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4 USMNT players start in Italy matchup while Yow, Bello, & Fossey surprisingly impress

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ASN’s Brian Sciaretta walks you through the weekend for Americans abroad with his thoughts and analysis. Most notable this weekend was the performances from players you wouldn’t normally expect. 


BY

Brian Sciaretta



Posted

October 23, 2023

9:05 AM

WHILE MOST of the attention among Americans abroad on a weekly basis is on the top USMNT players at big clubs, this weekend was about the players in the smalling leagues who had big surprises. Sure, Milan and Juventus saw four Americans start in a high profile game, but most of the best performances were outside of the Big Five leagues.

In this weekend, you saw Geoge Bello further cement a starting job at LAST in a huge win over Austria’s perennial champion. You saw Griffin Yow return to the field for Westerlo after an injury, score a big goal, and showcase himself after a terrific preseason. Rokas Pukstas started for the first time in several months and while it was a loss, his health means one of the top American teenagers is back on the field. Marlon Fossey was huge for Standard in a win over Anderlecht.

 

4 Americans start in huge Serie A game

 

The biggest game this weekend for Americans was when Juventus visited Milan and came away with a big 1-0 away win. In a matchup between two of Italy’s most historically powerful teams, four U.S. internationals all started. Tim Weah and Weston McKennie for Juventus while Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah got the nod for Milan.

Unfortunately for American fans, only the Juventus duo did anything of note.

Weston McKennie was one of the game’s best players for stretches. He had a big assignment in this game playing centrally but he was a handful for Milan players. This game was a great reminder of how good McKennie can be at the top of his game against elite competition. Defensively, he was also important although Milan was limited when Malick Thiaw was sent off in the 40th minute. But with Milan playing with a more compact defense, McKennie emerged as Juventus’ top playmaker.

For Milan, there wasn’t much to say. The red card to Thiaw saw Pulisic removed for a big tactical shift. Musah, meanwhile, was simply off and he has been quiet for the last few weeks (including games with the U.S. team).

As for Weah, he was very effective. He picked up a very generous assist on Manuel Locatelli’s 63rd minute goal. But with a lot of space to work with given Milan’s shorthanded nature, Weah was a handful to defend. He was also busy with 55 touches over his 84 minutes.

But if anything, McKennie’s strong recent performances for Juventus have made him a necessity for Max Allegri in the middle. This now makes Weah a lock at right wingback.

 

Trusty starts vs. Manchester United

 

Auston Trusty, 25, remained in the starting lineup for Sheffield United on Sunday and went the full 90 in a 2-1 loss at home to Manchester United. The Pennsylvania native played relatively well and had some nice moments in winning duels and 50-50 balls. While it took him a few months, Trusty now looks to be in a position to get a decent number of Premier League minutes in 2023/24. That will only help in his development.

 

Unfortunately, it seems extremely likely that Sheffield United is relegated after this season. They currently have just one point from nine games. Sometimes, they look competitive (like this game and the brutal loss to Tottenham in September) but they can’t seem to seal the deal and get results. It’s still possible they find their way, but with each passing week it becomes more unlikely.

But Trusty is improving as a player and the Premier League minutes will only help with his growth and with his value. If he can play well, the question will become whether he goes down with Sheffield United?

 

Reyna takes big step forward

 

Gio Reyna opened the weekend on a strong note with a strong performance off the bench for Borussia Dortmund in a 1-0 win over Werder Bremen. Reyna was subbed into the game in the 62nd minute for Marco Reus with the score 0-0.

There was a lot to like about his shift. He had 44 touches over 29 minutes and was 27/28 in passing. But the whole team was playing through him. His playing drew two Werder Bremen yellow cards when he was fouled and he had two shots (and nearly an assist).

When looking at his touch map, you can see that he was mostly on the right side of the field, but had a lot of freedom.


Most important of all was his defense as won a lot of duels. Overall, this was a great shift for Reyna. He was quite tired after the game and it might still take weeks before he starts, but he was sharp in this game.

 

CCV’s perfect defensive numbers

 

On Sunday, Cameron Carter-Vickers, 25, returned from international duty to start for Celtic in a 4-1 away win over Hearts in Edinburgh. U.S. national team defender Cameron Carter-Vickers started for Celtic in a strong 90-minute outing.

