ASN: McKennie continues sturdy run, Pepi begins, EPB impresses and far more

ASN’s Brian Sciaretta breaks down the weekend for People overseas – together with McKennie’s huge run, Adams bettering forward of the January window, Pepi’s first begin, Cannon’s new place, and far more. 

BY

Brian Sciaretta

Posted
January 17, 2022
11:00 AM

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THE WEEKEND FOR People overseas noticed a few high midfielders put in superb shifts – together with Weston McKennie, who’s having one of the best season of any American in Europe by a big margin. Apart from that, it was additionally the standard run of ups and downs that each weekend presents.

Accidents proceed to be a priority for followers forward of the January worldwide window. Gio Reyna was nonetheless not again for Borussia Dortmund regardless of some hints he might make the bench subsequent weekend (though it’s not the primary report we’ve had out of Germany that has mentioned Reyna is shut). Tim Weah can also be out for Lille and at this level, his involvement for the nationwide workforce in January appears uncertain.

However these two weren’t the one nationwide workforce gamers who didn’t function this weekend. Konrad del Fuente, who hasn’t been with the nationwide workforce since September, was out of the 18 for Marseille in opposition to Lille. Mark McKenzie was not within the lineup for Genk in a win over Beerschot.

However amongst people who performed important minutes this weekend, there have been combined outcomes.

McKennie scores once more

Weston McKennie went the gap for Juventus in a 2-0 win over Udinese on Saturday. His 79th minute purpose gave Juve a 2-0 lead and it was his second straight recreation with a purpose (within the midweek, he scored in a 2-1 extratime loss to Inter Milan within the Tremendous Cup). Each targets had been headers.

Weston McKennie’s purpose right now for Juventus in a 2-0 win vs Udinese #USMNT pic.twitter.com/AXL09JnJnL

— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) January 15, 2022

McKennie has been excellent and Juventus is making a push to crack again into the highest 4 of Serie A. The Texan has been among the many workforce’s greatest gamers sometimes taking part in as a No. 8 the place he can get ahead into the assault and function a powerful defensive presence in the midst of the sector.

His touch-map on this recreation confirmed the extent of freedom he had, and the bottom he lined. He was actually in all places and had a big effect on either side of the ball.

Adams & Leipzig down Stuttgart

Tyler Adams began for Leipzig on Saturday in a go to to face relegation battling VfB Stuttgart, who’re managed by American Pellegrino Matarazzo.

Adams went the gap for Leipzig in a strong 2-0 away win and his place shifted throughout the match. He shared the defensive midfield place with Kevin Kampl which is a bit totally different in that sometimes he has performed as a sole defensive midfielder. However with Kampl, Adams performed each the correct and left facet.

Naturally, his contact rely was a bit decrease since he had a associate and 56 touches over 90 minutes is low for him. However defensively, Adams had an excellent recreation and did his half to frustrate Stuttgart from advancing the ball up the center of the sector.

Since Marsch was fired, Adams has slowly discovered his method again into the common beginning lineup for Leipzig and the membership is again inside placing distance of the highest 4 (three factors out). It’s been an up and down season for Adams, nevertheless it’s clearly on the up now.

Pepi vs. Chandler in Augsburg

On Sunday, Ricardo Pepi made his first begin for Augsburg in a 1-1 draw in opposition to Eintracht Frankfurt, who began former U.S. nationwide workforce proper again Timothy Chandler.

Pepi’s first begin was thrilling for American followers however the FC Dallas product struggled within the opening 10-Quarter-hour the place his contact let him down and he wasn’t concerned a lot. He steadily received concerned extra and had two pictures – which he might have carried out higher. His runs and involvement had been typically higher within the second half nevertheless it was nothing earth shattering.

Augsburg had been very fortunate on the day that Arminia Bielefeld solely drew its recreation in opposition to last-place Greuther Furth. That allowed Augsburg to not end the day within the relegation zone. The remainder of the season might be shut, and it is just secure by a single level. Pepi is in a cutthroat scenario the place a profitable outing is not going to be measured by “runs” and “movement” however by easy issues like targets and assists. He might be given a leash as a result of he simply arrived and the membership spent a fortune on him, however he will even want to supply straight away.

