Tag: Brenden Aaronson

The Americans Abroad Five: A fresh start for Brenden Aaronson

There are some early signs of positivity in Aaronson’s loan at Union Berlin

Last season was rough on Brenden Aaronson.

After a promising start with Leeds, the U.S. national team attacker faded badly down the stretch en route to an ugly outcome for both player and team.

For Aaronson? Just one goal and three assists in more than 2,300 league minutes. For Leeds? Relegation.

Though a season in the Championship could have had its benefits for the 22-year-old, the chance to join a Bundesliga side in the Champions League was clearly too good to pass up.

It’s obviously way too soon to judge Aaronson’s loan with Union Berlin, but there are at least some early signs of positivity. Let’s look at Aaronson’s Bundesliga debut to kick off the Five this week.

Aaronson joins Union Berlin on season-long loan from Leeds

The 22-year-old will go from the Championship to the Champions League

Brenden Aaronson has joined Union Berlin on loan from Leeds until the end of the 2023-24 season.

Sky Germany reported that the deal does not include a purchase option.

Aaronson departs one year after joining Leeds from Red Bull Salzburg in a $30 million transfer. He was heavily involved in his first Premier League season, appearing in 36 of the club’s 38 league games while starting 28 times.

The 22-year-old started the season strong but struggled as the campaign wore on, finishing with just one goal and three assists as Leeds was ultimately relegated from the Premier League.

He will now get a fresh start in the Bundesliga with Union, which surprisingly finished fourth last season to qualify for the Champions League.

“Union’s path and the success of the last few years did not go unnoticed in either the USA, Austria or England,” Aaronson told the club’s website.

“Somehow, you always heard something about them. A year ago, I wouldn’t have believed that I would be here and able to play in the Champions League with Union. I’m looking forward to the year ahead with joy and confidence and want to help us have another successful season.”

Aaronson will join his sometimes USMNT teammate Jordan Pefok at Union, and will also reunite in the Bundesliga with his younger brother Paxten, who plays for Eintracht Frankfurt.

“Brenden’s commitment has made us very happy, he is a type of player we don’t have who will be good for our attacking game. Despite his young age, he already has a lot of international experience and will complement our squad at a high level,” said Oliver Ruhnert, Union’s managing director of men’s professional football.

Aaronson has 32 caps for the USMNT, appearing in all four of the team’s 2022 World Cup matches off the bench.

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The Americans Abroad Five season review: The best and worst of 2022-23

Some teams were fun, some very much weren’t. Some players broke out, while others broke down

With the European club season in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to take stock of the year that was for Americans Abroad.

In many ways, 2022-23 felt like a preamble, a precursor to a much more significant club season to come. For the future of the U.S. men’s national team, what comes next will be more significant than what came before.

That’s because so many vital USMNT players are unsettled due to the nature of their 2022-23 campaign — some are ready to move up the food chain due to standout seasons, while others need a change of scenery for less positive reasons.

Before we turn the page to next season, let’s take a look back by handing out a few accolades for some notable Americans Abroad.

The Americans Abroad Five: So, who’s getting relegated?

Several USMNT players are battling to avoid the drop as the season winds down

Last season’s crop of top-flight Americans Abroad saw their ranks thinned significantly after a number of relegations.

Some moved on to bigger and better things (Luca de la Torre), some dropped down a division and thrived (Tanner Tessmann and Josh Sargent), while some saw their personal stock sink along with their team (George Bello and Gianluca Busio).

This season appears to be mercifully lighter when it comes to Americans facing the drop in major European leagues, but there are still some notable names who could be sent packing to the second tier in the coming weeks.

This weekend saw some significant movement, both good and bad, for the relegation-threatened Americans Abroad. Let’s start the Five with a look at a vital weekend in the race to avoid the drop.

The Americans Abroad Five: Carnage, carnage everywhere

It was the kind of weekend where those who played envied those who didn’t

This has not been the greatest season overall for Americans Abroad, and this weekend was a nice little encapsulation of that sad reality.

It was the kind of weekend where those who played envied those who didn’t. Where, in one day, three of the best performing Americans in Europe were lost for the season. Where more shocking performances left some top USMNT players staring relegation right in the face.

It was carnage. And relief may not be coming anytime soon.

Let’s look back on a truly ugly weekend in the Five.