The bottom line is that Carter-Vickers was a perfect 8/8 in his aerial duels and was a perfect 5/5 in his ground duels. He was also a perfect 2/2 in his tackles to boost a near perfect defensive outing.  

But in one area of weaknesses, Carter-Vickers was 0/7 in his long-range passing of over 35 yards.

Celtic remains in strong position atop the Premiership table with 25 points from nine games. They have a seven-point cushion on Rangers.

 

Paredes sharp off the bench

 

Kevin Paredes made a noteworthy performance off the bench for Wolfsburg despite a 2-1 loss at home to Bayer Leverkusen. The U.S. national team winger came into the game in the 78th minute with his team down 2-1.

One minute after coming on, he got open for a shot but hit it right at the keeper. Then a few minutes later, he got the ball dribbled to get open and hit a curling shot just missing the top corner. Near stoppage time, he drew a yellow card trying to win a duel.

Overall, it was a very energetic performance where he was the best player on the field the final 15 minutes. He was very strong on both sides of the ball. His forcing of turnovers and duel winning gave Wolfsburg a real chance to get a result.

The task for Paredes is to find ways to earn starts. He appears in just about every game when he is healthy, but he has only made one start. Performances like this are only going to help his case to get another chance to start. But who knows when?

 

Yow scores dramatic equalizer in Belgium

 

If there is one American player flying under the radar who should be followed it’s Griffin Yow. The former U.S. U-17 winger and DC United homegrown made the move to Westerlo in Belgium’s First Division last year and impressed with their youth teams. This past summer he was the team’s best player in the recent preseason. But was sidelined due to a MCL injury just before the start of the season.

Now Yow is back and on Saturday he had an enormous moment. With Westerlo trailing Molenbeek 1-0, Yow came into the game in the 73rd minute. In the fourth minute of stoppage time, he found the winner.

Overall, it was a great way for him to make his season debut.

Yow, 21, will now look to climb into Westerlo’s starting lineup. That should be doable given that the team has had a terrible start to the sason and sits in last place with seven points from 11 games. Yow could be the boost they need.

Yow also could emerge as a U.S. U-23 wing option (and a backup fullback). It will be tough as that team is strong on the wings but Yow might get a look in the November camp.

Of note in this game is that Bryan Reynolds was not in the squad for Westerlo as he was late in returning from international duty with the U.S. U-23 team.

 

Bello starts in bit LASK upset win

 

In one of the more surprising results of the weekend, LASK traveled to Salzburg to take on the perennial Austrian Bundesliga Champions and came away with a 1-0 upset win. George Bello has been seeing his minutes increase at LASK in recent weeks and he got the start in this game.

Bello ended up going 90 minutes for LASK in the win. In what appears to be a big area of improvement for the former Atlanta United homegrown, his defense is now steady. In this game, he won 7/12 of his ground duels and was 1/1 in his aerials. He also had four interceptions in helping LASK keep the clean sheet.

 

Bello has emerged as a LASK starter at left wingback in recent weeks and this is a big step forward for him. It was the level he probably should have moved to initially as he was struggling towards the end of his time with Atlanta. Instead, he got stuck in the mud with a poorly run Arminia Bielefeld team that suffered consecutive relegations. But now Bello is at a place where he can continue his development.

Bello, 21, should have a goal to get into the mix with the U.S. U-23 team. That is going to be very hard as the left back position is deep with John Tolkin, Caleb Wiley, and now Jonathan Gomez all in the mix. Bello clearly fell behind over the past 18 months and the other players are also doing well.

It’s a reachable goal for Bello but is one that is going to require him to be on his game consistently the rest of this season.

 

Pukstas returns for Hajduk

 

Rokas Pukstas, 19, made his return from a knee injury after two months out and earned the start for Hajduk Split on Sunday. Pukstas began the season in exceptional form with two goals in the first two games of the season before his injury.

In this game, things were not as gerat. Pukstas ended up going the full 90 and only had 34 touches in a 2-0 loss at home to Osijek. The loss kept Hajduk in second place, two points behind Rijeka (and rivals Dinamo Zagreb are two points back with a game in hand).

