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USMNT REWIND: Pulisic Provides Late Winner for Chelsea

Aaronson Scores and Helps Salzburg to Austrian Bundesliga Title; Pefok Bags Two More
By: Michael Lewis

With limited game time since returning from the March international break, Christian Pulisic reminded Chelsea the impact he can have on a game.

 

The U.S. Men's National Team forward came off the bench to record a 90th minute game-winner, boosting the Blues to a 1-0 victory over West Ham United on Sunday.

 

Pulisic, who replaced Timo Werner in the 76th minute, sprinted into the box and smashed Marcos Alonso's cross from the left past goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski against 10-man West Ham.

 

 

The Hershey, Pa. product’s fifth goal of the season provided a quick reprieve for Chelsea after Jorginho had his 87th minute penalty kick saved.

 

Pulisic joined former USMNT captain Carlos Bocanegra as the second U.S. international to score a Premier League game-winning-goal in the 90th minute or later. Bocanegra did so in a 1-0 win for Fulham against Tottenham Hotspur on Jan. 31, 2006. 

 

 

A VERY, VERY HAPPY RETURN

 

Brenden Aaronson celebrated his return to the Red Bull Salzburg Startng XI on Sunday in the best way possible: scoring a goal in a victory that clinched the Austrian Bundesliga championship.

 

The 21-year-old attacker converted a penalty kick in the 54th minute to lift his side to a four-goal advantage en route to a 5-0 home victory over Austria Vienna. It was Aaronson's fourth goal of the season and first since a 2-0 victory over Wolfsberger on Feb. 20.

 

 

Aaronson, who missed the USMNT's World Cup Qualifying matches last month due to a knee injury, played in his first game since March 13.


With their ninth-straight league title clinched, Aaronson and Salzburg now set their sights on another Austrian Double, which they can clinch with a win in Sunday’s ÖFB Cup Final against SV Ried.

 

 

GOAL SCORERS ON BOTH SIDES

 

There were heroes for both sides in the San Jose Earthquakes' 4-3 comeback win over the Seattle Sounders on Saturday, April 24. Cristian Roldan and Jordan Morris helped stake Seattle to a 3-1 lead early in the second half, but Jackson Yueill struck for the equalizer in the 65th minute at PayPal Park.

 

 

Roldan headed home a Nico Lodeiro free kick in the 20th minute for a two-goal margin. After the hosts got one back, Morris turned a Lodeiro feed into a goal for a 3-1 lead in in the 57th minute. Yueill, however, knotted it up off a Jamiro Monteiro assist.

 

The Sounders will travel to Mexico City to meet Pumas UNAM in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions League final series on Wednesday, April 27. Seattle will host the second leg at Lumen Field on Wednesday, May 4.

 

 

OPENING HIS ACCOUNT

 

Kellyn Acosta tallied his first goal of the season in LAFC’s 2-1 win at FC Cincinnati on Sunday.

 

Acosta fired a shot from the top of the box through traffic off a corner kick to tie the game in the 59th minute. LAFC (6-1-1, 19 points), coached by former USMNT defender Steve Cherundolo, took the MLS Supporters' Shield lead.

 

 

SUPER LEAGUE LEADER

 

Jordan Pefok added to his spoils with a brace in Young Boys' 3-1 home win over Servette on Saturday, giving him a Swiss Super League-high 21 goals and a career-best 26 across all competitions.

 

He twice connected off headers for Young Boys' first two scores, putting Ulisses Garcia's cross past goalkeeper Jeremy Frick from eight yards in the 12th minute and knocking home Edimilson Fernandes' cross from the same range in the 42nd minute.

 

 

 

WAIT TIL NEXT YEAR

 

Yunus Musah and Valencia lost to Real Betis in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday, April 23. The teams played to a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes before Real Betis prevailed in the shootout, 5-4.

 

Musah failed to convert his penalty kick attempt, the lone miss in the tie-breaker. He joined Sergiño Dest as the only USMNT players to compete in a Copa del Rey final.

 

 

MOVING ON UP

 

Defenders Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson will face a greater challenge next season as Fulham will play in the English Premier League. The Cottagers earned promotion with a 3-0 victory over Preston North End on Tuesday, April 19.

 

Ream, who has played a big role in three Fulham EPL promotions, went the full 90 minutes in two matches last week, including a 1-1 draw at AFC Bournemouth on Saturday, April 23. Robinson did not play vs. Preston but came on as a halftime substitute on Saturday.

 

 

A TIMELY ASSIST

 

Only minutes after coming on, Cole Bassett set up the game-winner in Feyenoord's 2-1 home win over Utrecht in the Dutch Eredivisie on Sunday, April 24. Bassett, who replaced Bryan Linssen in the 84th minute, assisted on Luis Sinisterra's goal six minutes into stoppage time.

 

 

 

 

BACK LINE ATTACK

 

New York Red Bulls captain and center back Aaron Long had a hand in both goals in a 2-1 third-round win at Hartford Athletic in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday, April 20.