The Americans Abroad Five: Fulham wins the Yankee Doodle Derby

Like it’s been for so much of the season, Fulham’s Americans had a good day and those at Leeds did not

The preponderance of Americans in the Premier League this season meant games like Saturday would always be on the horizon.

Fulhamerica versus Leeds United States of America. The Yankee Doodle Derby. The game that we here at the Five had been salivating over for weeks.

Four Americans started, two on either side. Two more could’ve been involved were it not for injury (Tyler Adams) or getting sacked (sorry, Jesse Marsch).

In the end, like it’s been for so much of the season, Fulham’s Americans had a very good day and those at Leeds did not.

The marquee matchup for fervent Americans Abroad trackers like ourselves leads off this week’s Five.

USMNT player ratings: Pulisic dominates in Grenada rout

The USMNT’s big names sure played like it Friday night

The U.S. men’s national team was supposed to handle Grenada with ease, and it turns out that’s exactly what they did.

Returning to CONCACAF Nations League play for the first time since June 2022, the USMNT steamrolled the Spice Boys, scoring early and often in a 7-1 victory.

Just knowing the scoreline, even a person that didn’t see the game could probably divine some of the ratings here. Christian Pulisic was dominant from kickoff, Weston McKennie conjured up two goals, and Alex Zendejas marked his becoming cap-tied to the team with a goal. If you’re a USMNT fan, it was a fun Friday night.

With that in mind, our ratings for a game that was never particularly close:

The Americans Abroad Five: Leeds is in big trouble

Could the Leeds America era end as quickly as it began?

Saturday was the kind of game that Leeds should have been up for.

Facing relegation rival Everton at Goodison Park, Leeds needed to show some kind of sign it can turn around the ever-worsening tailspin this season is becoming.

Instead, Leeds was lifeless. Everton wasn’t brilliant either, but it didn’t need to be. One gritty performance and one lighting-bolt of a goal from Seamus Coleman sealed a 1-0 win for the Toffees.

Leeds is now 19th after a damaging weekend that also saw fellow strugglers Southampton and Bournemouth win. The club’s decision to sack Jesse Marsch a couple weeks ago wasn’t necessarily wrong, but doing so without having a potential replacement has been disastrous.

After being turned down in embarrassing and repeated fashion, the club is still being led by the caretaker trio of Michael Skubala, Chris Armas and Paco Gallardo. The Everton performance has, apparently, made Leeds hierarchy reconsider the wisdom of letting that trio continue much longer.

Leeds has become appointment viewing for American fans, but that may not last if things continue down this road.

Let’s explore that and a few other pressing topics in this week’s Five.

The Americans Abroad Five: No USMNT players were harmed in the making of this list

There was no last-minute injury heartbreak for the U.S. ahead of the World Cup

There were several headlines with Americans abroad this weekend but in a sense, the only thing that really matters is the story that didn’t happen.

Namely, no players on the World Cup roster got injured in their final game before heading for Qatar.

USMNT fans watched the weekend’s slate of games with their breaths collectively held, but there was no devastating last-minute injury. In fact, there was even a key player returning from a short spell on the sidelines.

Before we go on a hiatus for the World Cup, let’s get to the Five.

Brenden Aaronson: I want to become a Leeds club legend

The USMNT attacker has become a fan-favorite in his short time at Elland Road

Brenden Aaronson said he’s felt an instant connection with Leeds fans since his arrival in England, and outlined his desire to become a club legend.

Aaronson has adapted well after moving in the summer from Red Bull Salzburg, starting all six of Leeds’ games so far while tallying a goal and an assist.

The U.S. national team attacker is happy with how he’s started life in the Premier League, saying he’s felt at home with Leeds since the beginning.

“I think I had a good preseason and then it just pushed into the normal season and I think I was just able to click with the team, click with the coach, click with the players and it felt like just a seamless fit for me,” Aaronson told the media Monday on a call from USMNT camp.

Aaronson has developed an instant connection with the Leeds fans, who have even given him his very own chant. The 21-year-old believes that connection is bolstered by his reputation as a player who consistently gives his all.

“I’m really grateful for all the support that [the fans] have given me,” he said. “They see how much I’m willing to work for the team. I’ll always give 110 percent, and I think that they like that. And that’s the kind of team we have.

“I just want to keep getting better and better and become the best player I can be, and hopefully be a legend for the club at some point.”

Following the international break, Leeds will return to action against Aston Villa on October 2. It will be the club’s first game in a month after it had consecutive games postponed following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

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