USMNT REWIND: Aaronson, Tillman Among Several Strong Performances as European Club Seasons Begin
The 2024-25 European club season continued getting into full swing this past weekend, as the EFL Championship in England and the Dutch Eredivisie began play, and several members of the U.S. Men's National Team player pool showed that they were in fine form from the outset.
In England, Brenden Aaronson enjoyed a memorable season opener for Leeds United, connecting for a dramatic equalizing goal in stoppage time.
In the Netherlands, Malik Tillman helped Eredivisie champions PSV Eindhoven get off to a rousing start with a goal in its opener, while Richy Ledezma was named man of the match in his first start for the club.
In Belgium, Bryan Reynolds tallied an important goal in Westerlo's third consecutive win.
Heroics were not limited to the Eastern Hemisphere, as several players stood out domestically in Major League Soccer as well. Djordje Mihailovic and DeJuan Jones found the net for the Colorado Rapids and New England Revolution, respectively, in the Leagues Cup.
EXTRA EFFORT
In his first game back with Leeds United after a year's loan with Union Berlin, Brendan Aaronson made a good first impression on manager Daniel Farke. He connected for the equalizing goal five minutes into stoppage time to give the hosts a 3-3 draw in their English Championship opener on Saturday, Aug. 10. Aaronson, who replaced Degnand Gnonto in the 72nd minute, drilled home a Joel Piroe pass from the top of the box into the lower left corner past goalkeeper William Norris. Aaronson then nearly won it for Leeds in added time, but the former Philadelphia Union standout just missed hammering home a 12-yard finish.
OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT
In its Dutch Eredivisie opening match on Saturday, PSV Eindhoven picked up right where it left off with an impressive 5-1 triumph past RKC Waalwijk. Malik Tillman tallied his first goal of the campaign, as he lofted a 22-yard shot into the upper right corner to make it 3-0 in the 37th minute. It was his 10th goal for PSV across all competitions. While he did not get the scoring headlines that Tillman did, Richy Ledezma excelled defensively in his first start for the club and was named the team’s man of the match following the performance.
REYNOLDS WRAPS IT UP
Bryan Reynolds scored what proved to be the winning goal for Westerlo in its 4-3 home win over Union Saint-Gilloise in the Belgian Pro League on Sunday, Aug. 11. His first goal of the campaign off an Adedire Awokoya-Mebudefeed feed boosted Westerlo into a 4-1 advantage in the 54th minute. The team needed that goal, because Union Saint-Gilloise would go on to score twice in the final 20 minutes to make it interesting. Westerlo (3-0-0, 9 points) currently leads the league.
WHAT A HOMECOMING
Only days after competing in the Paris Olympics, Djordje Mihailovic played a vital role in two big results for the Colorado Rapids in the Leagues Cup.
Mihailovic, who co-led the American Men’s Olympic Team with two goals in the competition, came on as a substitute in the 36th minute and helped the hosts complete a 1-1 draw against Leon (Liga MX) in the Leagues Cup on Aug. 5. He then converted a penalty kick in the shootout to help Colorado advance in the tournament. Mihailovic then scored and played the full 90 minutes in the 3-2 victory over Juarez in the competition on Friday, Aug. 9. After a handball, Mihailovic converted a penalty kick to lift the hosts to a 2-1 advantage in the 45th minute. He has put away four PKs across all competitions this season and is enjoying a career campaign with 11 goals and nine assists. The Rapids will host Toluca on Tuesday, Aug. 13 at 10 p.m. ET.
QUICK GOAL
Only 30 seconds after coming on for Maximilian Arfsten in his Columbus Crew debut, defender DeJuan Jones struck for the team's third goal in its 4-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City in the Leagues Cup Round of 32 on Friday, Aug. 9. Jones, who was acquired by the Crew via a trade with the New England Revolution on July 31, converted a one-two combination with Jacen Rex Russell-Rowe in the 77th minute. Columbus will host Inter Miami CF in the Round of 16 on Tuesday, Aug. 13 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
PENALTY KICK HERO
Goalkeeper Zack Steffen made two vital saves in the shootout to lift the Colorado Rapids to a 4-3 win in the tiebreaker against Leon after playing to a 1-1 draw of its Leagues Cup group stage match on Monday, Aug 5. He denied Andrés Guardado on the Liga MX's side's third attempt before diving to his left to smother Salvador Reyes' try on the fifth and final attempt.