 

While he was not credited with an assist, he started the scoring sequence on the visitor's first goal, winning the ball at midfield. Long sent a pass to Luquinhas, who set up Lewis Morgan with the Red Bulls' first goal in the 18th minute. He tallied his second USOC career goal in the 25th minute, cleaning up a rebound.

 

 

-- For the second successive week, defender DeAndre Yedlin assisted on a goal in an Inter Miami FC win. He took a pass from Ariel Lassiter and clipped a cross to Leonardo Campana, who scored to give the hosts a 1-0 lead in the 28th minute in a 2-1 win over Atlanta United on Sunday, April 24.

 

 

-- Miles Robinson, who captained his first Atlanta United match, set up the final goal with his first assist of the year in 6-0 home triumph over Chattanooga FC in the Open Cup on Wednesday, April 20.

 

Robinson intercepted a pass and found Brooks Lennon at the top of the box for the goal.

 

 

A GOAL AND THEN A TRADE

 

In his last game with the Columbus crew, Gyasi Zardes scored his team's lone goal in the seventh minute in a 2-1 third-round defeat at Detroit City FC in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, April 19.

 

 

Three days later, he was dealt to the Colorado Rapids. He made his Rocky Mountain debut on Saturday, April 25 in a scoreless home draw with Charlotte FC.

 

 

FULL RUNDOWN

 

-- Brenden Aaronson (Red Bull Salzburg; Austrian Bundesliga - 64 minutes, GOAL, in 5-0 win vs. Austria Vienna (April 24)

 

-- Kellyn Acosta (Los Angeles FC; MLS) - 90 minutes, GOAL, in 2-1 win at FC Cincinnati (April 24); 27 minutes as a substitute in 5-1 win vs. Orange County SC in USOC (April 19)

 

-- Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig; German Bundesliga) – 90 minutes in 2-1 loss vs. Union Berlin (April 23); In 18, DNP in 2-1 win vs. Union Berlin in DFB Pokal (April 20)

 

-- Paul Arriola (FC Dallas; MLS) - 90 minutes in 2-1 win vs. Houston Dynamo (April 23); Not in 18, DNP in 2-1 win vs. FC Tulsa in USOC (April 19)

 

-- Cole Bassett (Feyenoord; Dutch Eredivisie) - 6 minutes, ASSIST, in 2-1 win vs. Utrecht (April 24)

 

-- George Bello (Arminia Bielefeld; Bundesliga) - 90 minutes in 3-1 loss at Köln (April 23)

 

-- John Brooks (Wolfsburg; Germany Bundesliga) - 90 minutes in 5-0 win vs. Mainz (April 22)

 

-- Gianluca Busio (Venezia; Italy Serie A) – 61 minutes in 3-1 loss vs. Atalanta (April 24)

 

-- Reggie Cannon (Boavista; Portuguese Primeira) - Vs. Sporting Lisbon (Monday, 3:30 p.m. ET)

 

-- Johnny Cardoso (Internacional; Brazilian Serie A) – In 18, DNP in 1-0 win at Fluminense (April 23)

 

-- Cameron Carter-Vickers; (Celtic; Scottish Premiership) - 90 minutes in 2-0 win at Ross County (April 24)

 

-- Justin Che (Hoffenheim; Bundesliga) – In 18, DNP in 2-2 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt (April 23)

 

-- Luca de la Torre (Heracles; Dutch Eredivisie) - 90 minutes in 1-0 win at Groningen (April 24)

 

-- Sergiño Dest (Barcelona; Spain La Liga) - 45 minutes in 1-0 loss vs. Rayo Vallecano (April 24); 24 minutes as a substitute in 1-0 win at Real Sociedad (April 21); vs. Cadiz (Monday, 3 p.m. ET); 89 minutes in 1-0 loss vs. Cadiz (April 18)

 

-- Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas; MLS) - 90 minutes in 2-1 win vs. Houston Dynamo (April 23); 46 minutes as a substitute in 2-1 win vs. FC Tulsa in USOC (April 19)

 

-- Nicholas Gioacchini (Montpellier; French Ligue 1) - 5 minutes as a substitute in 5-2 loss at Lyon (April 23);  2 minutes as a substitute in 2-0 loss at Lens (April 20)

 

-- Jonathan Gómez (Real Sociedad B; Spain Segunda Division) - 90 minutes in 2-1 win vs. Amorebieta (April 23); 90 minutes in 2-0 loss at Girona (April 18)

 

-- Julian Green (Greuther Fürth; German Bundesliga) - 90 minutes in 4-1 loss vs. Bayer Leverkusen (April 23)

 

-- Matthew Hoppe (Mallorca; Spanish Primera) - In 18, DNP in 2-1 win vs. Alaves (April 19)

 

-- Ethan Horvath (Nottingham Forest; English Championship) - In 18, DNP in 1-0 win at Peterborough United (April 23); In 18, DNP in 4-0 win vs. West Bromwich Albion (April 18)

 