On the flip facet, Timmy Chandler performed very nicely over 80 minutes for Eintracht and has been participant a lot better over his previous few outings.

Brooks begins in 0-0 draw 

John Brooks, 28, is without doubt one of the hardest American gamers to determine. At his greatest, he’s the most effective central defenders within the Bundesliga. However he additionally struggles with consistency and proper now, he’s been in a tough spell the previous three months, the workforce is taking having misplaced eight in a row (together with six Bundesliga video games), he’s within the last 12 months of his contract, and his grip on a nationwide workforce spot hasn’t been as sturdy as he would have thought. So, Brooks has lots on his thoughts now and he wants good performances.

On Saturday, Brooks received the beginning for Wolfsburg in opposition to his former hometown membership in Hertha BSC. For probably the most half, it was a great efficiency and he was credited with successful an impressive 11/12 duels, only one/5 of his tackles had been profitable, and he was 5/13 in lengthy balls.

Wolfsburg continues to be struggling however this was a fairly good recreation for Brooks defensively.

Richards begins in Hoffenheim loss

Hoffenheim have been one of many extra shocking groups in Germany this season they usually got here into Saturday’s recreation in opposition to Union Berlin in third place. Chris Richards has had a great season and received this begin on this recreation. Union Berlin, nevertheless, got here away with a 2-1 victory and Hoffenheim fell to fourth and Union moved into fifth place.

Richards was considered one of Hoffenheim’s higher gamers and he lined up on the left facet of a 3 central defender formation. He gained 9/15 of his duels and had 5 clearances. His passing was typically fairly good, and he was not at fault for both of Union’s targets.

Richards is taking part in nicely heading into the January window and he ought to function within the coming video games for the USA. Regardless of the loss, it’s been an excellent season for Hoffenheim and Richards has taken a pleasant step forwards.

Palmer-Brown sturdy in loss

Erik Palmer-Brown, 24, has had a troublesome begin to the season for Troyes for a wide range of causes and he has seldomly performed.

On Sunday, Palmer-Brown earned the beginning for Troyes in opposition to Lyon and had an excellent efficiency however was harshly known as for a penalty which conceded the one purpose of a 1-0 Lyon win. His numbers mirrored an excellent recreation and he had eight clearances, gained 7/10 duels, had 5 tackles, and 4 interceptions.

Troyes was pinned again in opposition to a greater Lyon workforce and Palmer-Brown needed to do a variety of defending. The penalty occurred within the first half when a ball popped up and hit his arm. The ref checked VAR nevertheless it was decided {that a} penalty was to be awarded. Upon replay, it appeared like a really powerful determination.

It will be a good end for Troyes which is barely out of the relegation zone on purpose differential. For Palmer-Brown, he had an excellent recreation regardless of the penalty and he helped his case for extra minutes down the crucial stretch of a relegation battled.

Dike makes WBA debut

Daryl Dike, 21, got here off the bench within the 59th minute on Saturday for West Bromwich Albion in a 1-0 loss on the highway to Queens Park Rangers in London. Dike labored laborious, had a great likelihood, however completed with simply 18 touches in 31 minutes. In what was harking back to his time on mortgage at Barnsley, he accomplished simply 3/8  of his passes however most makes an attempt had been deep within the attacking third.

Dike must be anticipated to do nicely once more and the targets will ultimately come. His constructive perspective and bodily power assist him tremendously. WBA is probably going going to get into the playoffs this season within the Championship, will probably be fascinating to see how or if Dike has improved from his profitable Barnsley mortgage final season.

On one other notice, he wants targets to get again into the nationwide workforce image and call-ups had been laborious for Dike to earn when he was at Orlando. It will likely be as much as him to make himself too tough to not take.

Pulisic begins in Chelsea loss

On Saturday, Christian Pulisic began and performed 69 minutes for Chelsea in a 1-0 away loss to Manchester Metropolis (the place Zack Steffen went as an unused substitute).

Pulisic has been moved round between a number of positions by Thomas Tuchel and Pulisic has typically failed to face out since his return from harm in November. On this recreation, he performed on the correct wing and, like nearly each Chelsea participant on this recreation, was too passive. Offensively, he wasn’t a part of something harmful and had solely about 4 touches within the attacking third.

