Brenden Aaronson, Sergino Dest, and Tyler Adams were the top performers in an otherwise tough weekend for Yanks in Europe that was heavy in bad games, injuries, and ugly results. Brian Sciaretta tells you all you need to know
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
October 27, 2025
6:00 PM
THE WEEKEND FOR AMERICANS abroad certainly had some highpoints, but overall it wasn’t a great period of days when compared with the start of the season. Too many players are struggling and not raising their games in a lead-up to the World Cup.
Over the past weekend, many of the players who have been struggling continued to struggle. Josh Sargent had an assist but remained cold, Yunus Musah can’t see the field. Damion Downs remains glued to the bench. Joe Scally and Gio Reyna are aligned with a Borussia Monchengladbach team that could be headed for relegation. Ricardo Pepi is behind others at PSV.
But even the usual top performers over the past year were quiet. Folarin Balogun didn’t produce despite Monaco’s win over Mark McKenzie and Toulouse. Haji Wright was decent in Coventry’s latest comfortable win (although it is good for the club Wright was not needed).
Then you have Weston McKennie who will now have to impress another manager as the 1-0 loss to Lazio saw Igor Tudor dismissed.
On top of that, there are injuries. The biggest concern is that Tim Weah might join the list after leaving Marseille’s game early in the second half. The current list of injured USMNT players is long. Christian Pulisic, Johnny Cardoso, Antonee Robinson, Jack McGlynn (with Houston in MLS) and now joined by James Sands and Cameron Carter-Vickers.
There were some standouts, but not many over the past few days.
But here are the headlines from abroad.
Aaronson stands out for Leeds
Brenden Aaronson had his best performance of the year on Friday as he went 87 minutes for Leeds United in a 2-1 win over West Ham United. The win helped Leeds to move six points clear of the relegation zone while West Ham remains second to last with just four points from nine games.
But Aaronson opened the scoring in this game with his first goal of the season.
Brenden Aaronson, right place, right time to put Leeds up on West Ham pic.twitter.com/NZA7blxUoF
— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) October 24, 2025
But in addition to that, Aaronson also had impressive stats across the board.
3/3 in dribbles
3 tackles
8/10 ground duels
2 drawn fouls
4 recoveries
2 interceptions
2/4 accurate crosses
At a time when not enough American players are raising their games, Aaronson is bucking that trend. He’s been in good form lately.
???? With 62% of the vote, Brenden Aaronson was your @HisenseUK Player of the Match against West Ham last night pic.twitter.com/jZV98wgerU
— Leeds United (@LUFC) October 25, 2025
PSV’s big win
PSV moved even on points atop the Eredivisie table with a 3-2 away win over then leaders Feyenoord.
The takeaways from this game involving the American players is that Sergino Dest was very good and is a dominate right back in the Eredivisie. It wasn’t just getting forward. Dest won an impressive number of duels and had eight clearances and five tackles.
Ricardo Pepi needs to be patient. He is only earning limited minutes and the starting forward, Guus Til, is playing well. But Pepi is playing well in the minutes he is earning and should still be back with the national team soon.
Adams, Bournemouth into second
Tyler Adams and Bournemouth are into second place of the Premier League following a 2-0 win over a Nottingham Forest squad that now sits third from the bottom.
Adams even earned an assist on the team’s second goal in the 40th minute where he won a ball and shielded off a defender as the ball then fell to Junior Kroupi who then made an impressive individual play to score.
Junior Kroupi has scored 27 goals since the start of last season ????
More than any other player aged under 20 in Europe ????????? pic.twitter.com/thqwriYTiX
— AFC Bournemouth ???? (@afcbournemouth) October 27, 2025
Adams isn’t very dynamic with the ball in possession, but he is elite at winning loose balls, duels, stripping possession from opposing players, and engaging in the physical side of the game.
He is having a great season and is a lock starter for a team that is pushing way towards the top in the best league in the world.
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola was full of praise for Adams recently when appearing on the 2 Robbies program with Robbie Earle and Robbie Mustoe.
“Tyler is a competitor,” Iraola said. “He’s a great leader. You have to challenge Tyler. Even in training, he’s going to complain if any decision doesn’t go to his side. But I love these kinds of characters. They want even more. He’s all the time focused. He’s a captain, you can see. He’s been a leadership position in all the team he’s played for.”
Weah assists, leaves injured
Marseille fell from first to third place after a 2-1 loss away to now second place Lens. The positive news is that Tim Weah assisted Mason Greenwood on the lone Marseille goal. The bad news is that he left the game in the 52nd minute with an apparent leg injury. No update has been made as of Monday, but it is very important to the USMNT and Marseille.
Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi said after the game that the injury might be minor but "it would be a very bad news for us if he really hurt himself."
5 goals in the last 2 Ligue 1 matches for Greenwood ???????????????????????????? pic.twitter.com/5b7nurhjmC
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) October 27, 2025
Weah has had a very good start to the season in a number of different roles.
