It’s been quite the season for Brenden Aaronson.
From his Premier League debut to his World Cup debut, to a relegation battle, there have been plenty of ups and downs for the 22-year-old.
After a quick start with Leeds, Aaronson admits he’s lost some confidence amid a season that has seen him tally just one goal and two assists.
Ahead of the USMNT’s game against El Salvador on Monday, Pro Soccer Wire caught up with Aaronson about his first season in England, his return to the USMNT after the World Cup and the prospect of sharing a national team midfield with his younger brother Paxten.
This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
PSW: How has it been being back with the group for the first time since the World Cup? So many of the same guys are back from Qatar but it’s a different cycle, it’s a different vibe, it’s an interim coach.
Aaronson: It’s just been amazing to come in and see all the guys, and to see all the amazing faces that we have here. My family actually got to come down, so I was able to see my family, who I haven’t seen in a couple months now. So I think all of that together, plus the football has been great, it’s just been an amazing trip.
PSW: Right now you guys are in this transitionary period where you don’t have a permanent head coach. Based on what some of the officials from U.S. Soccer have been saying, it might not be until the end the summer, maybe fall or a little bit later until you have you have someone in. For you is that an issue having to wait that long, or is it OK, at least in part because there’s no Word Cup qualifying this cycle?
Aaronson: For me personally, I’m the guy that goes with the flow. I enjoy anything that comes my way because I know it’s just part of life. Listen, the staff that’s here right now has been doing a fantastic job. So whatever is going to happen will happen because that’s the way life is, you just let things happen and we’ll see where it goes.
PSW: There’s been a debate on how much an international coach matters — it’s so different to a club coach, who can mold a team on a daily basis. What’s your opinion on that?
Aaronson: The easiest way of saying it is national team coaches don’t get the beauty of having the guys in every single day and being able to work on things all the time. Whenever you’re in [national team] camp, you have to have almost like a fast forward [button] and go through all the things in the amount of days that we have.
As soon as you get into camp, you already have to be focusing on the next game because it’s only like three or four days [away]. So you’re already tactically preparing for what they’re going to do and you’re working on things tactically as a group. It’s definitely more tactical [in international] but in club you can kind of do five-v-fives and play a little bit more.
PSW: Over the past week a few of your teammates have voiced support for Gregg Berhalter — most notably Christian Pulisic — saying they felt it was really unfortunate what happened to him. Do you agree with that sentiment?
Aaronson: I can’t say much about the whole situation. But I think Gregg was amazing for the time that he was here. The record doesn’t lie. I think winning two trophies was huge for the team and he had a really great thing with the group and he was really good for the guys. But listen, I can’t say much and whatever happens happens, like I like to say.
PSW: Let’s switch gears to Leeds. Take us back to the beginning of the season. The Austrian Bundesliga is a pretty high level, but it is a pretty significant step up from Austria to the Premier League. What was that step up like for you?
Aaronson: It feels like it’s been the longest year in a long time just because the World Cup [was] in the middle and everything that’s happened. But I think everybody saw at the beginning it was going really well. The team was feeling amazing at the time and I think I was playing some of the best soccer of my career in that first part of [the season].
And then you come back [from the World Cup] and then it’s kind of a different story where you’re fighting for results. It’s tough, and it’s been definitely a different year for me, but listen, I think that’s the beauty of football: I’m learning and I’m still super young and taking every game, and I’m just trying to get better. That’s what I always pride myself on.
PSW: For you personally, was that World Cup break at an inopportune time, and was it hard to get your rhythm back after being away from the team for that long?
Aaronson: It’s been ups and downs, and I think that maybe the World Cup didn’t help me that much because I didn’t play 90 minutes each game like I was playing at Leeds. I understood that, I knew my role [at the World Cup]. But I think that it might have slowed me down. I might have even been tired from it at the time because I flew 15 hours home after the World Cup and only had five days off and then had to go back and report [to Leeds] so that was pretty tough. I haven’t had a lot of time off, so it’s been hard. But I think that it’s only making me stronger and only making me better and I think I’ve become mentally stronger because of it.
PSW: Going back to the beginning of the season, like you said, you kind of got off to a flying start and within a month, you had your own song from the fans. I don’t know exactly how many new signings get their own song within a month, but I don’t think it’s a whole lot of them.