But overall, the news was great for him to be back on the field and he remains one of Hajduk’s top young players. It should be expected that he gets a look with the U.S. U-23 team in November if Hajduk agree to release him.

 

Sabbi makes first Ligue 1 start

 

On Friday, Emmanuel Sabbi, 25, made his first Ligue 1 start for Le Havre in a 0-0 draw with Lens.

The 2017 U-20 World Cup attacker played right wing in this game but was also tasked with a lot of defending. In the 38th minute, he missed a golden opportunity when his header from close range was saved by Lens keeper Brice Samaba.

He ended up playing 76 minutes and had just 27 touches and was 12/17 passing but he defended well. For newly promoted Le Havre, the club has 10 points from nine games to sit midtable. If survival is their goal, they’re in a good spot.

As for Sabbi, he performed well over the international break in friendlies and earned this start. He should continue to play, even if he doesn’t start, but he needs to finish off some of his opportunities if he wants to be a regular starter in France’s top league, which could get him another shot with the U.S. national team.

 

Slonina can’t bail out Eupen in bad loss

 

In Belgium on Friday, Eupen travelled to Brussels and lost to Union SG 4-1. American goalkeeper Gaga Slonina, 19, started for Eupen but there was little he could do to affect the result.

Eupen was defending throughout the game and was forced to bunker early. But eventually Eupen caved with two goals from close range in the 27th and the 31st minute. Slonina could do little on either shot. Union SG found additional goals in the 68th and the 83rd minute, both also from inside the box.

It was the sixth loss in a row for Eupen who cannot compete with the top half of the league. Slonina did not play poorly. In fact, he made seven saves in this game. But Eupen was outshot 21-6 (11-1 on goal) badly.

For Slonina, he is going to be significantly tested this season in a relegation battle. Many games, like this one, are going to be ugly losses. But in rare times when Eupen has a chance to get a result, Slonina is going to have to make critical stops.  

 

Balogun plays well in Monaco win

 

Folarin Balogun returned to Monaco following international duty with the U.S. team and played 89 minutes in a 2-1 home win over Metz on Sunday. He didn’t score or assist but he continues to be a dangerous attacker who can draw defenders and open the game up.

This game was one-way traffic which saw relegation battling Metz bunker throughout. The shots finished 27-8 in favor of Monaco with the total of 13-4 on goal. Balogun, surprisingly, had only one shot.

But the important thing is that Balogun doesn’t have to carry Monaco. The team can win even if he’s not scoring. But Monaco is in first place of Ligue 1 and is a strong contender for the title. That is a great spot for him to be in for his development and his value.

 

Fossey helps Standard to big win

 

Marlon Fossey had his best game of the season in Belgium when he was instrumental in Standard Liege’s 3-2 win over Anderlecht on Sunday.

In this game, Andrelecht jumped out to a 2-0 lead only to see Standard complete a huge comeback. In the 55th minute, Fossey assisted on Hayao Kawabe’s equalizer to make the game 2-2.

But earned positive reviews for his performance at right wingback for being effective on both sides of the ball, covering a lot of ground to get into the attack and to defend.

After a terrible start to the season, Standard has now climbed to eighth place in Belgium.

Fossey, 25, remains in an uphill climb to make the U.S. national team because there is a lot of competition at right back but he was on the preliminary Gold Cup roster this summer, so he is on the radar. But Sergino Dest, Joe Scally, DeJuan Jones, and Bryan Reynolds all are options ahead of him right now.

 

Sonora impresses in Huracan loss

 

Alan Sonora, 25, started for Huracan and put in a strong shift at home against Instituto. He even opened the scoring in the fifth minute but could do little as Instituto rallied for a 3-1 away win. Instituto scored on its only three shots on goal. Overall, he was easily his team’s best and most dangerous player on the day playing on the left side of the midfield.

Sonora’s goal, however, came from a comical error from Instituto.

Sonora had a tough year as he looked to move to MLS but couldn’t secure a deal. He then went to Club Juarez in Mexico but had no success before his contract was terminated after just three months. He also failed to impress with the U.S. national team. But he seems to be happy and content back home in Argentina with Huracan. For now, it seems like this is where he belongs.

Eventually he might look to secure an MLS move, and that is probably a goal of his. But for now, he needs to put distance between himself and the rough first half of 2023.