Vines regular in Antwerp win

Sam Vines received the beginning at left again for Royal Antwerp on Sunday in a 3-0 win over Sporting Charleroi on Saturday. Vines didn’t actually stand out going ahead but additionally didn’t make any noticeable errors defensively. In different phrases, it was a gradual outing.

It’s a bit fascinating given that in his time with Colorado, Vines was typically an offensive risk getting ahead however was typically defensively suspect. At Antwerp, Vines is placing a variety of focus into his defensive facet of the sport however hasn’t been the offensive pressure, but.

As he will get extra comfy with the soccer in Belgium, he may come out of his shell and play to his historic strengths extra. However for now, he’s a gradual presence at left again for an Antwerp workforce that sits third in Belgium’s Professional League.

Sam Vines: uncooked # for Royal Antwerp in 3-0 win vs. Sporting Charleroi90 mins46 touches0 shots0 key passes20/28 passing2/2 lengthy balls1 cross2/2 duels won3 clearances2/2 aerials won2 interceptions- solidly regular outing from #USMNT LB- Royal Antwerp third in Belgium

— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) January 16, 2022

Sargent forces personal purpose in win

Josh Sargent began for Norwich in a shocking 2-1 upset over Everton on Saturday. Sargent performed 87 minutes at proper wing and was typically quiet. Within the sixteenth minute, nevertheless, his cross resulted in an personal purpose which opened the rating for Norwich.

This play was utterly fortunate for Sargent and his low cross wasn’t harmful – Everton’s Michael Keane ought to have simply cleared it away. Apart from this second, Sargent was typically fairly quiet and he does look out of place on the correct wing.

Josh Sargent’s cross that results in an personal purpose to place Norwich up 1-0 on Everton pic.twitter.com/KyJBFGMUhj

— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) January 15, 2022

The most effective state of affairs is that this win and this play offers Sargent extra momentum and confidence. Lots of his issues this season have been on account of confidence and typically it takes a little bit of luck to show it round. Maybe that is that second.

Cannon begins in Boavista draw

Reggie Cannon began for Boavista on Saturday in a 1-1 draw with Gil Vicente. The large takeaway is that Cannon performed nicely, and he’s thriving in a brand new place – proper middle again in a 3-4-3 formation. On this function, Cannon isn’t pressed to get into the assault however moderately focuses solely on the defensive facet of the sport. He’s not likely a central defender however in a three-man backline it really works as he’s not a very technical attacking fullback.

On this recreation he gained 4/6 duels, had three clearances, 4 interceptions, and was 4/4 in tackles in a strong efficiency in opposition to a great Gil Vicente workforce.

This in all probability makes it more durable for him on the nationwide workforce for the reason that U.S. workforce doesn’t not typically play with three central defenders and the workforce’s participant pool is pretty sturdy in central protection and at proper again. Whatever the nationwide workforce, this might be a great transfer for Cannon on the membership degree as a result of it performs to his strengths and provides him a capability to fill wants for golf equipment that need to play three within the again.

Fulham rolling

On Saturday Fulham defeated Bristol Metropolis 6-2. This was coming off a 7-0 win over Studying midweek. So in its previous two video games, Fulham has scored 13 targets and now sits in first place within the Championship with a recreation in hand.

Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson proceed to begin and do nicely, however their jobs are lots simpler nowadays with the workforce’s offense scoring at will. Aleksandar Mitrovic has 5 of these 13 targets final week and he now has 27 targets in 24 video games this season.

Tessmann/Busio function in Venezia draw

Venezia hosted Empoli on Sunday with American midfielder Tanner Tessmann getting the beginning for Venezia and Gianluca Busio was on the bench. Portuguese attacker Nani left Orlando Metropolis within the winter and joined Venezia final week. He was on the bench.

Venezia began within the conservative 4-3-2-1 “Christmas Tree” formation, and it backfired. The workforce was disjointed and lacked a circulate. Tessmann struggled to search out the ball and was a part of a double substitution within the thirty fifth minute with Venezia down 1-0.

Nani helped Venezia equalize with an excellent play for an help within the 73rd minute. Busio got here on for the ultimate 10 minutes however didn’t make a lot of an influence.