-- Sean Johnson (New York City FC; MLS) - 90 minutes in 5-4 win vs. Toronto FC (April 24)

 

-- Richy Ledezma (PSV Eindhoven; Dutch Eredivisie) - 1 minute as a substitute in 2-1 win at Cambuur (April 23)

 

-- Sebastian Lletget (New England Revolution; MLS) - 75 minutes in 3-2 loss at D.C. United (April 23)

 

-- Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls; MLS) - 90 minutes in 3-0 win at Orlando City SC (April 24); 90 minutes, GOAL, in 2-1 win at Hartford Athletic in USOC (April 20)

 

-- Mark McKenzie (Genk; Belgian Pro League) - 90 minutes in 1-0 win at Gent (April 24)

 

-- Matt Miazga (Alaves; Spain La Liga) - In 18, DNP in 2-1 loss at Mallorca (April 19)

 

-- Shaq Moore (Tenerife; Spain Segunda Division) - 1 minute as a substitute in 0-0 draw vs. Huesca (April 22)

 

-- Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC; MLS) - 75 minutes, GOAL, in 4-3 loss at San Jose Earthquakes (April 23)

 

-- Yunus Musah (Valencia; Spain La Liga) - 20 minutes as a substitute in 1-1 draw vs. Real Betis (lost in PKs, 5-4) in Copa del Rey (April 23); 55 minutes in 2-0 loss at Villarreal (April 19)

 

-- Erik Palmer-Brown (Troyes; French Ligue 1) - 90 minutes in 1-0 loss at Nice (April 24); 90 minutes in 1-0 loss vs. Clermont (April 20)

 

-- Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg; Bundesliga) - 9 minutes as a substitute in 5-0 win vs. Mainz (April 22)

 

-- Jordan Pefok (Young Boys; Swiss Super League) - 83 minutes, TWO GOALS, in 3-1 win vs. Servette (April 23)

 

-- Ricardo Pepi (Augsburg; Bundesliga) - In 18, DNP in 2-0 win at Bochum (April 24)

 

-- Christian Pulisic (Chelsea; English Premier League) - 76 minutes, GOAL, in 1-0 win vs. West Ham United (April 24); In 18, DNP in 4-2 loss vs. Arsenal (April 20)

 

-- Tim Ream (Fulham; English Championship) - 90 minutes in 1-1 draw at AFC Bournemouth (April 23); 90 minutes in 3-0 win vs. Preston North End (April 19)

 

-- Antonee Robinson (Fulham; English Championship) - 45 minutes as a substitute in 1-1 draw at AFC Bournemouth (April 23); In 18, DNP in 3-0 win vs. Preston North End (April 19)

 

-- Miles Robinson (Atlanta United; MLS) - 90 minutes in 2-1 loss at Inter Miami CF (April 24); 90 minutes, ASSIST, in 6-0 win vs. Chattanooga FC in USOC (April 20)

 

-- Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders FC; MLS) - 90 minutes, GOAL, in 4-3 loss at San Jose Earthquakes (April 23)

 

-- James Sands (Rangers, Scottish Premiership) - 22 minutes as a substitute in 3-1 win at Motherwell (April 23)

 

-- Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach; Bundesliga) - 21 minutes as a substitute in 3-3 draw at Freiburg (April 23)

 

-- Gabriel Slonina (Chicago Fire; MLS) - 90 minutes in 3-0 loss at Minnesota United (April 23); Not in 18, DNP in 2-2 draw vs. Union Omaha (lost in PKs, 4-5) in USOC (April 19)

 

-- Zack Steffen (Manchester City; English Premier League) - In 18, DNP in 3-0 win vs. Brighton & Hove Albion (April 23)

 

-- Tanner Tessmann (Venezia; Italy Serie A) - In 18, DNP in 3-1 loss vs. Atalanta (April 24)

 

-- Sam Vines (Royal Antwerp; Belgian Pro League) - 90 minutes in 1-0 loss at Club Brugge (April 24)

 

-- DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami CF; MLS) - 90 minutes, ASSIST, in 2-1 win vs. Atlanta United (April 24); 45 minutes as a substitute in 1-0 win at Miami FC in USOC (April 19)

 

-- Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes; MLS) - 90 minutes, GOAL, in 4-3 win vs. Seattle Sounders (April 23); 28 minutes as a substitute in 5-0 win vs. Bay Cities in USOC (April 19)

 

-- Tim Weah (Lille; French Ligue 1) - 90 minutes in 1-0 win vs. Strasbourg (April 24); 90 minutes in 2-1 loss at Reims (April 20)

 

-- Gyasi Zardes (Colorado Rapids/Columbus Crew; MLS) - 30 minutes as a substitute in 0-0 draw vs. Charlotte FC (April 23); 90 minutes, GOAL, in 2-1 loss at Detroit City FC in USOC (April 19)

 

-- Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; MLS) - 90 minutes in 1-0 loss at LA Galaxy (April 23)

Go Deeper

MNTChristian PulisicBrenden Aaronson