Aaronson: That was definitely an amazing feeling. The fans have been great this whole season. It definitely hasn’t been an ideal season, especially with the place we’re in, we’re fighting every week. That’s tough, and I think the fans see that, but they’ve been great through it all. And I think that for me to get a song so quick into it, I think it just shows the confidence that they had in me and it brought confidence to my game.
PSW: Were there any “Welcome to the Premier League” moments where you looked around and were like, I can’t believe I’m playing against this player, or at this stadium or against this team?
Aaronson: There’s been so many but I think the really “wow” moment was definitely when we were playing Liverpool at Anfield, and of course we won the game. I think that was the most amazing win in my career — just the magnitude of the game and being at Anfield playing Liverpool, which was my favorite team growing up. It was huge for me.
PSW: There has been a huge American presence at Leeds this season. Have you felt that interest from back home, knowing there was so much attention on your club?
Aaronson: 100 percent. I think it really hits you when they moved the games to USA [Network] from Peacock, I think three weeks into the season because just the amount of viewers that were watching our games. That was crazy and I think that’s what really hit me. You take a step back and say wow, I’m really helping the kids back in America and inspiring youth, like it definitely hits you differently.
PSW: I wanted to ask about some of the results and some of the performances because even as neutral it’s been frustrating at times. You watch and say “they were right in the game” or even “they controlled a lot of the game” and there just hasn’t been that final ball or the ball just hasn’t gone in. The stats back that up too: you’re not getting blown out, the expected goals have been pretty decent.
Aaronson: The way you put it is very much what it’s been like for us. It’s been frustrating in the sense that we feel like we were doing better than what we were maybe showing. The xG would be up there, we will be controlling the game, and then they get goals. I feel like things have not fallen our way in that sense.
What’s been frustrating me a lot is the goalscoring and the assists. I feel like I’ve created a lot of chances and I’ve taken a lot of shots and they’re still not going in. So it’s been frustrating. It’s frustrating for any player that’s going through a time where they’re not getting goals or they’re not getting assists. It weighs on you a lot, especially when you’re an attacking player and the confidence starts to come down a little bit. But for me just having the people around me telling me that the goals will come — I think the last game (USMNT vs. Grenada) when you score that goal was it was just a huge sigh of relief when you finally hit the back of the net.
PSW: For any professional player, losing head coaches is part of the deal. But I’m sure when Jesse Marsch was sacked it hit a little bit different because you have a relationship with him from Red Bull Salzburg, and he’s a fellow American. How tough was that?
Aaronson: It was definitely tough. He’s an amazing guy and I think he’s an amazing coach. And he did a lot for me as a player, and I felt like I learned a lot under him. So of course, it’s tough to take but everybody knows it’s part of the game — it’s what we sign up for. It can be cruel at times and it definitely wasn’t ideal but s––– happens in football. So you just have to move on and bounce back and do what’s best for the club and for your teammates around you.
PSW: Let’s finish with a couple questions about your brother. He’s had an amazing few months, making his senior USMNT debut and Eintracht Frankfurt debut. Frankfurt initially said this first half-season was almost going to be like a redshirt year for him so are you surprised how quickly he’s become a part of the first team?
Aaronson: I was not surprised at all. We’ve been learning our entire lives to take our chances when they come, and I think that describes Paxten and his mentality. He’s an amazing player and I think it goes to show that Frankfurt really didn’t know what he was capable of at the time. Of course they scouted hm and they knew how good of a player he was, but [they didn’t know] how he would help the first team. I think the coach and all the players think that he’s been doing amazing. That’s what I’ve heard and I’m really really happy for him.
PSW: Have you been able to help him with his German at all?
Aaronson: (Laughs) That’s a touchy subject because my German is not too hot! He’s taking lessons and stuff and he’s getting involved. I took lessons too, but I think I needed a little bit more time in Austria before I could learn it fully.
PSW: It hasn’t happened yet, but it seems like it’s getting closer to you and your brother playing together for the USMNT. Have you given any consideration into what that may be like?
Aaronson: My mom’s given it a lot of consideration! Our mom wants to see it really, really bad. And of course I want to see it too. He has so much to grow and learn and he’ll continue to do that because I know him and I’m really excited for him. I watch every single one of his games, so I’m really excited to see what he’s going to do next.
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