Yanks Abroad 2015-16: Jürgen's Lament

[Titans Bastard]

Hey kid, no pressure or anything!

This kid is a big talent, and today I have every expectation that he'll take his seat on the bench with the utmost poise and professionalism.

But seriously, he's the only defender on the bench so there's a good chance he plays if someone gets hurt or sent off. Otherwise, I'd be surprised if he gets on the field.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Ethan Horvath is starting for Molde against Sevilla in the Europa League. Christian Pulisic is on the bench for Dortmund. Cameron Carter-Vickers traveled with Tottenham's squad, but didn't get in the 18.


Missed this a few weeks ago, but Alejandro Bedoya signed an extension with Nantes through the 2018-19 season.

 

[Titans Bastard]

TB, Howard was hurt; has he now officially lost his job?

Getting more and more official...

http://www.espnfc.com/soccer-transfers/story/2816370/tim-howard-set-to-join-colorado-rapids-from-everton

U.S. international goalkeeper Tim Howard is on the verge of completing a move to the Colorado Rapids from Everton, multiple sources with knowledge of the negotiations have told ESPN FC.

...

One reason why the talks have dragged on is that, after initially saying that Howard could leave on a free transfer, Everton proceeded to ask for a fee. Multiple sources stated that the two sides agreed on a fee between $600,000 and $750,000.

...

Reports last week also indicated that Howard was asking for a four-year deal that would pay him $5 million per year. But multiple sources have confirmed to ESPN FC that Howard's annual salary will be around $2m.

I don't understand why Colorado is doing this, but anyway. It seems like Howard's long career in England is at an end.

 

[Titans Bastard]

- Bobby Wood scored in his third straight game for Union Berlin, giving him 10 on the season. He's 3rd on the 2.Bundesliga scoring list and tied for 2nd if you take away PKs.

- Cody Cropper made his league debut for MK Dons because usual GK David Martin has been injured.

- Lynden Gooch has extended his loan from Sunderland to Doncaster for the rest of the season

- Winger Nermin Crnkić has signed with Slovan Bratislava of Slovakia after leaving Jablonec of the Czech Republic.

- Midfielder Gabriel Farfan left Chiapas of Mexico to go on loan with NY Cosmos in the NASL. Word is that Chiapas aren't paying their players, so he had to get out however he could.

 

[The Price Is Wrong]

I don't understand why Colorado is doing this, but anyway. It seems like Howard's long career in England is at an end.

Third-most successful American soccer career in Europe, after Reyna and Dempsey?

 

[SoxFanInCali]

Third-most successful American soccer career in Europe, after Reyna and Dempsey?

Brad Friedel and Kasey Keller are in there somewhere, and I will always have a soft spot for Brian McBride.

Remember, McBride captained Fulham while they were in the Premier League, and he is so beloved there that they named a pub in Craven Cottage after him.

 

[Schnerres]

Career means longevity to me and Dempsey´s time in Europe was short (basically half his career, I would say), so I wouldn´t call him the most successful US player ever in Europe. It also depends how you define success - on a personal level or also success with your team.
Steven Cherundolo? Tom Dooley (3 titles in Germany)? Next one should be Fabian Johnson, but he is basically german ;-)

 

[The Price Is Wrong]

I have a soft spot for Brian McBride too, but his Fulham career started at age 31 and was over at age 35. Tim Howard first went to Man U at age 24 in 2003, spent 3 years at OT, and then the last full decade as Everton's starter; he turns 37 on Sunday. Friedel is a definite comp though, that's a good call.

Dempsey I give high credit to because (A) his prime years were in a top European division, and (B) he's an outfield player. For many years there was a perception that America could only produce goalies, and Dempsey fought that perception way harder than most of his predecessors did other than Reyna (certainly including Donovan).

Not sure how I left out Cherundolo, who was captain at Hannover and spent his entire career there. You'd definitely have to put Howard behind him. Dooley was before my time (and also basically German), but maybe.

 

[Senator Donut]

- Leeds United goalkeeper Charlie Horton has terminated his contract at the club to return home to attend a personal family matter. He had started the year as the #3, but moved up to #2 after an injury to the backup. He'll probably try to hook on with an American club.

Horton signed with the New England today then was immediately traded to DC for general allocation money. Good bit of business for the Revs and DC gets some goalkeeping depth with Hamid's injury.

