Sergiño Dest, Malik Tillman and Ricardo Pepi should all be big factors for the Dutch giants this season
In the span of just a few months, PSV became one of the first clubs on the list of anyone monitoring Americans Abroad.
Three players who figure to play a key role over the next decade for the U.S. men’s national team — Sergiño Dest, Malik Tillman and Ricardo Pepi — all joined the Dutch giants over the summer.
The transformation of PSV into a hub for Americans is largely due to Earnie Stewart, the former sporting director of U.S. Soccer who now holds the same position with PSV.
The season is still young, but there are some promising signs coming out of Eindhoven for all three USMNT players.
Dest looks to be the player who’s immediately benefitted the most, but Tillman and Pepi can also be encouraged by their first month at the club.
Let’s kick off this week’s Five with a look at PSV’s American trio.
Both Americans in Spain stayed up, but it mattered a lot more to one of them
Entering the final day of the season, La Liga’s relegation battle was … (gets out Spanish dictionary) … loco.
The bottom two, Espanyol and Elche, entered the last day already relegated. Ahead of them, no less than six teams were fighting to avoid being the final team to drop down to the Segunda División.
Of those six, two featured Americans. But Celta Vigo’s Luca de la Torre and Valencia’s Yunus Musah had vastly different outlooks if their teams were to be relegated. De la Torre needed to stay up much more, and it showed.
In the end, both Valencia and Celta Vigo retained their La Liga status, with Real Valladolid the unlucky team headed down.
The Americans Abroad Five signs off for the season this week with a look at a dramatic final day in Spain, and an even wilder last day in Belgium.
Varas said Frankfurt decided the 19-year-old was too important to be released
U.S. U-20 head coach Mikey Varas said he was disappointed but also proud of Paxten Aaronson after Eintracht Frankfurt refused to release the attacker for the U-20 World Cup.
Aaronson has become a key bench option for Frankfurt after joining in January, having appeared in four straight Bundesliga matches.
The 19-year-old’s development has seen his club side deem him too valuable to release for the U-20 World Cup, which does not take place within the FIFA calendar and therefore doesn’t require teams to let players go.
Aaronson was one of several players held back by their clubs, including Chicago fire midfielder Brian Gutiérrez and goalkeeper Chris Brady, as well as LA Galaxy defender Jalen Neal.
Losing Aaronson, the top scorer and player of the tournament in last summer’s CONCACAF U-20 Championship, is a major blow for the U.S. but Varas opted to look at the positives after the ex-Philadelphia Union player was omitted from his 21-man roster.
“In terms of Frankfurt, we had ongoing discussions not just with Frankfurt, but with every club across MLS and internationally,” Varas said on a conference call. “We tried to find the best solutions to cooperate. Unfortunately for us and for Paxten, it wasn’t able to be but at the same time, we’re really proud that Paxten has become such an important part of Frankfurt’s team that they don’t feel that they can release him.”
Even though Varas is clearly aiming to go as far as possible in the World Cup, he emphasized that as a youth national team head coach, player development had to be his top priority.
“We’re disappointed that some players weren’t released but at the same time, our number one priority here is individual player development,” Varas said. “So we’re also proud of the fact that these players have become so important during the cycle that they’re no longer viewed as releasable for this type of tournament.”
The 19-year-old got rave reviews after his first extended Bundesliga minutes
When Paxten Aaronson signed with Eintracht Frankfurt, the club made it clear they weren’t expecting much from the teenager this season.
“We’ve got a very clear plan for how we want to gradually and carefully build him up,” said Timmo Hardung, head of first team football at Eintracht. “And part of that is he’s coming to us in January to start getting used to everything here so that ideally he’s ready to hit the ground running in the new season.”
Things had pretty much been going according to that plan in Aaronson’s debut half season, as he made just two brief cameos before this weekend’s game against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
But with Eintracht down a goal in the second half, head coach Oliver Glasner opted to hand the 19-year-old his first extended opportunity as he replaced Rafael Borré on 55 minutes.
The returns, early as they may be, were promising.
The younger Aaronson’s first real taste of Bundesliga minutes leads off this week’s Five.
The stars of today and tomorrow are ready to lead the USMNT to a bright future
The U.S. men’s national team should have a bright future ahead.
With one of the youngest teams at the World Cup, the USMNT got out of its group and qualified for the last 16 in Qatar — a substantial achievement after missing the 2018 tournament entirely.
Now the focus shifts to the main event: the 2026 World Cup on home soil.
