven Cottage.

The USMNT center back has 312 appearances for Fulham, sticking around through the promotion/relegation yo-yo cycle that saw the club move up or down the pyramid five times since his arrival.

A move to Charlotte FC would bolster a defense that is already among the best in MLS. Charlotte has conceded just 18 goals, good enough for fourth-best in the league at the moment. Head coach Dean Smith coached against Ream during his spells at Brentford, Aston Villa, and Leicester City.

Ream remains in the picture for the USMNT, with Gregg Berhalter naming him to the U.S. squad for June friendlies against Colombia and Brazil.

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Reyna deletes comment on Bellingham Instagram post after backlash

Some Dortmund fans didn’t take kindly to Reyna’s comment on his friend’s post

Gio Reyna has deleted a comment on Jude Bellingham’s Instagram in the wake of Real Madrid’s 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in Saturday’s Champions League final.

Madrid star Bellingham posted a series of celebratory images after winning his first European title, with the caption: “CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE!!! Siempre HALA MADRID!”

In the comments section, Reyna responded with three white heart emojis.

On one hand, the U.S. national team star’s response made perfect sense: Reyna and Bellingham are close from their time playing together with Dortmund, as the England midfielder even said last month that Reyna is his best friend outside of Real Madrid.

On the other hand, some Dortmund fans were perturbed by Reyna — at least in some way — appearing to celebrate Madrid’s victory in the final over his own team.

Reyna spent the first half of the 2023-24 season with Dortmund, making two appearances in the club’s Champions League campaign before a midseason loan switch to Nottingham Forest.

After a disappointing loan in England, Reyna will return to Dortmund ahead of the 2024-25 campaign with his future very much in the air.

Perhaps in response to the backlash, or with the hope of avoiding a greater one, Reyna eventually deleted the comment.

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Paramount Plus announces Christian Pulisic documentary series

The behind-the-scenes series will debut this fall

Paramount Plus has announced a multi-part documentary series on Christian Pulisic that will debut this fall.

The show, which will take place over multiple seasons, promises an “in-depth, behind-the-scenes look” at one of American soccer’s biggest stars.

“Christian Pulisic is the most high-profile men’s player to ever come out of America but very little is known about his personal life,” said Pete Radovich, CBS Sports senior creative director.

“We’re thrilled to be working with Christian to tell his life story, show the world who he really is, and highlight the tremendous impact he’s had on American soccer leading into the most demanding moments of his career.”

The show will begin filming this summer, and will follow Pulisic through the Copa América with the U.S. men’s national team. The series will then shift to Italy, where Pulisic will be embarking on his second season with AC Milan after a hugely successful debut campaign.

“I think it’s the perfect opportunity for me to show people a little bit of what it’s like being an American out in Europe, the struggles I go through, all these things,” Pulisic said in an interview on Paramount Plus.

“So for me, I think it’s a great time leading up to the World Cup in the U.S., so I’m just really excited about it.”

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Turner on difficult spell at Nottingham Forest: ‘I have to stay ready’

The USMNT goalkeeper said he has to prepare every game like he’s starting

Matt Turner has spoken about his battle to maintain his mental sharpness amid an extended spell on the bench at Nottingham Forest.

Turner began the season as Forest’s starter, but the U.S. men’s national team goalkeeper would eventually lose his position twice during the course of the season.

The second time saw Forest sign Matz Sels from Strasbourg in February, and the Belgium international immediately consigned Turner to the bench on a more permanent basis.

After Sels arrived, Turner didn’t play again in the Premier League, and made just two FA Cup appearances the remainder of the 2023-24 season.

Turner is now with the USMNT, where he is still expected to be the team’s starter this summer during the Copa América.

The 29-year-old spoke to the media from camp on Wednesday, opening up on how he aimed to maintain his focus amid a difficult period at his club.

“Fortunately, but also unfortunately for me, it’s not the first time I’ve had to go through periods like that in my life and my career,” Turner said.

“So for me, I approach training every single day with the same mentality whether I’m playing or whether I’m not. I work really, really hard. I try to get better in every area that I can and just be ready.

“I prepare for games like I’m going to be playing, as exhausting as that can be — that hope that maybe my name will be on the teamsheet for that game. Even though I know probably in the back of my mind it’s not, I prepare like maybe it will be. What if it is?”

Turner added that part of his motivation for continuing to put every ounce of himself into club training is his desire to maintain his starting role with the USMNT.

Even with sporadic club minutes, Turner has held onto the U.S. starting position since the 2022 World Cup.

“I try to just maintain that level of professionalism every single day, every training session and just keep going and understanding that obviously, if I want to keep this shirt here (with the USMNT), I’ve got to perform when I come here,” he said. “So I have to stay engaged, I have to stay ready and focused and driven.”

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USMNT star Pulisic skips AC Milan postseason tour of Australia

The USMNT won’t be disappointed to see the news

In a piece of good news for the U.S. men’s national team, Christian Pulisic was left off AC Milan’s squad for the club’s postseason trip to Australia.

Milan only just finished its season over the weekend, but the club will head out this week to face Roma in a friendly in Perth on Friday.

Most of Milan’s first-team players will make the trip, though Ismaël Bennacer and Rafael Leão weren’t part of the group heading Down Under.

Also missing out was Pulisic, who just wrapped up a career-best season that saw him record 15 goals and 11 assists.

Pulisic was reportedly left off due to commercial commitments. Based on an Instagram post, the USMNT star appeared to be back home in Pennsylvania on Monday.

For the USMNT, seeing Pulisic skip a grueling trip across the globe after a season in which he played 50 games will be welcome news.

The U.S. will convene in the Washington D.C. area later this week as it gets set to face Colombia in a friendly at Commanders Field on June 8. The team will then take on Brazil in Orlando on June 12 in its final tune-up ahead of the Copa América.

Another key member of the USMNT, Yunus Musah, was on Milan’s roster for the trip to Australia, and is set to be a late arrival into camp.

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