Welcome back to Monday Minutes, a series that chronicles the news and performance of overseas American players from the previous week. In this edition, we review the 2015-16 season. And we do it on a non-Monday, making it even more special.
With Omar Gonzalez winning the Liga MX Clausura title, the seasons of many American players abroad have concluded and now the top names gear up for the Copa América Centenario.
It was an active year for many of the better known players — and over the course of that 2015/2016 European season, we also learned some new ones. Here are the biggest developments over the season.
The Rapid Rise of Christian Pulisic
In August, Christian Pulisic was a 16-year old prospect in the Borussia Dortmund academy. His first major foray in the national spotlight was his appearance at the 2015 U-17 World Cup in Chile. He had already been with that squad for two years, and was able to tally a goal and an assist in the three games the United States played — it was a disappointing effort for the side as they crashed out of the group stage by finishing dead last, but Pulisic was definitely a shining standout.
As the year turned, the now 17-year old midfielder was called into the first team for winter training, and made his senior debut with a 90-minute performance in a friendly against Union Berlin that included a goal and an assist. A few days later on January 30th, he cracked into competitive play with an off-the-bench appearance against Ingolstadt in the Bundesliga, and did the same in the Europa League against Porto a few weeks later.
In mid-April, Pulisic scored his first goal against Hamburg:
And only a week later, he added this finish against VfB Stuttgart to make it two:
In total, Pulisic made the 18-man squad in 18 competitive fixtures, appearing 12 times, recording eight shots (three on goal), and scoring twice. He logged 433 minutes for the first team, and earned one yellow card. For the U-19s, he played significantly more — 17 appearances that equalled 1,461 minutes, eight goals, and eight assists.
His return to international play also saw Jurgen Klinsmann putting faith in the youngster by including him in a squad before the pivotal pair of Guatemala fixtures in qualifiers. He was unable to join the team on their 2–0 road loss in Central America, but he was ready for the return leg in Columbus, making his debut as a substitute in a 4–0 win.
In May, Pulisic was named to the final roster for the United States’ Copa América Centenario campaign, and played in two more friendlies prior to the tournament — the first was substitute appearance against Ecuador. He also came off the bench against Bolivia, but this time he notched his first career international goal to become the youngest to ever do so in a U.S. shirt:
Such a prolific and exciting start for the teenager has led to speculation surrounding a potential move to Liverpool, managed by Pulisic’s former coach, Jurgen Klopp. A less realistic rumor has also linked the Hershey native to Real Madrid or Manchester City, but his summer activity will certainly be of interest for many U.S. fans.
Fabian Johnson certainly had a rollercoaster of a season for both the national team and his club side Borussia Mönchengladbach. The attacking winger-turned-fullback started off 2015 on the injury list, as he was only able to play in the first of five Bundesliga matches to start the season, suffering a right calf tear in training. In that span, Gladbach dropped five games, leading to the resignation of manager Lucien Favre.
That losing streak was snapped with not only a change in management, but also the return of Johnson. Die Fohlen went on a 10-game unbeaten run, picking up 26 of a possible 30 points. Johnson played in all 10 matches, scoring two goals — the first being a clean-up finish against Augsburg on his return, and the second being this breakaway goal putting the win away against Bayern Munich:
He solidified himself as a serious attacking threat for Gladbach as he finished the season tied for third amongst the club’s leading goalscorers with six in the Bundesliga and two in the Champions League (against Juventus and Sevilla). Here is his European goal against the Andalusians.
Despite the terrible start, Gladbach was able to rally for a fourth-place finish in the Bundesliga, taking them to the qualification round of next year’s Champions League.
On the international side of things, a lot of drama surrounded Johnson following the 3–2 CONCACAF Cup loss to Mexico, as Jurgen Klinsmann sent him home early for perceivably not playing hard enough. However, that all appears to be water under the bridge as Johnson is expected to play (as a fullback) in Copa America Centenario.
In 2015/16, John Brooks has proven his quality as a strong centerback for Hertha Berlin’s fantastic campaign. For most of the season, the capital side was in contention to qualify for the Champions League. However, after coming back down to Earth in the latter stages of the season, Hertha Berlin still finished in a very respectable seventh place — enough for a third round Europa League qualifier.
That was not their only impressive push, as the team was only one win away from hosting the DFB-Pokal final, losing 3–0 to Dortmund in the semifinals.
When actually playing, these team performances and Brooks’ solidity at the back helped establish his reputation as an elite Bundesliga defender. However, he was limited in performance due to recurring injuries, missing 11 league games (not including a one-minute appearance against Schalke). With him out in those 12 games, Hertha Berlin recorded six losses, four wins, and two draws.