 

[Titans Bastard]

- Bobby Wood scored in his third straight game for Union Berlin, giving him 10 on the season. He's 3rd on the 2.Bundesliga scoring list and tied for 2nd if you take away PKs.

Two more goals yesterday. He's cruising right now.

Perry Kitchen is, from all accounts, about to be officially announced as a Hearts player. That has to be a real disappointment for him, as he had hopes (and apparently offers that fell through) from clubs in bigger leagues.

Defender Hunter Gorskie has moved from the NY Cosmos to Miedź Legnica of the Polish second tier.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Perry Kitchen was announced as a Hearts player today after signing a 2.5 year deal. He turned down a $500k offer from DC United, which is almost certainly more than he's making in Scotland. I'm sure he's hoping to use the SPL as a springboard to bigger things in Europe, even though the SPL is a weaker league than MLS. He's certainly bucking the trend of American players taking bigger US offers over Euro options. I hope he does well and moves up in the world.

Chris Konopka is also heading to Scotland, having signed a short-term deal with Ross County. Konopka is a grizzled journeyman who was drafted by KC in 2007 and quickly washed out, spent a few years in the League of Ireland, then earned a string of MLS backup jobs. In 2015, he ended up starting 22 games for Toronto after Joe Bendik fell out of favor, but he was never seen as a long-term solution.

Konopka has a Polish passport, while Kitchen got his work permit on a special talent exemption. I guess it's a lower bar to clear in Scotland than in England, I wouldn't have thought he'd get one if a Championship club tried to sign him.

Former striker prospect Omar Salgado has gone on loan from Tigres UANL in Mexico to Jaguares de Córdoba in the Colombian league. It's amazing that he's still only 22, but his career has gone way off track since being the top pick in the 2011 draft.

18 year old attacking midfielder Joshua Perez has gotten off to a strong start with Fiorentina, registering four goals and two assists in his first seven games with their Primavera squad. Perez had been training with them for a long time, but only just recently turned 18 which allowed him to finalize his move and play in official youth games. I don't think he's considered quite as good a prospect as his U17 teammate Pulisic because he doesn't have the same explosive quickness, but he has talent.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Two bits of good news about young players:

- Rubio Rubin has returned to action following his foot surgery, with a goal and an assist for Utrecht reserves.

- Former US U17 and NYRB academy right back Matthew Olosunde has signed with Manchester United. This doesn't come as a shock, since Olosunde had been connected with Man U for a while now thanks to earlier training stints.



EDIT: Still curious how Olosunde got his work permit.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Massive win for John Brooks and Hertha Berlin today in a six-pointer against Schalke to maintain their position in 3rd place. Champions League group stage next year is still looking like a possibility.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Bobby Wood scored again this weekend, for his fifth game in a row. Just a PK this time, but he's up to 13 goals in 24 games.

20 year old defensive midfielder Russell Canouse made his professional debut for Hoffenheim yesterday, helping to close out a big 1-0 win over Wolfsburg.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Another guy from the last U17 cycle goes pro with a big club:


Gaines played for the US in qualifying, but didn't make the WC team. No big deal - hard to read too much into U17 machinations, particularly when it was a part of a less-than-the-sum-of-its-parts effort under Richie Williams.

 

[Titans Bastard]

- Bobby Wood scored in his third straight game for Union Berlin, giving him 10 on the season. He's 3rd on the 2.Bundesliga scoring list and tied for 2nd if you take away PKs.

Two more goals yesterday. He's cruising right now.

Bobby Wood scored again this weekend, for his fifth game in a row. Just a PK this time, but he's up to 13 goals in 24 games.

Make it six games in a row. He scored the opener of Union Berlin's 3-1 win over Eintracht Braunschweig today, tying the record of goals scored by an American in the 2.Bundesliga at 14 (Conor Casey, Karlsruhe, 2003-04).

 

[candylandriots]

Make it six games in a row. He scored the opener of Union Berlin's 3-1 win over Eintracht Braunschweig today, tying the record of goals scored by an American in the 2.Bundesliga at 14 (Conor Casey, Karlsruhe, 2003-04).

Union is on a roll as well. They were 14th or 15th last month and now up to 7th , though still too far from a shot at promotion. I'm guessing Wood gets sold to a bigger club.

