Tag: Jordan Pefok

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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Jordan Pefok scored in his first official Union Berlin game, and it was a banger

There will be tougher opponents to come, but it’s always nice to score on your official debut

Jordan Pefok is among a myriad of U.S. national team forwards fighting for a spot on the World Cup roster.

An offseason move from Swiss side Young Boys to Union Berlin in the Bundesliga gave Pefok a major platform to make his case. Sure, he scored goals for fun in Switzerland, but it would be hard to ignore a forward routinely scoring in one of the world’s top leagues.

Bundesliga play hasn’t started yet but in his official debut for the club, Pefok got off to the best possible start with Union.

Facing fourth-tier Chemnitzer FC in the German cup on Monday, Pefok netted an acrobatic second-half goal to equalize.

There will be tougher opponents to come, but it’s always nice to score on your official debut.

Watch Pefok’s debut Union Berlin goal

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USMNT striker stock watch: Dike’s back, Ebobisse’s heating up

Who will start at No. 9 for the USMNT at the World Cup? Right now, Jesús Ferreira leads the striker stock watch power rankings.

If everyone’s healthy, U.S. men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter probably has a pretty good idea of his preferred starters for the World Cup this fall – at most positions, anyway.

Most spots in the XI have obvious first-choice options, but striker remains a big question mark for the USMNT, at least in the eyes of fans and pundits.

The top candidates for the No. 9 role can make Berhalter’s job easier by performing for their club teams and creating some separation in the competition leading up to November.

We’re going to be periodically checking in on the top striker candidates leading up to the World Cup with our new striker stock watch series. With MLS teams hitting midseason and European clubs beginning preseason, now’s a good time to start.

Let’s get to the list!