His status with the national team and the injuries sustained in that duty have irked Hertha Berlin management to the point of having coach Pal Dardai expressing his disappointment in Brooks’ Copa America plans:
“The situation is a bit unfortunate. It’s like last year, when John missed parts of the preseason because of the Gold Cup. I hope John returns in a top state, and then he’ll play. If his fitness is not that great, he won’t play. We’ve got a trusting relationship and talked about it already. He’s in the know.”
Brooks has been linked to Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg and Schalke last summer, and was rumored to be moving to the Premier League last January before signing an extension with Hertha until 2019. The Berlin-native certainly loves his hometown club, but if he continues to perform, speculation will continue to run rampant through the duration of that contract.
Here is his only domestic goal of the season, a game-winning header against Bayer Leverkusen:
The Other Timmy
U.S. regular Timothy Chandler had a much less exciting season than his Bundesliga compatriots. The right back suffered an early season meniscus tear that kept him out of the squad until October. He suffered another injury (hamstring) that saw him sitting out from late January to mid-March. Finally, after making it back in time for late-season push and relegation playoff win over Nurnberg, Chandler once again suffered another injury — it was the hamstring once again, this time keeping him out of Copa America Centenario. He only played in 14 games this season.
The Flyin’ Hawaiin
After an impressive summer with the national team, Jurgen Klinsmann was able to help market Bobby Wood to other opportunities in the 2. Bundesliga. In that transfer window, Wood escaped rotting on the 1860 Munich bench with a move to the cult club of Union Berlin. He never looked back.
In 31 league matches, Wood scored 17 goals and made three assists. In doing so, he set an American record for most goals in the top two German flights, and secured a highly anticipated move to Hamburg in the Bundesliga. Here is the record-breaking goal:
Things are looking up for the forward/winger, as he will look to have an impressive summer with the national team at Copa America Centenario, and continue his prolific run on the biggest German stage.
Other Notable Fußballers
Aron Jóhannsson was signed by Werder Bremen to add a much needed attacking threat up front for their Bundesliga season, but was only able to slate six games and two goals due to a nagging hip injury. Luckily for both parties, they were able to escape relegation on some last-second heroics from Papy Djilobodji. The Icelandic-American will hope to get back on track in 2016/17 after a summer of recovery. This was his only goal from the open play:
Julian Green only had one appearance for Bayern Munich’s senior team: a 62-minute start in the Champions League against Dinamo Zagreb. He spent the rest of the season with the II side in the fourth tier, scoring 10 goals in 28 appearances. He may look to make a move this summer, and has been connected to Milan in Serie A. He also made his first appearance for the United States senior team since 2014 in a friendly at Puerto Rico.
Russell Canouse made his Bundesliga debut for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in a March game against Wolfsburg. Like Green, the New York Red Bulls youth product played most of his season for the second team.
Fafà Picault went from NASL standout to national team prospect after his first season with St. Pauli in the 2. Bundesliga. Sixteen appearances and four goals earned the winger his first ever look with the national team in the aforementioned friendly at Puerto Rico as a second-half substitute. He is still eligible to switch to Haiti.
Andrew Wooten was an important piece for his SV Sandhausen team, recording 32 2. Bundesliga appearances with six goals and three assists. The German born forward was called up for his first senior national team camp, and was on the bench for the 2–1 win over Peru.
Going back to the Bundesliga, we can celebrate a story of perseverance — goalkeeper David Yelldell has been with Bayer Leverkusen since July 2011, and he made his first ever appearance with the club on the final matchday of his final season under contract, playing 43 minutes. The Stuttgart-born netminder will become a free agent this summer, and has one United States cap.
Also in the Bundesliga, Alfredo Morales quietly put together a solid season for Ingolstadt. He made 24 appearances and scored this goal:
Jerome Kiesewetter stayed in 3. Liga for VfB Stuttgart II, with 14 appearances, one goal, and three assists. He also contributed to the U-23 national side in their failed Olympic push, earning the Golden Boot (four goals, two assists) at the 2015 CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship, and even made his debut for the senior side in January.
Terrence Boyd has been out since December 2014 with a severe ACL injury. RB Leipzig gained promotion to the Bundesliga in his absence. His future with the club is unclear, but there is potential for him to be a squad option for the side next year if he were to return.