STOUT START
As a defender, Cameron Carter-Vickers has gotten off to a perfect start for Celtic, which hasn't conceded a goal in its first two matches in the Scottish Premiership. He played the full 90 minutes in each of the games - in the 4-0 victory over Kilmarnock on Aug. 4 and then in the 2-0 win at Hibernian on Sunday, Aug. 11.
IN AND OUT
Kristoffer Lund went the entire way for Palermo in its 1-0 win over host Parma in Coppa Italia on Sunday, Aug. 11.
The same could not be said for Venezia's Gianluca Busio and Tanner Tessman in their Coppa Italia encounter, a 3-1 defeat at Brescia on Sunday, Aug. 11. Both players did not suit up for the match after returning from the team following duty with the U.S. Olympic Men’s Soccer Team.
FULL RUNDOWN
-- Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United; English Championship) - 28 minutes as a substitute, GOAL, in 3-3 draw vs. Portsmouth (Aug. 10)
-- Paxten Aaronson (Utrecht; Dutch Eredivisie) - 90 minutes in 1-0 win vs. PEC Zwolle (Aug. 11
-- Kellyn Acosta (Chicago Fire; MLS) - No games
-- Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth; English Premier League) – No games
-- Folarin Balogun (Monaco; French Ligue 1) – No games
-- Taylor Booth (Utrecht; Dutch Eredivisie) - 23 minutes as a substitute in 1-0 win vs. PEC Zwolle (Aug. 11)
-- Gianluca Busio (Venezia; Italian Serie A) – Not in 18, DNP in 3-1 loss at Brescia in Coppa Italia (Aug. 11)
-- Drake Callender (Inter Miami CF; MLS) - 90 minutes in 4-3 win vs. Toronto FC in Leagues Cup (Aug. 8)
-- Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis; Spain La Liga) - No games
-- Reggie Cannon (Queens Park Rangers; Championship) - Not in 18, DNP in 3-1 loss vs. West Bromwich Albion (Aug. 10)
-- Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic; Scottish Premiership) - 90 minutes in 2-0 win at Hibernian (Aug. 11)
-- Cade Cowell (Guadalajara; Liga MX) - No games
-- Ben Cremaschi (Inter Miami CF; MLS) - 9 minutes as a substitute in 4-3 win vs. Toronto FC in Leagues Cup (Aug. 8)
-- Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven; Dutch Eredivisie) - Injured, DNP in 5-1 win vs. RKC Waalwijk (Aug. 10)
-- Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo, Spain La Liga) - No games
-- Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas; MLS) - No games
-- Julian Gressel (Inter Miami CF; MLS) - 45 minutes in 4-3 win vs. Toronto FC in Leagues Cup (Aug. 8)
-- Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City; Championship) - 90 minutes in 2-0 loss vs. Sunderland (Aug. 10)
-- Sean Johnson (Toronto FC; MLS) - 90 minutes in 4-3 loss at Inter Miami CF in Leagues Cup (Aug. 8)
-- DeJuan Jones (Columbus Crew; MLS) – 14 minutes as a substitute, GOAL, in 4-0 win vs. Sporting Kansas City in Leagues Cup (Aug. 9)
-- Richy Ledezma (PSV Eindhoven; Dutch Eredivisie) - 69 minutes in 5-1 win vs. RKC Waalwijk (Aug. 10)
-- Kristoffer Lund (Palmero; Italy Serie B) - 90 minutes in 1-0 win at Parma in Coppa Italia (Aug. 11)
-- Lennard Maloney (Heidenheim; Bundesliga) - No games
-- Weston McKennie (Juventus; Italy Serie A) - No games
-- Mark McKenzie (Genk; Belgian Pro League) - 1 minutes as a substitute in 3-2 win vs. Club Brugge (Aug. 11)
-- Djordje Mihailovic (Colorado Rapids; MLS) - 90 minutes, GOAL, in 3-2 win vs. Juarez in Leagues Cup (Aug. 9); 36 minutes as a substitute, SHOOTOUT GOAL, in 1-1 draw vs. Leon (4-3 PK winners) in Leagues Cup (Aug. 5)
-- Shaq Moore (Nashville SC; MLS) - 90 minutes in 1-1 draw at New England Revolution (5-4 loss in PKs) in Leagues Cup (Aug. 6)
-- Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough; Championship) -90 minutes in 1-0 win vs. Swansea City (Aug. 10)
-- Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders; MLS) - 87 minutes in 3-1 win vs. LA Galaxy in Leagues Cup (Aug. 8)
-- Yunus Musah (A.C. Milan; Italy Serie A) - No games
-- Jalen Neal (LA Galaxy; MLS) – 90 minutes in 3-1 loss at Seattle Sounders in Leagues Cup (Aug. 8)
-- Erik Palmer-Brown (Panathinaikos; Greek Super League) - Not in 18, DNP in 1-0 loss vs. Ajax in UEFA Europa League (Aug. 8)
-- Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg; Bundesliga) - No games
-- Jordan Pefok (Borussia Mönchengladbach; Bundesliga) - No games
-- Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven; Dutch Eredivisie) - 21 minutes as a substitute in 5-1 win vs. RKC Waalwijk (Aug. 10)
-- Christian Pulisic (A.C. Milan; Italy Serie A) - No games
-- Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; MLS) - No games
-- Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund; Bundesliga) - No games
-- Bryan Reynolds (Westerlo; Belgian Pro League) - 90 minutes, GOAL, in 4-3 win vs. Union Saint-Gilloise (Aug. 11)
-- Chris Richards (Crystal Palace; English Premier League) - No games
-- Antonee Robinson (Fulham; English Premier League) - No games
-- Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; MLS) - 90 minutes in 1-1 draw vs. Santos Laguna (6-5 PK winners) in Leagues Cup (Aug. 9); In 18, DNP in 4-2 win vs. New York City FC in Leagues Cup (Aug. 5)
-- James Sands (New York City FC; MLS) – 90 minutes, SHOOTOUT GOAL, in 1-1 draw at New England Revolution (7-6 PK winners); 59 minutes in 4-2 loss at FC Cincinnati in Leagues Cup (Aug. 5)
-- Josh Sargent (Norwich City; Championship) - 90 minutes in 2-0 loss at Oxford United (Aug. 10)
-- Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach; Bundesliga) - No games
-- Gaga Slonina (Barnsley; English League One) - Not in 18, DNP in 3-1 loss vs. Mansfield Town (Aug. 9)
-- Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids; MLS) - 90 minutes in 3-2 win vs. Juarez in Leagues Cup (Aug. 9); 90 minutes in 1-1 draw vs. Leon (4-3 PK winners) in Leagues Cup (Aug. 5)
-- Tanner Tessmann (Venezia; Italy Serie A) – Not in 18, DNP in 3-1 loss at Brescia in Coppa Italia (Aug. 11)
-- Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven; Dutch Eredivisie) - 90 minutes, GOAL, in 5-1 win vs. RKC Waalwijk (Aug. 10)
-- Timmy Tillman (Los Angeles FC; MLS) - Not in 18, DNP in 2-0 win vs. Austin FC in Leagues Cup (Aug. 7)
-- John Tolkin (New York Red Bulls; MLS) - No games
-- Auston Trusty (Sheffield United; English Premier League) - In 18, DNP in 2-0 win at Preston North End (Aug. 9)
-- Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest; English Premier League) - No games
-- Brandon Vazquez (Monterrey; Liga MX) – No games
-- Tim Weah (Juventus; Italy Serie A) - No games
-- Caleb Wiley (Chelsea; English Premier League) - No games
-- Haji Wright (Coventry City; Championship) - 28 minutes as a substitute in 1-0 loss at Stoke City (Aug. 10)
-- DeAndre Yedlin (FC Cincinnati; MLS) - 87 minutes in 1-1 draw vs. Santos Laguna (6-5 PK winners) in Leagues Cup (Aug. 9); Not in 18, DNP in 4-2 win vs. New York City FC in Leagues Cup (Aug. 5)
-- Alejandro Zendejas (Club America; Liga MX) - Not in 18, DNP in 2-1 win vs. Atlas in Leagues Cup in San Diego (Aug. 9)
-- Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; MLS) - Not in 18, DNP in 1-1 draw at New England Revolution (5-4 loss in PKs) in Leagues Cup (Aug. 6)