 

Yanks in England

 

In the Premier League, Newcastle United thrashed Crystal Palace 4-0 on Saturday and Chris Richards watched his team lose from the bench and he did not play.

Tyler Adams will be out until at least February but what situation will he return to when he is healthy? AFC Bournemouth fell deeper into the relegation zone after a 2-1 loss at home to Wolves.

In the Championship, Duane Holmes started and went 63 minutes for Preston North End in a 1-1 draw at home. He had 12 completed passes but his best moment came in the 14th minute when he forced a save from a shot just outside the box. After winning their first five games of the season, Preston North End has not won in their last five games.

Reggie Cannon made his debut for Queens Park Rangers when he came on in the 70th minute of the club’s 2-1 loss on the road to Huddersfield. All the goals in this game were scored in the first half. It was good news for Cannon to get back onto the field and it will take some time for him to shake off the rust. But QPR could use Cannon, 25, at full strength soon as they now sit in the Championship’s relegation zone, in 22nd place and four points from safety.

 

Haji Wright was a 75th minute substitute for Coventry City in the club’s 1-0 away loss to Bristol City. Wright had a tough outing as he didn’t complete a single pass. He had one shot in the 79th minute from the right side but it missed the near post.

Lynden Gooch played the final 10 minutes for Stoke City in a 1-0 win over his former club, Sunderland (who Gooch left in August after being affiliated with the club since he was 10 years old). It was a big win for Stoke, which sits in 20th place with 13 points from 12 games.

As expected, Daryl Dike remains out with a long-term injury and did not play for West Bromwich Albion in a 0-0 draw with Plymouth Argyle. The same was true for Josh Sargent who missed Norwich City’s 3-2 loss at home to Leeds United. Vaughn Covil did not suit up for Hull City in a 2-1 loss at home to Southampton and he will play with the U.S. team at the Pan-Am games this week.

 

Yanks in Germany

 

Pellegrino Matarazzo and Hoffenheim suffered a difficult 3-1 loss at home to Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday. The American manager started John Brooks in central defense and it was a tough game for him. After Hoffenheim took a 1-0 lead in the opening minutes, Eintracht rallied for three goals to end the half. Brooks was subbed out in the second half, in part because he had a tough 45 minutes but also because of a formational change.

It remains to be seen if the American manager will consider taking Brooks out of the starting XI in the weeks ahead, but Brooks hasn’t been consistent over the past month. That being said, it’s been a good start to the season for Hoffenheim as they are still sixth in the Bundesliga table.

For Eintracht Frankfurt, they moved up to seventh place. Paxten Aaronson was an unused substitute for Eintracht as he was away during the recent international window with the U.S. U-23 team. Timothy Chandler did not suit up for Eintracht.

In the Bundesliga, Brenden Aaronson returned from international duty but sat on the bench as his Union Berlin team was soundly beaten by Stuttgart 3-0 at home. Like with many of these situations, it is tough to read too much into things when players are fresh off playing for their national teams far away.

In the Bundesliga on Sunday, it was a dream start for FC Heidenheim which jumped out to a 2-0 lead at home in just the 18th minute over Augsburg. But it fell apart quickly for the newly promoted “Cinderella” team and Augsburg ended up prevailing comfortably 5-2.

Lennard Maloney returned from international duty where he made his debut for the U.S. national team in a 4-0 win over Ghana. In doing that, he became the first ever Heidenheim player to make a senior national team appearance. But as memorable as that was for Maloney, this was a game to forget from him. He went all 90 minutes in defensive midfield, but was unable to stop Augsburg up the middle of the field.

With the result, Augsburg leapfrogged Heidenheim into 10th place while Heidenheim fell to 11th place.

Finally in the Bundesliga on Sunday, FC Koln defeated Borussia Monchengladbach 3-1 in an intense derby game. It wasn’t an active start to the game for Americans as teenager Damion Downs did not suit up for Koln while Joe Scally and Jordan Pefok were on the bench for Gladbach. Scally was returning from international duty with the U.S. team.