 

[Titans Bastard]

He's a goalkeeper and Christian's cousin.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Out-for-the-season injury news:

- Attacking midfielder Lynden Gooch's loan at Doncaster has ended prematurely due to injury. He had been attempting to play through an ankle injury, but eventually Sunderland decided to shut it down. His stint in League One ended with 10 appearances (7 starts)

- Cameron Carter-Vickers has been shut down with a persistent back issue. It sounds like he's done for the season. There hasn't been much word on what exactly the back issue is, that I've seen at least.

- Aron Johannsson's hip problems have continued and he's no longer expected to return until at least the summer. Persistent hip injuries are very worrying.

Obscure Scandinavia news:

- Ryan Finley signed with Ängelholms FF in the Swedish second tier after unsuccessful stints in Columbus and at Chivas USA, and a more successful stint at Charlotte Independence in the USL.

- Paul Torres signed with IK Sirius in the same league. He's bounced from the Swedish 3rd tier to the 2nd tier to Norway's 2nd tier and back to Sweden's 2nd. He's 24 so if he sticks at it he could have a pretty epic journeyman's resume by the end.


A German-American who people might be talking about a few years down the line:


Tillman joined Bayern this year from Greuther Fürth and supposedly has done well. He's a long way away, may or may not turn out to be good, and may or may not be interested in playing for the US. Just a name to file away for now.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Miazga is in the lineup for Chelsea this morning!

 

[cromulence]

He's looked good so far, never mind that it's Villa.

 

[Jed Zeppelin]

He's looked good so far, never mind that it's Villa.

I'm sure it doesn't hurt stepping off a US team and onto a team that has ideas on attacking and more specifically midfielders who can hold the ball.

He did look pretty comfortable. Distribution was pretty much flawless, on-ball defending fine. Looks decent in the air but I actually think he needs to get stronger there--this might just be residual complaints from what I saw in the Colombia games. May come down to simply learning how to use his size better. Chelsea also had some tense moments in the box in which it looked like Miazga was stuck in no man's land a bit. So far so good though.

 

[Infield Infidel]

Miazga is in the lineup for Chelsea this morning!

As long as Chelsea is midtable he should get as much run as possible against subpar sides

 

[Titans Bastard]

Pulisic provided a real spark for Dortmund in the last 10 minutes of their game today. He won the corner that led to BVB's winning goal and did a good job of creating danger in general.

Yedlin started and Sunderland kept a clean sheet, which seems like a good sign.

Chandler has been back in the lineup for Frankfurt the last few games. The new manager let him out of the doghouse.

 

[candylandriots]

I'm going to beat TB to something in this thread . Bobby Wood just notched his 15th and 16th goals of the seasons for my boys Union Berlin. This breaks Conor Casey's record of 14 goals scored by an American in the 2. Bundesliga.

 

[The Price Is Wrong]

And Matt Miazga may actually be kept around at Chelsea. He says he's learning a lot from John Terry, which hopefully doesn't include stealing teammates' spouses.

 

[coremiller]

And Matt Miazga may actually be kept around at Chelsea. He says he's learning a lot from John Terry, which hopefully doesn't include stealing teammates' spouses.

Maybe he can pick up some tips from Terry on how to get your manager fired so we can get rid of Klinsmann.

 

[soxfan121]

Maybe he can pick up some tips from Terry on how to get your manager fired so we can get rid of Klinsmann.

Wouldn't he be much more likely to learn how to racially abuse opponents?

That probably wouldn't go over very well in most CONCACAF away games. Well, maybe when the Mexican fans throw bags of piss at him.

 

[Infield Infidel]

He'd learn tips to pick up his teammate's WAG

 

[SoxFanInCali]

He can also learn that it's OK to show up in full kit for trophy celebrations even when you weren't in the squad for the game.

 

[cromulence]

Miazga starting again, but unfortunately the game isn't on TV.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Miazga starting again, but unfortunately the game isn't on TV.

If you have a cable subscription, you should be able to watch it via NBC Sports Live Extra

 

[The Price Is Wrong]

Miazga headed away a cross directly to a player at the penalty spot, who put in Swansea's only goal. He also was in the process of getting beat down the sideline (where was the FB?) and grabbed and got a yellow. He was subbed off at halftime in favor of Kenedy.

This isn't good for his narrative - absent one of those, it wouldn't merit attention relative to other themes, but he may get buried now.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Yep, tough day at the office for Miazga. He can't afford many of those if he wants to stick around at Chelsea.

Emerson Hyndman scored his first pro goal today, a last-minute winner against Cardiff. Though they flirted with relegation, Fulham are pretty much safe at this point.