Several of the 2022 roster’s best young players should be back and right in their prime in 2026, and they should be joined by a host of younger players just starting to make their way in the game now.
Below are some of the USMNT’s best young players. For the purposes of this list, the player must be born in 2003 or later.
The Leeds and USMNT star spoke to PSW about his first year in England and being back with the national team
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, ProSoccerWire 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.
Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP
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.
Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images
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.
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
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.
The USMNT’s starting goalkeeper is going to have big decisions to make this offseason
Matt Turner is going to have some big decisions to make this offseason.
When Turner got the chance to join Arsenal last summer, nobody could fault him for saying yes. It was, in some ways, the culmination of an incredible rags-to-riches tale that would’ve been difficult to make up.
But in other, highly important ways, it was very much not the culmination. Turner was making the leap to Europe relatively late at age 28, but he had every reason to believe he could enjoy a long and fruitful career abroad.
But will that ever happen at Arsenal?
Turner was always facing an uphill battle for consistent minutes with the Gunners, and the 2022-23 season has done little to dispel that notion. Aaron Ramsdale is firmly entrenched as the starter and Arsenal is the favorite to win the Premier League right now.
With all of his USMNT competitors playing every week, it is worth considering how long Turner can afford to be a backup — especially when it seems pretty clear he could start for more than a few clubs in top-five European leagues.
Turner has previously spoken of how much he’s grown in north London from training alone, but there is a limit to that particular benefit.
This week’s Five leads with a troubling week for Turner, who looks to have played his last game this season.
The USMNT has to be feeling pretty good about its depth right now
The U.S. men’s national team has to feel pretty good about its depth right now.
All across Europe, a host of players who didn’t make the World Cup squad are showing they have what it takes to feature for the USMNT, which was again apparent this weekend.
The striker position, which has been a concern for years, has a (very theoretical!) savior possibly en route in the form of Folarin Balogun, but Daryl Dike and Ricardo Pepi keep showing this season they should be in the USMNT mix as well.
That duo, along with some other names who could be coming soon to a U.S. roster near you, features in this week’s Five, along with a coach who could someday be leading them.
The 19-year-old will follow in his older brother’s footsteps by moving to Europe
There is a new Aaronson in Europe, as Paxten joined his older brother Brenden on Thursday by completing a transfer to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Aaronson, 19, joins the German side after spending two seasons with the Philadelphia Union. Just like Brenden, Paxten left the Union for a European team in a multi-million dollar move, with MLSsoccer.com reporting the deal is worth $4 million plus add-ons.
“Paxten has accomplished so much in a short amount of time. He has worked incredibly hard, and he has taken advantage of every opportunity with the first team, Union II and the U-20 National Team,” said Union sporting director Ernst Tanner.
“There has been interest in him for a long time, and we feel this is the right move for the club and the player, putting him in a good situation to continue developing in one the best leagues in the world. It is another great example of our development philosophy, and we are very proud of Paxten and wish him all the best at Frankfurt.”
Aaronson started only two games for the Union in 2022, as his path to more playing time was blocked by some of the club’s outstanding attackers like Dániel Gazdag, Mikael Uhre and Julián Carranza.
But Aaronson made a big impression over the summer with the U.S. at the CONCACAF U-20 Championship, where he finished as both the tournament’s top scorer and best player.
Aaronson will join Eintracht in January, but it seems as though he is being eyed more for the 2022-23 campaign, with the club currently in fourth place in the Bundesliga and having reached the Champions League last 16.
“He’s a very young player, a highly talented and really gifted player who will give us a huge amount of variety in attack in the future,” said Timmo Hardung, head of first team football at Eintracht.
“We’ve got a very clear plan for how we want to gradually and carefully build him up. And part of that is he’s coming to us in January to start getting used to everything here so that ideally he’s ready to hit the ground running in the new season.”
While Brenden Aaronson is turning heads in the Premier League, his younger brother, Paxten, is breaking through in MLS
U.S. fans are understandably abuzz projecting the 2022 World Cup roster and debating the best hypothetical XI for Qatar. But there are reasons beyond the upcoming World Cup to get excited about the USMNT’s future.
After the World Cup, the U.S. will compete in the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia, followed by the 2024 Summer Olympics in France.
The 2022 World Cup is — of course — the most notable tournament, and it’s on deck first. But we can’t help but look ahead to the next generation, so we’ve started a series tracking USMNT prospects to watch.
Here’s our first installment of sporadic check-ins with some of American soccer’s up-and-coming prospects for 2023 and beyond.