Haji Wright completed his much-anticipated move from the New York Cosmos to Schalke 04, and celebrated with a brace in his first game for the U-19 side:
Here's a look at Haji Wright's brace in his debut for Schalke U19s yesterday pic.twitter.com/oLyejhEEvT
— Baby Nats Abroad (@babynatsabroad) April 18, 2016
In four games, he scored three goals, for an impressive 98 minutes-per-goal rate.
Junior Flores has been with Borussia Dortmund II for 14 games, and Mario Rodriguez has been with Gladbach II for 28 games, 7 goals, and 7 assists.
In 2014, BVB II player Joe Gyau suffered a torn lateral meniscus in his second appearance for the United States, and has been on the path to recovery ever since. However, he has remained optimistic and signaled that he is close to returning to the field. Gyau has passed his fitness test and American fans are rightfully hyped for his return.
English Goalkeeping Blues
Tim Howard is arguably the most decorated American to play abroad. His 414 appearances for Everton make him as Blue as can be. However, the ending of that career was less than stellar, as he was replaced by Joel Robles halfway through the season for performance issues.
It was an ugly season all around for Everton, as they finished in a very disappointing 11th place, leading to the sacking of manager Roberto Martinez. Howard was still able to start in 25 matches, including a two-save clean-sheet win against Norwich for his final game at Goodison in a mostly ceremonial affair. He is set to join the Colorado Rapids as a Designated Player in July for a three-and-a-half year deal.
Brad Guzan had an even less thrilling season in front of goal. In 2015/16, Aston Villa posted up one of the worst top-division seasons of all time with only 17 points to show for it. In 28 games for Villa, Guzan allowed 58 goals — and, perhaps more notably, was implicated in a highly publicized chewing-gum scandal, in which the goalkeeper allegedly told a fan to “fuck off.” However, as a silver lining for American fans, this is somehow only the second most embarrassing off-field incident for Aston Villa after the Joleon Lescott car tweet fiasco.
On the bright side for Guzan, he was named as the undisputed starter for the United States heading into Copa America Centenario, hoping to remind potential buyers of his quality as we head into the summer transfer window.
DeAndre Yedlin, Allardyce Disciple
At the end of the summer transfer window, DeAndre Yedlin’s move to Sunderland on loan from Spurs was confirmed. The Black Cats were stuck in a relegation battle all year, and the young fullback proved to be a pivotal piece in their system, as he appeared in 23 out of their 38 league games.
After a managerial change following Dick Advocaat’s resignation, Sam Allardyce worked his defensive magic to stabilize yet another survival in the Premier League. DeAndre Yedlin had some memorable moments and proved he can cut it in the Premier League.
Matt Miazga Hype
Following the 2015 Supporter’s Shield-winning season with the New York Red Bulls, Matt Miazga finalized his move to Chelsea at the end of the January transfer window. The deal was worth a reported $5 million fee, making him the seventh most expensive American transfer in history.
After his move to west London, many fans were glued to their Twitter feeds on Chelsea matchdays, as the tumultuous season and defensive depth issues may have opened a brief opportunity for the 20 year old to impress interim manager Guus Hiddink.
Over the season, Miazga was only able to make two competitive appearances for the senior side, both in the Premier League. The first was a very confident and strong debut in a 4–0 win at strugglers Aston Villa, being able to contain the aerial threat of Rudy Gestede in a full 90-minute shift.
A week later, he earned another start, this time at Swansea City. This was a much poorer day that included a few mistakes, including a yellow card and a poor clearance leading to the goal, causing him to come off at halftime in the 1–0 loss.
It appears that Miazga may be loaned to another club for next season.
Getting It Done In Stoke
Geoff Cameron once again posted a fantastic personal season at Stoke City. He played 30 Premier League games and led the Potters to a 9th place finish. He has positioned himself to be starting centerback for the United States in Copa America Centenario, and his standout highlight of the year is this goal for the United States against Mexico in the CONCACAF Cup:
American Fitba
Arsenal player Gedion Zelalem was loaned off to Scottish giants Rangers, who were still making their ascendancy from the lower tiers of Scottish football back to the Premiership following financial ruin. Zelalem found himself in a Championship push for promotion, and played frequently toward the beginning of the season. He played in 21 of 36 league games, and three other cup games, tallying seven assists in all competitions.
In the cup run, Gedion Zelalem contributed in the latter stages, as he converted a massive penalty against Old Firm rivals Celtic in the semifinal shootout. He also gained the trust of the coaching staff to start in a huge Scottish Cup final against Hibernian.