I guess Fulham still wants to keep him around? He's out of contract this summer and thus far has refused to re-sign.



Timothy Chandler continues to start for Eintracht Frankfurt under their new manager, but they lost a relegation six-pointer against Hoffenheim today, going down 2-0 at home. With five to play, Frankfurt are in an automatic relegation spot, but it's tight.

 

[Jed Zeppelin]

Miazga headed away a cross directly to a player at the penalty spot, who put in Swansea's only goal. He also was in the process of getting beat down the sideline (where was the FB?) and grabbed and got a yellow. He was subbed off at halftime in favor of Kenedy.

This isn't good for his narrative - absent one of those, it wouldn't merit attention relative to other themes, but he may get buried now.

I hope he's just out of form because he's been terrible in 3 of the 4 games he has played recently. And the 1 was against Villa.

His poor play in the air is particularly concerning and has been on display for all 4.

 

[The Price Is Wrong]

I actually thought he had a decent half aside from those two incidents - intercepted a few through balls, looked like he knew his role on set pieces, could keep up with the speed of the wingers he had to mark, had reliable plays into the midfield, etc. You could argue the header that became a goal was real bad luck - 3 defenders near the ball he headed, one swansea player who happened to get a half-volley right where he heads it. The yellow card looked only about half necessary. I don't think he was a disaster out there by any means, but there were two bad moments where he was indisputably at the center of them.

I was rooting for Chelsea to lose and Miazga to have a good game, and I got half of what I wanted. MM will have more chances, but frankly even a loan spell would be good for his growth.

 

[Jed Zeppelin]

There's a reason defenders are trained to head crosses up, out, and away from the goal. It's never bad luck to give up a goal when you head it down to the top of the 18 in the middle of the field.

I'm not trying to bury him by any means, just frustrated. Yanked at half is a bad look and I was really hoping he would go longer before making the critical error in a match for Chelsea, though his teammates certainly didn't cover themselves in glory on the play.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Pulisic is starting in Dortmund's Ruhr derby match at Schalke. Big stage for the kid.

 

[cromulence]

Pulisic is starting in Dortmund's Ruhr derby match at Schalke. Big stage for the kid.

And it's on FS1.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Pulisic subbed off at 72', right after he nearly picked up an assist (but Kagawa couldn't finish). Good performance from him. He created a good bit of danger, though he wasn't quite as engaged in the attack in the second half. He really doesn't look out of place at all with Dortmund.

 

[Titans Bastard]

At long last, Wright to Schalke is official:



Wright was tossed around as one of the best prospects from our last U17 team, but by the end of the cycle it was clear that Pulisic was a better player. I am not sold on Wright, who has size, athleticism, and technique, but poor decision making. Hopefully Schalke can sort him out, but making big strides in the quality of one's on-field decision making and speed of thought is a lot easier said than done.

He also runs the risk of winding up as a Kenny Cooper-esque big man who has the instincts of a winger.

Still, another iron in the fire. I am probably a little over-critical of him compared to other youth players moving overseas because he has been hyped in US youth circles in the past.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Still, another iron in the fire. I am probably a little over-critical of him compared to other youth players moving overseas because he has been hyped in US youth circles in the past.

Of course, he scored two goals in his debut for the U19s today. You're welcome, America.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Still in the first half, Bobby Wood has scored for Union Berlin AGAIN. It's his 17th of the season and he's scored in eight consecutive 2.Bundesliga appearances.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Pulisic is starting again for Dortmund vs. Mainz. It looks like Tuchel is resting a few players ahead of the midweek DFB Pokal semifinal. No Auba, Mkhitaryan, Reus. He's sharing the right flank with his U19 prospect buddy Felix Passlack, who is starting at right back.

It's on FS1

 

[Jed Zeppelin]

It makes me a little uncomfortable to see an American who is so comfortable and fast on the ball. Certainly not afraid to draw a foul.

 

[Jed Zeppelin]

It won't make any highlight reels but he just chased down a ball in a slightly awkward position in the defensive half, and with an opponent bearing down on him he turned it back upfield in one move and nearly single-handedly started a counter (he eventually drew a throw-in). Hell of an impressive play.

 

[Jed Zeppelin]

And he just scored a brilliant goal.

 

[cromulence]

PULISIC!!!

 

[Titans Bastard]

Goal!!!

Nice movement off the short corner. It may have been a set, pre-planned play.

 

[Jeff Van GULLY]

Can't wait to see this kid in the Copa