Trailing 1-0, Scally game into the game for M’Gladbach to start the second half. M’Gladbach equalized in the 63rd minute but Koln regained the lead in the 76th via a penalty. In the 79th minute, Pefok came into the game to push for another equalizer. But Koln put the game away for good in the 90th to make it 3-1. Koln moved from last and into 16th place (relegation playoff) with the win. M’Gladbach continue to have a disappointing season and are sitting in 13th place with six points from eight games.

Scally was decent but did not make much of an impact either way. Pefok only had four touches in his 11 minutes plus stoppage time. He can finish some chances, but also has a habit of disappearing for long stretches. This game was difficult because Gladbach was down a man when he was on. He nearly drew a penalty but did not get the call.

In the 2.Bundesliga, Johan Gomez came off the bench and played the second half for Eintracht Braunschweig in a 3-0 away loss to Elversberg. Fresh after returning from playing with the U.S. U-23 team this past window, Gomez had two shots in the last 45 minutes – a 75th minute shot from 35 yards that missed the target and a header off a set piece in the 84th that went over the bar. Eintracht Braunschweig has just 5 points from 10 games and currently sits last in the 2.Bundesliga.

Promotion contending Hamburg convincingly defeated Greuther Furth on Saturday 2-0. Despite the loss, Julian Green played well for Furth but slipped to 12th place. Central defender Maximilian Dietz returned to Furth after playing with the United States U-23 team over the international break. But Dietz struggled and was subbed out at halftime.

FC Kaiserslautern suffered the toughest loss in the 2.Bundesliga when they squandered a 3-0 lead and suffered a 4-3 loss away to Fortuna Dusseldorf. Terrence Boyd played the second half for Kaiserslautern and came into the game with his team up 3-1. Kaiserslautern fell to sixth place with the loss.

St. Pauli drew Paderborn on the road 2-2 on Saturday. Despite the result, Houston-born manager Fabian Hurzeler still has his team atop the 2.Bundesliga via goal differential on local rivals Hamburg SV.

 

Yanks in Spain

 

It was kind of the story of Luca de la Torre’s club career on Saturday. The U.S. national team midfielder got the start for Celta Vigo in a tough matchup at home against fourth-place Atletico Madrid.

De la Torre, 25, played well and was helpful to his team. But Celta goalkeeper Ivan Villar was sent off in the 25th minute while also conceding a penalty to Antoine Griezmann. From there, it was just too difficult of a task for Celta which lost 3-0 with Griezmann completing his hatrick. Still, de la Torre was one of his team’s best players and he has been solid in losses to Barcelona and not Atletico.

It only adds to De La Torre’s struggles that it seems he will be in another relegation battle. Celta is now two points deep in the relegation zone. The team is better than that and de la Torre is better than annual relegation battles. But this is the reality for him.

In the Segunda Division, Jonathan Gomez started for Mirandes in a 3-0 win over Villarreal II. He played 78 minutes in the win and he needs to keep pace to put himself back in a position to compete for a spot with Sociedad. Also, he needs stronger outings to compete for a spot on the U.S. U-23 team which is deep at left back with John Tolkin, Caleb Wiley, and now George Bello playing well.

On Saturday, Konrad de la Fuente made the bench for Eibar in a 3-2 win over Real Zaragoza. It was de la Fuente’s first appearance on a matchday squad since his injury suffered in the season’s opening week. Unfortunately for de la Fuente, he went as an unused substitute. Again, he’s another player eligible for the Olympic team but needs to get back on the field and play well to make it.

 

Yanks in the Netherlands

 

In the Eredivisie, PSV remained perfect with 27 points from nine games following a 3-1 win over Fortuna Sittard on Saturday. All three of the team’s American players, Sergino Dest, Ricardo Pepi, and Malik Tillman were on the bench for PSV. For Tillman, it was welcome news as it meant he had returned from an injury that forced him to withdraw from the U.S. national team for the recent October games.

The game itself was a nonfactor for the American players. Both Tillman and Pepi came into the game in the 79th minute, one minute after PSV took a 3-0 lead on their 12th place opponent. Dest did not get off the bench. Pepi created a dangerous chance midway through his shift while Tillman did nothing significant of note.

AZ Alkmaar remained in second place in the Eredivisie, unbeaten and just two points behind PSV after cruising past Heerenveen 3-0. American midfielder Djordje Mihailovic was an unused substitute for AZ and the team’s impressive success makes it harder for him to get minutes.