After a very productive four years at DC United, Perry Kitchen moved to Premiership side Hearts. In his half season with the Edinburgh side, Kitchen played in 10 matches. He will look forward to playing in Europe next year as Hearts finished third in the table, and will advance to the first round of Europa League qualifying, quite possibly leading him to the most obscure corners of European football.
Second-Tier Yanks
Fulhamerica was in full swing with the Cottagers’ acquisition of Tim Ream from Bolton. They were able to secure the services of the two-time Bolton Wanderers player of the year away from west London rivals Queens Park Rangers, and signed him to a four-year deal. He was a valuable addition to the club’s survival efforts as he played in 32 games and helped them finish just above the relegation zone in the Championship.
Teenager Emerson Hyndman had a less active year for Fulham’s first team. He had 17 appearances, but was able to score his first goal in a match against Cardiff.
Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic claimed that he would have liked to give more playing time to Hyndman, but he did not want to throw him into a relegation battle, which could have stunted his growth.
“It’s a bad moment for him and a bad moment for us,” Jokanovic said. “He’s 19-year-old; we assess him constantly, and I’m very sure he’s going to have a future. He has a great potential, but where we are right now, he needs more help and we’re in the position where the team can’t help him enough. We need to find a more comfortable situation for the team and for him. He may have played only 11 games for Fulham but I expect he’s going to play 500 more over the next 17 years.”
Despite this praise, Hyndman has reportedly expressed the desire to move away from London for more playing time.
Eric Lichaj was a rock for Nottingham Forest this season, playing in 43 of the 46 matches for the Reds. He also scored his first ever goal for the club with this strike against Burnley:
Lichaj surpassed the milestone of 100 league appearances for the team after a 0–0 draw against Queens Park Rangers. The club itself went on a 13-match unbeaten run in the league from late November to February (six wins, seven draws), but that was not enough to escape mediocrity as the team finished 16th. A poor run following that streak led to manager Dougie Freedman’s sacking in March.
Like his Premier League goalkeeping counterparts, Cody Cropper had a club season to forget. After being released by Southampton, Cropper found a place with MK Dons in the second tier. His first appearance was in a League Cup win against Leyton Orient. Over the season, he had 12 competitive appearances, allowing 20 goals and preserving only one clean sheet. He was even shown a red card in an April draw at Preston North End. The club finished second to last in the division, and have been relegated to League One.
At the conclusion of the season, MK Dons decided to not pick up Cropper’s option, and he is now a free agent. He has been linked to the expansion franchises of Atlanta and Minnesota in MLS as he has spent time in both cities during the early part of his life.
Jonathan Spector and Birmingham City finished 10th in the Championship, 11 points out of the last promotion playoff spot. He played in 25 league games for the Blues, and even made a surprise return to the national team, appearing as a substitute in the 4–1 loss to Brazil. After a pretty up-and-down start to his career going from Manchester United youth product to West Ham rotation player, Spector appears to have finally found a home as he will enter sixth season with Birmingham next August. He is under contract until June 2017.
German-born Danny Williams began his third full season at Reading, and finished with 46 competitive appearances, scoring six goals, including this ridiculous strike against Blackburn:
That was not his only insane goal of the season, as he was able to finish this long-distance consolation goal against Brazil:
Halfway through the season, Williams was linked with a Premier League move to Swansea, but nothing came through at the deadline. He also reaffirmed his desire to move up, but reassured fans of his commitment to Reading.
Duane Holmes is a newer name for many U.S. fans, as he has never featured for a youth or senior national side. But the Georgia-born, England-raised midfielder made six appearances for Huddersfield Town, scoring one goal.
Academy Kids
Lynden Gooch made a surprise senior-team appearance for Sunderland in a 32-minute shift against Exeter City in the 2nd round of the League Cup. For the U-21 side, Gooch was awarded the Barclays U-21 Premier League Player of the Month award for August. He was loaned off to Doncaster Rovers of League One, playing in 10 games before suffering a season-ending ankle injury that sent him back to Sunderland.
Cameron Carter-Vickers made some noise as he flirted with a senior appearance for Spurs. Injury and rest concerns for the backline led him to be called to the 18-man squad for four different Europa League matches, but he never took the field before suffering a season-ending injury that also kept him off the United States U-23 squad ahead of their failed Olympic qualifiers.
Matthew Olosunde, a product of the New York Red Bulls academy system, completed a move to the Manchester United reserves, making a handful of appearances.
Kyle Scott was an important contributor to the Chelsea reserves as he scored three goals in the UEFA Youth League en route to their win over Paris Saint-Germain in the final. He reportedly handed in a transfer request in April.
