Tag: Matthew Hoppe

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.

USMNT striker stock watch: Josh Sargent is back!

Remember when Josh Sargent was the USMNT’s top striker? Those days may be returning.

The U.S. men’s national team is set to play a pair of friendlies in Europe later this month as part of their final preparations for the 2022 World Cup.

First, the USMNT will face Japan in Germany on Sept. 23, then it will take on Saudi Arabia in Spain on Sept. 27. With just two matches remaining for the U.S. until the World Cup begins, there’s not a lot of time left for experimenting or introducing new players.

With that being the case, USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter has hinted that strikers who already have experience in the national team might have an advantage over guys who are still trying to break into the squad.

“What we’re trying to do [is] look at the profile who fits what we’re trying to do the best,” Berhalter said at a Nike event in New York last week, via Steven Goff of The Washington Post. “It may not be the best forward … it’s just what we think fits our team.”

So, who fits the team best?

The latest installment of our USMNT striker stock watch series is dropping now ahead of the release of the September friendlies roster, with players ranked 1-4 considered the most likely candidates for call-ups this month.

USMNT striker stock watch: Pefok and Vazquez make strong cases

Which strikers will the USMNT take to the World Cup? Jordan Pefok and Brandon Vazquez are making strong cases

As the 2022 World Cup continues to draw closer, fans of the U.S. men’s national soccer team seem to have a pretty good guesstimate of a first-choice roster with one position in particular standing out as a question mark: striker.

Who will start at the No. 9 spot for the USMNT in Qatar this summer, and who will back him up? The position appears to be totally up for grabs, so we’ve been monitoring the stock of the notable U.S.-eligible striker candidates.

Stateside, the MLS playoff race is heating up, and in Europe, the 2022-23 season has kicked off, providing a good opportunity for a stock watch update.

Let’s get to the list!

USMNT attacker Matthew Hoppe signs with Middlesbrough

Hoppe is heading to the Championship after a tough season with Mallorca

Matthew Hoppe has completed a seemingly needed move, signing with Middlesbrough after an ill-fated spell with Mallorca.

With spots on the U.S. men’s national team roster at a premium, Hoppe signed a four-year contract with Middlesbrough, joining Zack Steffen’s side in the English Championship.

Pro Soccer Wire reported in late July that Hoppe had serious interest from clubs in the Premier League, Championship, and MLS. Atlanta United, Nashville SC, Orlando City and the San Jose Earthquakes were all pursuing Hoppe at times, but in the end a move to the Championship was the most likely outcome.

Hoppe joined Mallorca last summer, but only made seven total appearances in 2021-22. Even with a coaching change in March, Hoppe never really broke through, which is never a good situation going into a World Cup. Hoppe, 21, was involved during the USMNT’s successful run through the Octagonal, but didn’t appear for Gregg Berhalter in any of the last eight qualifiers.

What does this mean for Hoppe’s USMNT chances?

A good run through the early months of the Championship season could vault Hoppe right back into the picture. While Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, and Brenden Aaronson appear to be Berhalter’s preferred options as wide forwards, there’s still plenty of competition to make the final roster to head to Qatar (particularly if Aaronson is thought of as an option in the midfield as well).

That said, Hoppe will have plenty of work to do. Paul Arriola has had a career season after moving to FC Dallas, and Aaronson started the season out wide for Leeds. A healthy Gio Reyna, whether he’s viewed as a winger or central player, leaves one fewer roster spot for Hoppe. Cristian Roldan, Jordan Morris and Konrad de la Fuente are still in the mix as well.

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Source: Matthew Hoppe closing in on transfer to England

All signs are pointing towards the USMNT forward ending up at a Championship club

Matthew Hoppe is closing in on a move to England, as the United States national team attacker’s spell with La Liga side Mallorca looks set to end after just one season.

A source close to the situation tells Pro Soccer Wire that “interest has been growing” in Hoppe this summer and that a permanent move could be in the works for the 21-year old. Hoppe joined Mallorca, then recently promoted, in a move last summer from Schalke.

Hoppe’s first season in Spain did not go according to plan, however, as he was limited to just seven total appearances.

The source said that several Premier League and Championship clubs are in the mix to land Hoppe. It appears, however, that all signs are pointing towards Hoppe ending up at a Championship club.

Several MLS clubs had also reached out to Mallorca about a permanent move for Hoppe according to multiple sources. The sources said that Atlanta United, Nashville SC, Orlando City and San Jose had all made offers for the players.

Several of the MLS offers topped $3 million.

Hoppe has made six appearances with the USMNT, scoring one goal. He was an influential part of the United States squad that captured the CONCACAF Gold Cup last year. His most recent cap came in an October 2021 World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica.

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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!