Polvara becomes first American goalscorer in 2023-24 UEFA competition proper

The United States is off the mark in European play

The United States is off the mark in European competition this season.

Christian Pulisic? Ricardo Pepi? One of the many Aaronsons? Nope! It’s uncapped Aberdeen midfielder Dante Polvara, who smashed home a close-range equalizer as the Scottish club began play in the Europa Conference League.

Polvara’s strike briefly brought the Dons level, stunning Eintracht Frankfurt and a raucous crowd at Deutsche Bank Park. The Bundesliga side — with Paxten Aaronson in the starting 11 — would go on to win 2-1.

Polvara finished off a lightning counter as Aberdeen broke out after absorbing plenty of early pressure. Right back Nicky Devlin eventually cut the ball back for Polvara, and the Pleasantville, N.Y. native took a touch before firing into the roof of the net.

Numerous U.S.-born women have scored in the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Women’s Champions League, but Polvara’s goal is the first in any UEFA competition proper this season. The UWCL group stage begins on November 14, with the final round of qualifying coming in October.

Polvara, 23, signed with Aberdeen in January 2022, leaving Georgetown a year early after winning the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy as the top men’s player in the country. He spent the first half of 2023 on loan with the Charleston Battery in the USL Championship, but since returning to Scotland has started six of a possible nine matches for the Dons.

Polvara would strike a little over an hour earlier than U.S. men’s national team center back Mark McKenzie, who would head home a dramatic late equalizer for Genk in a 2-2 draw with Fiorentina.

Watch Polvara’s goal for Aberdeen

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