Luca de la Torre scored two goals, tallied three assists in 18 games for Fulham’s U-21s as an 18 year old.
Brooks Lennon has also sporadically appeared for Liverpool’s U-21 side this season, with nine competitive games.
Elsewhere in Europe
In France, Alejandro Bedoya had an active year, playing in 31 matches and scoring five goals, including this dramatic game-winning, extra-time goal against Bordeaux in the Coupe de France:
He also solidified his starting/contributing role for the U.S. ahead of Copa America Centenario.
Rubio Rubin suffered from injury issues in his season with FC Utrecht, but was able to make a recovery toward the end. He was able to get on a scoring run with five goals in nine appearances in the Dutch reserve system.
Dutch-American dual national Desevio Payne also provided a minor impact for his side as he appeared in nine games for FC Groningen in the Eredivisie as a 20-year old.
Goalkeeper Ethan Horvath of Molde FK had a coming out party toward the end of the Norwegian season in 2015, including an impressive Europa League run. In that tournament, he played eight games, and made some big saves. After his performance against Ajax, Horvath earned the compliments of Dutch goalkeeping legend Edwin van der Sar.
“Ethan Horvath delivered some class saves,” Van der Sar said. “I know a little about him through contact I have had with [Molde goalkeepers coach] Richard Hartis, who was my coach at Manchester United. He has every reason to be pleased with himself. One can see that he is ambitious and talented. He can use these matches in Europe to make his mark. Matches in the Europa League are also opportunities to show themselves to a larger audience.”
Staying with Molde, Josh Gatt suffered yet another heart breaking setback in his recovery from injury. In September, Gatt announced that his second knee surgery was unsuccessful, and he would be required to have a third. Fortunately, he was running again in February.
Erik Palmer-Brown was loaned to FC Porto from Sporting Kansas City. In his time in Portugal, Palmer-Brown consistently performed in the second half of the season for Porto B in the second division as his side clinched the title.
South of the Border
Omar Gonzalez moved from the LA Galaxy to Pachuca in Liga MX in the January transfer window in time for their Clausura (closing) season. The move was announced in Sith style:
In his first half season in the league, Gonzalez was able to play in all but one league/playoff game, recorded only two yellow cards, and scored a goal as Pachuca won the title. Here is his one goal of the season:
Jose Torres also became champion with Tigres. El Gringo participated frequently in the CONCACAF Champions League, playing in all but three games, and scored this goal.
Ventura Alvarado was a recent dual-national commitment and broke through with the U.S., but has had his struggles for both club and country. For 2015/16, Alvarado featured in only 19 competitive matches with America, and the Mexican giants have been reportedly shopping the centerback to potential buyers. His future appears to be limited in Mexico City, and he may be on the way out.
William Yarbrough was able to finally establish himself as the starting goalkeeper for León, playing in 33 matches. The Aguascalientes native has played for the United States, but is not fully cap-tied, and may switch to Mexico. His teammate, Miguel Ibarra, has had less luck breaking through. The former NASLer played 11 of his 19 games in the secondary Copa MX cup competition. He may also be on his way out.
Edgar Castillo and Monterrey made the Clausura final, but lost to Omar Gonzalez’ Pachuca. He was named as Timothy Chandler’s replacement for Copa America Centenario as some left back depth.
Joe Corona was on loan from Tijuana for Dorados de Sinaloa. He played in 24 games within the two mini-seasons and cup campaign.
Luis Gil moved to Querétaro from Real Salt Lake in January. He has been a semi-regular rotation player, making 11 appearances.
Jonathan Bornstein was a more established player for Querétaro. The former U.S. regular played in 32 games, and plays a mean ‘Hotel California’:
Soon after winning the MLS Cup with Portland, Jorge Villafaña moved to Santos Laguna. Playing regularly, he has been their top option at left back. He has not been cap tied by the United States senior team and is eligible for a one-time switch to Mexico.
In 2016, Michael Orozco has more U.S. caps (5) than Tijuana league appearances (3). That discrepancy may increase as he will be on the Centenario squad.
Amando Moreno is beginning to get his feet under him at Tijuana at the age of 20, appearing in four league games toward the end of the Clausura season.
Alejandro Guido has not appeared for Tijuana since November due to a torn ACL.
Greg Garza completed his loan from Atlas in 2015 with only three league appearances due to a hip injury, and has not returned to the field for Tijuana yet.
Follow Faisal Sikdar on Twitter @faisalsikdar.
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