One of the biggest stories in the Eredivisie right now is that if the season were to end today, Ajax would get relegated. That came to fruition on Sunday after FC Utrecht defeated Ajax 4-3 in a wild game. The struggling Utrecht climbed to 16th place to leapfrog Ajax which fell to 17th place. Ajax won’t get relegated this year, but the slow start is shocking and Ajax might not compete for a spot in Europe.

In Utrecht’s 4-3 win, Taylor Booth started for Utecht after spending most of the early part of the season out due to a hamstring injury. Booth recently participated with the U.S. U-23 team in the most recent window and played the first 30 minutes of the team’s 2-1 win over Mexico (he played well, drew a penalty, but missed the penalty in the win over El Tri). In this game, Booth played 62 minutes and left with the score 2-2. He was aggressive and had a dangerous shot blocked in the 11th minute.

Booth still is getting back into the swing of things after a long absence, and he only had 28 touches and completed nine passes. But it was an outing that should leave his coaches happy as they look to climb out of the relegation zone. The team struggled immensely without Booth.

Taylor Booth’s younger brother, Zach Booth, was not in uniform for Volendam in a 2-1 loss to RKC Waalwijk on Saturday. Volendam is last in the Eredivisie with just four points from eight games.

PEC Zwolle defeated Excelsior 4-2 to move to ninth place in the Eredivisie. Former Philadelphia Union homegrown Anthony Fontana did not get off the bench for Zwolle.

The same could be said for Florida-born winger Agustin Anello who did not get off the bench for Sparta Rotterdam in a 0-0 away draw with Go Ahead Eagles. One important and strange note is that seventh place Sparta only made one substitution this entire game.

In the second tier Eerste Divisie, FC Den Bosch lost at home to VVV Venlo 2-1. American midfielder Gedion Zelalem started for FC Den Bosch but was sent off with a straight red card in the 67th minute. Den Bosch sits in 17th place of the 20-team league with just 9 points from 11 games.

Also, in the Eerste Divisie, ADO Den Haag defeated FC Emmen 3-2 on the road. Justin Che was subbed into the game for ADO Den Haag to start the second half with his team trailing 2-1. The recent 2023 U-20 World Cup veteran was on the field for the team’s comeback win. ADO Den Haag moved into second place with the win.

Finally, in the Eerste Divisie, FC Dordrecht defeated Jong Ajax 4-0. John Hilton, 22, started at left back for FC Dordrecht and assisted on the team’s 33rd minute goal for a 2-0 lead. He was subbed out in the 62nd minute with his team up 3-0 and FC Dordrecht moved into sixth place with the win. Attending media singled out Hilton for a strong performance. Can he get a look with the U.S. U-23 team this cycle? Probably not as John Tolkin and Caleb Wiley are considered a strong left back tandem, but perhaps the November camp in Europe could see him get an invite.

 

Yanks in Belgium

 

Aside from Yow’s winner talked about above, there was a lot more action for Yanks in Belgium.

Mark McKenzie had a very strong performance on Sunday for KRC Genk in a 4-0 win over KV Mechelen. He went the full 90 and had 89 touches and was a facilitaor out of the back as he played eight balls into the final third, was 5/9 in his long balls, and was 75/81 in his passing overall. His header in the 41st minute assisted on Bryan Heynen’s goal to give Genk a 2-0 lead.

Genk conceded most of the possession but did well to create a majority of the best chances. McKenzie enjoyed a strong performance – the type of performances he will need to get back into the USMNT picture. He always seems to be on the edge of Gregg Berhalter’s plans but can never cross the threshold to be a consistent member of the team.

On Sunday, OH Leuven defeated St. Truiden 4-0. Yale University product Kahveh Zahiroleslam, 21, made his second appearance in the First Division as he went the final 14 minutes in the loss. It was an uneventful outing for Zahiroleslam as St. Truiden was completely out of the game when he came on. It was the third straight loss for St. Truiden which fell to 10th place.

Sam Vines continued to miss time for Antwerp and did not play on Saturday in the club’s 3-2 away loss to Sporting Charleroi. With the loss, Royal Antwerp fell to eighth place in the First Division.