Pukstas thrives in physical game
Heading to Croatia, Rokas Pukstas put up eye-open statistics for Hajduk Split in a 3-1 win over HNK Gorica. The 2023 U.S. U-20 midfielder went 90 minutes in the win where he won 9/18 ground duels and 11/14 of his aerials for a total of 32 duel attempts. He also drew four fouls, committed four fouls, and made four tackles.
Pukstas, 21, was the game winner for most duels won (20) and most duels lost (12). That is an impressive skillset to have as he looks to build up his value again for a potential sale.
Meanwhile, Hajduk Split is back atop the HNL table, at least until Dinamo Zagreb plays on Monday.
Castaneda & Paderborn win again
In the 2.Bundesliga, Paderborn won its sixth straight game in a 2-1 away victory over Dynamo Dresden and now sits second in table and just a point behind leaders Schalke.
Young American defensive midfielder Santiago Castaneda, 20, went the full 90 in the win and the Tampa native looks as if he will be in a strong promotional race in the coming months.
Sechster Sieg in Folge: Paderborn gewinnt auch in Dresden - Trotz guter Leistung der SGD #SCP #SCP07 #SCPaderborn https://t.co/CGZH1MCWOR
— kicker ? SC Paderborn 07 (@kicker_SCP) October 25, 2025
There has been some rumors of interest from Bundesliga clubs in Castaneda but he should think hard about giving up a starting role on a Paderborn team before this season is over. He is a lock starter and is getting a great experience.
As for the national team, he could emerge as one next cycle given that he is headed for a second straight 2000+ minute season in Germany’s second tier. That should prepare him well for the Bundesliga.
Banks struggles in loss
After playing well in his first two starts of the season for Augsburg, young American central defender Noahkai Banks struggled on Saturday in a 6-0 loss to RB Leipzig. He was involved in Leipzig’s first three goals.
Banks, 18, was not pulled and played all 90 minutes despite a tough showing.
Bad games will happen, and it should be expected for an 18-year-old defender. But the question will be how does Banks respond? Will Augsburg give him another start to let him shake it off?
Really tough game for Noahkai Banks today, but maybe a learning lesson as well.
Bad games happen, it will be interesting to see how he responds https://t.co/9thduCTW3a
— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) October 25, 2025
That comes down to how much Augsburg believes that he will. The club is drifting close to the relegation line in 15th place and there is only so much room for experimentation. But if the club believes in his upside, it might be valuable for them to let him work through his game now so that he is ready for important games later in the season in a relegation fight.
For now, it remains too early to say when Banks can be expected to play in important games for the U.S. national team. He looks promising and the signs are that he will get there. But having him skip stages in his development because of a looming World Cup might not be what is in his best interest.
McKennie to get a new manager
Weston McKennie played 78 unspectacular minutes for Juventus on Sunday in a 1-0 loss to Lazio. It was the ninth straight game without a win for Juve in all competitions. With the result, they fell to eighth place in Serie A.
On Monday, head coach Igor Tudor was fired.
Igor Tudor non è più l'allenatore della Juventus
I dettagli: https://t.co/ADGQZ155I1 pic.twitter.com/69mQ5Sp9F8
— JuventusFC (@juventusfc) October 27, 2025
McKennie will now have impress another manager and try to fit into another set of plans. He has had some great moments for Juve, but it has all come during a tough spell for the club and the constant managerial changes has forced him to constantly change roles.
McKennie had been doing well under Tudor and was in the best physical condition he has been in a few years. Hopefully that continues and the next manager has use for McKennie.
Yanks in England
Coventry smashed Watford 3-1 to remain atop the table. Coventry is on another level right now with a +25 goal differential compared with a +8 from the next highest team (Middlesbrough). Haji Wright stated in this game and did not register a goal contribution. Overall he was quiet in his 63 minutes He’s the best offensive player but it is positive for the club to win without Wright contributing much. There is less pressure on him.
Ending the week dominating the race for the @SkyBetChamp Golden Boot. ???? pic.twitter.com/Ebjsnv8sIt
— Coventry City (@Coventry_City) October 26, 2025
On the Watford side, Caleb Wiley was not part of the matchday squad and it not listed with an injury. He has had a tough start to the season and really needs to find a way to get back into the plans.
Charlton Athletic fell to sixth place with a 1-1 draw away to Hull City. Charlie Kelman played the final 20 minutes off the bench for Charlton and is really needing a goal as we head into November.
West Brom lost for the second straight week (and third out of four games) following a 1-0 defeat away to Ipswich. George Campbell went 88 minutes in defense before he was replaced by fellow American Daryl Dike at the end with the team looking for a goal. Campbell won 10/13 of his ground duels and played well despite the loss. Given that Pochettino worked with him in January, a U.S. call-up would not be shocking, just moderately surprising.
As for Dike, it’s just good to see him playing.
Derby defeated Queens Park Rangers 1-0 on Saturday. Patrick Agyemang started and played 72 minutes in the win but was quiet. Prior to this game, the former Charlotte FC forward was in good form. But the team’s win should keep him in the starting lineup.