This wasn’t a great recreation from an American perspective. Tessmann wasn’t put into a great place to succeed and Busio has to work his method again into the beginning lineup. There isn’t a lot of an opportunity to study, nevertheless, as Venezia is simply two factors away from security their survival might be shut.

Elsewhere in Europe

In Italy’s Serie B, Andrija Novakovich got here off the bench and scored the ultimate purpose for Frosinone in a 3-0 win over Pisa. The win lifted Frosinone into the promotional playoff place at seventh place. It was Novakovich’s second purpose of the season.

Within the Copa del Rey, United States nationwide workforce midfielder Yunus Musah began for Valencia in a 1-0 win over third-tier Atlético Baleares. Musah hasn’t been having a lot of an influence in La Liga this 12 months, however he has carried out nicely within the Copa del Rey in opposition to lower-tier opponents. In the meantime, Matthew Hoppe was an 83rd minute sub for Mallorca in a 2-1 win over Espanyol. His time on the sector was uneventful and all of the targets had been scored previous to him coming into the sport.

Within the Bundesliga, Joe Scally was a 61st minute sub for Borussia Monchengladbach in a 2-1 loss at dwelling to Bayer Leverksuen. The New Yorker performed nicely and was a part of two harmful probabilities for M’Gladbach, which fell to Twelfth place. Within the 2.Bundesliga, Ryan Malone was an unused sub for Hansa Rostock in a 1-0 dwelling loss to Hannover.

In Ligue 1, Nicholas Gioacchini performed the ultimate 12 minutes for Montpellier in a troublesome 3-1 loss to Strasbourg. Montpellier was diminished to 10 gamers within the 66th minute and was attempting to carry onto a 1-0 lead. Strasbourg equalized one minute earlier than Gioacchini got here into the sport after which conceded targets within the 84th and 86th minutes within the loss. Gioacchini may get extra taking part in time within the subsequent recreation as Elye Wahi is suspended and performs the same function to the American.

Within the Championship, Duane Holmes missed Huddersfield’s 1-1 draw with Swansea on account of COVID inside his family. Ethan Horvath was an unused sub for Nottingham Forest in a 1-0 win over Millwall (Alex Mighten continues to be out injured for Nottingham Forest). Potential U.S. eligible Folarin Balogun performed the ultimate 20 minutes for Middlesbrough in a 2-1 win over struggling Studying.

In England’s League One, Lynden Gooch began and performed 90 minutes for Sunderland in a 1-1 draw with Accrington Stanley. Marlon Fossey went 90 minutes for Bolton in a 2-0 win over Ipswich City. Charlie Kelman additionally went 90 minutes for relegation battling Gillingham in a 3-1 loss to Burton Albion.

In Portugal, Alex Mendez began for Vizela and went 90 minutes in a 2-0 dwelling loss to Sporting CP. Mendez had some vivid spots, however Vizela was outmatched in almost each place by the reigning champions.

Within the Eredivisie, Luca de la Torre began and performed 90 minutes in his typical No. 8 place for Twelfth-place Heracles in a 0-0 draw with NEC Nijmegen.

In Turkey, Tyler Boyd began for Rizespor and performed 66 minutes in a 2-0 loss to Fatih Karagumruk. Rizespor is at the moment three factors deep within the relegation gap. Haji Wright began and performed 64 minutes for Antalyaspor in a 1-1 draw with Fenerbahce. It was 0-0 when Wright left and Antalyaspor is simply two factors away from the relegation zone. DeAndre Yedlin, in the meantime, didn’t get off the bench for Galatasaray in an unpleasant 4-2 loss to Hatayaspor. Galatasaray falls to thirteenth place in a disappointing season.

Within the Scottish Premiership, Celtic defeated Hibernian 2-0 on Monday. Cameron Carter-Vickers began for Celtic and performed nicely over 90 minutes – with 5 interceptions, and three/3 along with his duels gained. Chris Mueller’s debut should wait as he was an unused substitute for Hibs. 

Within the Greek Tremendous League, Caleb Stanko began and performed 90 minutes for PAS Giannina in a 1-1 draw with Atromitos.

Within the Israeli Premier League: Kenny Saief began and performed 90 mintues for Ashdod in a 2-1 loss to Hapoel Hadera.