Alex Mighten was an unused substitute for Kortrijk in his club’s shocking 1-0 upset win over Club Brugge to climb out of last place in the First Division.

 

Yanks in Italy

 

It was a very tough loss for Venezia on Sunday which dropped a 1-0 decision away to AC Reggiana. Gianluca Busio played the full 90 minutes and Tanner Tessmann played the final 18 and both Americans recently participated in the recent U.S. U-23 camp in Arizona. Venezia’s Joel Pohjanpalo missed a penalty in the 41st minute and then were reduced to 10 players in the 63rd. Busio played well and Tessmann had a tough assignment coming into a game with Venezia down to 10 players.

With the loss, Venezia dropped to fourth place. This game felt like a missed opportunity where they beat themselves.

On Saturday, Lecco dropped a 2-0 loss at home to Ascoli. Wisconsin forward Andrija Novakovich,27, went 90 minutes in the loss and Lecco still sits last in Serie B with just one point from seven games.

On Monday, Kristoffer Lund and third-place Palermo hosts 18th place Spezio in Sicily.

 

Yanks Elsewhere

 

In Norway’s Eliteserien, Bob Bradley and Stabaek travelled to Trondheim and left with an extremely valuable point in a 1-1 draw with Rosenborg. Still, Stabaek are surely disappointed as they had eight shots on target compared with just four for Rosenborg. But the team is playing much, much better under Bob Bradley and now has a path for survival. Stabaek is now out of the automatic relegation zone and into the relegation playoff (but only on goal differential). They have five games left to continue the climb for survival. But now, they have all the momentum.

Also the Eliteserien, Sam Rogers was an unused substitute for sixth-place Lilelstrom in a 2-0 win over Vaalerenga. Christian Cappis was an unused substitute for fifth-place Molde in a 3-2 away loss to Brann. Finally, Kobe Hernandez-Foster completed the trifecta of unused substitutes as he was glued to the bench for 12th-place HamKam in a 3-0 loss at home to Haugesund.

In Sweden’s Allsvenkan, Joe Gyau was subbed into the game for Degerfors in the 37th minute with his team trailing Kalmar 1-0. He was unable to help his team to earn a result and Degerfors dropped a 3-1 decision at home. With just three games left, Degerfors is three points deep in the automatic relegation zone.

In the Danish Superliga, Lyngby dropped a 2-0 decision at home to AGF Aarhus. Jonathan Amon played the last 27 minutes for Lyngby. While he didn’t do much, the fact that he is now making substitute appearances of nearly 30 minutes is encouraging in his comeback after nearly three years away.

In Scotland, Livingston dropped a 3-1 loss on the road to Kilmarnock. Scott Pittman, the all-time Livingston appearance leader, went 64 minutes in the loss as his team fell to seventh. Also in the Premiership, Dante Polvara and Aberdeen had their matchup with Dundee FC postponed due to the serious storms in the area.

In the Greek Super League, Lamia defeated PAS Giannina but Caleb Stanko didn’t suit up for Lamia and Joe Efford did not dress for PAS Giannina.

In Liga MX on Friday night, Club Juarez dropped a 1-0 decision at home to Pachuca. Sebastian Saucedo started and played 62 minutes for Juarez and left with the game scoreless. The former U.S. U-20 and U-23 attacking midfielder drew five fouls in the game. Juarez fell to 10th place and is on the verge of falling out of the playoff picture.

On Saturday in Liga MX, Club America defeated Santos Laguna 4-3 to remain atop the table. Alex Zendeas scored the winner in the 76th minute. He is another player on the edge of the national team who needs to continue to produce.

Henry Wingo played the final 27 minutes for Hungarian leaders Ferencvaros on Sunday in a 2-1 win over Diósgy?r. Wingo, unfortunately, conceded a penalty in this game in the 67th minute.

Sebastian Soto is still out injured following surgery and did not play for Austria Klagenfurt in a 3-2 away win over Rapid Vienna in the Austrian Derby.

In Brazil’s Serie A, Internacional mercilessly pounded Santos 7-1 to move into 12th place. Johnny Cardoso returned from USMNT duty and started for Internacional. He ended up being subbed out at halftime with Internacional up comfortably 4-0.





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