Damion Downs did not get off the bench for Southampton in a 2-1 loss to Blackburn. His summer move from Koln to Southampton has been terrible as he is not playing – while at the same time giving up a job with a club promoted to the Bundesliga. The good news for him is that there is pressure from fans to fire head coach Will Still. If that happens, perhaps the next coach will rate Downs differently.
???? pic.twitter.com/wEfbfvtubw
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) October 25, 2025
Josh Sargent picked up an assist, but Norwich lost its fifth in a row in a 2-1 loss to Swansea. Sargent has had a brutal two months for both club and country.
Ethan Horvath returned from suspension only to ride the bench for last place Sheffield Wednesday in a 2-1 loss to Oxford United. Already in last place, Sheffield Wednesday were docked 12 points from entering the administration and are now at -6 points.
Yanks in Italy
Christian Pulisic was missed as Milan fell to third place with a 2-2 draw against Pisa. Pulisic will be out through the November window due to his injury with the U.S. team this month.
Yunus Musah was an unused substitute for Atalanta in a 1-1 draw with Cremonese. It’s been a tough run for Musah and my suspicion is that this deal was off to a bad start the minute it went from a reported full transfer to a loan with an option to buy. Atalanta is not fully invested in Musah. This is bad for Musah as he needs a club that will allow him to address his weaknesses. He is still to close to the same player he was when he was 18. But he will turn 23 next month.
Benja Cremaschi’s Serie A debut is still pending as he went unused for Parma in a 0-0 draw with Como.
In Serie B, Jonathan Klinsmann made two saves for Cesena in a 1-0 away win over Sudtirol to move into third place.
???? ???????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????? ???????????????????????? “???????????????????????? ????????????????????????”
???? Allo Stadio Olimpico di Roma l'estremo difensore del Cavalluccio è stato insignito del titolo di miglior portiere della Serie BKT 2024/25 pic.twitter.com/dZx8rkEi0d
— Cesena FC (@calciocesenafc) October 20, 2025
Gianluca Busio went 90 minutes for Venezia in a 3-2 loss Carrarese to fall to eighth place in the second tier. Aiming for promotion in the preseason, Venezia is in the playoff picture but has been uneven recently.
Second place Monza defeated ninth place Reggiana 3-1 but Reggiana’s lone goal was scored by American Andrija Novakovich for his first of the season.
Yanks in France
Tanner Tessmann went 89 minutes for Lyon in a 2-1 win over Strasbourg. The former FC Dallas midfielder was subbed out by the time of Lyon’s late winner. Overall, the Alabama native was steady during his time on the field.
Monaco defeated Toulouse 1-0 on Tuesday as both teams started American players. Folarin Balogun was well-contained by the Toulouse defense while Mark McKenzie was not very noticeable for Toulouse (which is not a bad thing for a defender). Toulouse needed a big performance from their goalkeeper Guillaume Restes to keep it close.
Monaco moved to sixth place with the win while Toulouse fell to ninth.
Yanks in Germany
Joe Scally played the final 15 minutes for Borussia Monchengladbach and Gio Reyna played the final six minutes in a 3-0 loss to Bayern Munich. Monchengladbach looked every bit like the last place team they are. Bayern outshot the hosts 27-1 and completed 846 passes compared with 117 for M’Gladbach. There wasn’t much to be said for either Reyna or Scally.
Malik Tillman is still injured for Bayer Leverkusen but was not missed in a 2-0 win over Freiburg. The sixth-place team has now won four in a row.
Koln lost for the third time in five games after a 1-0 defeat to Borrusia Dortmund. Kristoffer Lund went 90 minutes for Koln in a relatively quiet game. Cole Campbell has not made the matchday squad for Dortmund since returning from the U-20 World Cup.
Aufopferungsvoll gekämpft – in Unterzahl bis in die Nachspielzeit. Dieses Last-Minute-Gegentor wirft uns nicht um!
Das Allerwichtigste an dieser Stelle: Gute Besserung, lieber Hübi! Wir drücken fest die Daumen, dass es nicht so schlimm ist, wie es aussah. ??#effzeh #BVBKOE pic.twitter.com/ZyfE3DpYtW
— 1. FC Köln (@fckoeln) October 25, 2025
James Sands is injured after an apparent knock to the head the week before. He did not feature for St. Pauli in its fifth straight defeat, this time 2-1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt.
In the 2.Bundesliga, Holstein Kiel played to its third straight draw in a disappointing 1-1 result at home against 17th place Bochum. Jonathan Tolkin played 65 decent minutes for Holstein Kiel in what has been a tough season for the 10th place club and a difficult stage for Tolkin to showcase himself.
Arminia Bielefeld snapped a four game losing streak in a surprising 2-0 win over second place Elversburg. Team captain Mael Corboz was very good in central midfield over 90 minutes while Isaiah Young played the last 24 minutes.
Johan Gomez played the last 31 minutes for Eintracht Braunschweig in a 3-0 loss at home to Hannover.
Greuther Furth have had a nightmare downturn in their season, and this continued in a 4-1 loss at home to Karlsruher Max Dietz went 83 minutes in midfield while Julian Green played the last 20 minutes. Greuther Furth have conceded 10 goals in their last two games.