A Glasgow reunion, learning from Premier League heroes and dramatic Lyon debuts all play a part in this week’s USMNT Player Tracker.
Over the course of the season, we will be bringing you updates on the USMNT players plying their trade in various leagues around Europe. With a World Cup on home soil on the horizon, we’re keeping tabs on how they perform every weekend.
Issue of the weekend
It was an intriguing summer transfer window in various key areas for USMNT players across Europe.
Auston Trusty’s switch from Sheffield United to Celtic means the Scottish defending champions can now field two U.S. internationals in central defence. Trusty will link-up with Cameron Carter-Vickers and have the potential to form a club partnership that may boost both players’ chances of more regular appearances for their country.
Carter-Vickers was a regular for Brendan Rodgers’ side last season and formed part of the USMNT roster at Copa America, even if he only appeared for 45 minutes in the defeat by Panama.
Carter-Vickers holds off Rangers’ Cyriel Dessers (Ross MacDonald/SNS Group via Getty Images)
But Celtic’s swoop for his compatriot will give both a shot at playing together in the Champions League, and getting the type of top-level experience that might push them forward in the thinking of incoming USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino.
It can only be a positive for the Argentine as he starts to formulate his vision for the team’s future ahead of the World Cup.
It is a plus, too, for 26-year-old Trusty who sounded thrilled as the five-year-deal was announced on transfer deadline day. “I feel ecstatic — it’s just such an historic and amazing club, and it’s a club I’ve known about since I was a little kid,” said the defender, who was an unused substitute as Celtic thrashed Rangers 3-0 on Sunday.
“Growing up in Philadelphia, football wasn’t such a popular sport but I knew Celtic, I knew who Celtic were. It’s a dream come true to join this club and such a massive organisation.
“The manager told me to be the best that I can be, that’s off the pitch, as a team-mate and everything on the pitch. He said that he believes in me and believes in everything I can do, it’s up to me and he’ll provide me with the environment where I can thrive.
Trusty warms up ahead of the Old Firm (Ross MacDonald/SNS Group via Getty Images)
“I’m looking forward to meeting all the guys as well. From what I’ve heard it’s a great environment around the club, too, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Trusty, who last featured for the national team in the final of the CONCACAF Nations League Finals last year, was also included in interim USMNT coach Mikey Varas’ squad for the friendlies against Canada and New Zealand this month.
GO DEEPER
Derby Days, Glasgow: The Old Firm
Player of the weekend
Aidan Morris has hit the ground running in England, transferring the form that saw him win a Major League Soccer Cup with Columbus Crew last season into his new environment.
The 22-year-old signed for Middlesbrough in June, meaning he plays under former England and Manchester United star Michael Carrick, now the highly-rated coach of the Teesside club.
Morris, himself a promising central midfielder, has not looked back so far, starting all four of his new team’s EFL Championship games to date and excelling in their 2-0 win at Cardiff City on Saturday.
Morris celebrates his side’s second goal (Jacob King/PA Images via Getty Images)
A boyhood Manchester United fan himself, Morris has admitted he admired his new boss and, in turn, Carrick certainly values the Floridian’s all-action style. Speaking last month, he said: “It’s why we bought him. We obviously like him a lot. We’ve watched him for a while, and we like his style and the way he plays the game. We feel that it suits us, and that the way we play suits him.
“We’ll be patient with him. It’s a change of country, a whole new way of life for him, and he’s still young for how much experience he’s got as well. We’ll help him settle in — we’re doing that now — and look after him.”
Morris, also included in Varas’ USMNT roster for this month’s friendlies against Canada and New Zealand, provided a typically combative and mature performance in Wales, making more ball recoveries (seven) than any other midfielder on show and recording an impressive 97 per cent passing accuracy in his role as part of a two-man engine room behind three more attacking players.
Quote of the weekend
“What a game! Amazing support from our fans. Never give up! Happy to make my debut and to be the first American to ever play for this club.”
Tanner Tessmann, who joined French top-flight club Lyon from Serie A side Venezia in the window, made his debut from the bench on Friday in a memorable win against Strasbourg, where his compatriot Caleb Wiley is on loan from Chelsea.
Tessmann came on in the closing stages at the Stade Velodrome as his new team came from behind to win 4-3 after earlier trailing by two goals. For his part Wiley, who also came off the bench, provided an assist with a smart pass to set-up team-mate Emanuel Emegha.
What a game! Amazing support from our fans. Never give up! 💪
Happy to make my debut and to be the first American to ever play for this club 🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/qk2G4xAqmr
— Tanner Tessmann (@frantanjam5) August 31, 2024
How did other U.S. players get on?
Name: Antonee Robinson
Club: Fulham
Position: Left-back
Retaining Robinson, who has been monitored by a clutch of big clubs, must count as a summer success for Fulham boss Marco Silva, and the defender underlined his worth with the assist for Adama Traore’s goal as the west London club drew 1-1 with Ipswich in the Premier League on Saturday. The Fulham defender is resting up after undergoing two minor surgeries over the summer and will not be available for the USMNT this month.
Name: Malik Tillman
Club: PSV
Position: Midfielder
Another win and another eye-catching display from Tillman as PSV’s title defence continues serenely. This time he provided an assist as Peter Bosz’s team ran out 3-0 winners against Go Ahead Eagles and made it 12 points from four games.
Tillman celebrates with Joey Veerman (Broer van den Boom/BSR Agency/Getty Images)
Name: Mark McKenzie
Club: Toulouse
Position: Defender
The 25-year-old, who is playing on the left side of a back three, started his second consecutive game for the Ligue 1 club on Saturday as they lost 3-1 at home to Marseille. He signed from Belgian side Genk last month.
Name: Johnny Cardoso
Club: Real Betis
Position: Midfield
It was a tough test for the midfielder as his Betis side lost 2-0 at Real Madrid thanks to a Kylian Mbappe brace. Cardoso started on the bench but was subbed on after 57 minutes and won five of his seven ground duels.
Name: Christian Pulisic
Club: AC Milan
Position: Midfield
Pulisic grabbed an assist as Milan drew 2-2 draw at Lazio in Serie A. After scoring last time out, he sent in an inch-perfect corner for team-mate Strahinja Pavlovic to score with a header.
That first goal feeling 🙌#LazioMilan #SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/YIe7ZVQlNx
— AC Milan (@acmilan) August 31, 2024
Name: Gabriel Slonina
Club: Barnsley (on loan from Chelsea)
Position: Goalkeeper
It was a first clean sheet for Slonina at his new loan club in England’s third tier, League One, as Barnsley beat Crawley Town 3-0 — and a third straight start, too. Slonina only had to make one save, such was the visitors’ dominance, but the win moved them up to seventh in the early table.
What’s coming up?
We have entered an international break but, after a fortnight’s respite, the games resume thick and fast. Lennard Maloney will hope to feature for Heidenheim as they face Gio Reyna’s Borussia Dortmund on September 13 (2:30pm, ESPN+).
Staying in Germany, Joe Scally’s Moenchengladbach face Stuttgart the following day (9:30am, ESPN +).
Later that morning Chris Richards and Crystal Palace are in action against Leicester City (10am, Peacock Premium) and, on the same channel at the same time, Robinson’s Fulham take on West Ham.
(Top photos: Getty Images)
