On the Pitch

USMNT REWIND: Pulisic, Pepi, Sargent and Arriola Find the Back of the Net

By: Michael Lewis

With just a month until Gregg Berhalter unveils his final roster for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, several U.S. Men’s National Team players continued to show strong form this past week.

Ricardo Pepi bagged his first-career brace in Europe.

Christian Pulisic scored his first goal of the season and reached a milestone.

Josh Sargent continued his blazing start to the season.

Three FC Dallas players - Paul Arriola, Jesús Ferreria and Sebastian Lletget - combined for a goal

And four players who could wind up on the USA roster for Qatar - Yunus Musah, Antonee Robinson, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Tim Weah - returned from injuries.


HEATING UP

Ricardo Pepi continued his hot hand for FC Groningen as he extended his goal-scoring streak to three games after collecting a brace in a 3-2 home defeat to RKC Waalwijk in the Dutch Eredivisie on Friday, Oct. 7.

Pepi, who has four goals during that span, converted a penalty kick in the 14th minute, sending his shot to the right of goalkeeper Etienne Vaessen to give his team a 1-0 lead.


 

The 19-year-old forward knotted the match up at 2-2 in the 76th minute after trading passes with Florian Kruger.

Pepi now has four goals and an assist in his first four matches for the Eredivisie side.

FIRST AND THIRD

In his second English Premier League start of the year, Christian Pulisic made the most of his opportunity to register his first goal of the season in Chelsea's 3-0 victory against Wolverhampton on Saturday.

The 24-year-old Pulisic became the third USMNT player to reach 20 career EPL goals, joining leader Clint Dempsey (57) and Brian McBride (36) in that exclusive club.


 

He gave the Blues a 2-0 advantage in the 54th minute. Pulisic raced down the left flank, exchanging passes with midfielder Mason Mount. Mount possessed the ball outside of the penalty area before he slipped a pass between two defenders to Pulisic, who beat goalkeeper Jose Sa from the left side of the penalty area.

 

QUICK GOAL

Forward Josh Sargent scored two minutes into Norwich City's 3-2 home loss to Preston North End in the English Championship on Saturday.

He took a Liam Gibbs feed and beat goalkeeper Freddie Woodman from the top of the box. Sargent, who has tallied seven goals and added two assists in 13 matches this season, is tied for second in the league, one behind Hull City's Oscar Estupiñán.


 

NICE SET-UP

Brenden Aaronson was not given an assist, but his shot resulted in Leeds United's lone goal in its 2-1 loss at Crystal Palace on Sunday, Oct. 9.

After weaving through several players, Aaronson drilled a shot from the right side that ricocheted off the left post.

The rebound went to an unmarked Pasca Struijk, who powered home a 12-yard shot for a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute.


 

SHARING THE WEALTH

The FC Dallas trio of Paul Arriola, Jesús Ferreira and Sebastian Lletget combined for the first goal, before Arriola put home the game-winner in a 2-1 home win against Sporting KC on Sunday.


 

Ferreira, advancing down the left flank, latched onto Arriola’s ball. He sent a cross for Lletget, who drilled home a 20-yard shot for his first goal for Dallas in the 33rd minute.

With the score tied at 1-1, Arriola connected for the game-winner, slipping in an Alan Velasco left-wing feed from six yards in the 61st minute.

Ferreira (18 goals) and Arriola (personal-high 10) became the first U.S. duo to record 10 or more goals each in a season since 2017, when Clint Dempsey and Will Bruin pulled off that feat for the Seattle Sounders.


 

FC Dallas will host Minnesota United in the Western Conference first round of the MLS Cup playoffs on Monday, Oct. 17.

 

KEEPING IT CLEAN

Three goalkeepers vying for jobs on the World Cup squad recorded shutouts last week and a fourth made an important late save in to preserve a win.

* Goalkeeper Matt Turner, who was outstanding in the USA's two European matches during the September window, racked up his first shutout for Arsenal in a 3-0 home win over Bodø/Glimt in the Europa League on Thursday, Oct. 6. Turner, who made his Emirates Stadium debut, made a vital save on Amahl Pellegrino's shot just outside the six-yard-box early in the second half.

* Ethan Horvath backstopped Luton Town's 0-0 at West Bromwich Albion in the English Championship on Saturday, Oct. 8, extending the Hatters' unbeaten streak to five matches. Horvath made three saves in the match.

* Zack Steffen made three saves in Middlesbrough's 1-0 win at Birmingham City on Wednesday, Oct. 5. His two most important saves came when he denied Scott Hogan after the forward intercepted an errant back pass in the 36th minute and when he parried Emmanuel Longelo's free kick over the crossbar in the 62nd minute.

* While he did not record a clean sheet, Sean Johnson performed well in New York City FC's 2-1 away win at Atlanta United on Sunday. Johnson, who made three saves, produced a diving stop on Andrew Gutman in the 81st minute to preserve the victory.

NYCFC, which clinched third place in the Eastern Conference, will host Inter Miami in the first round of the playoffs at Red Bull Arena on Monday, Oct. 17.

 

THEY'RE BACK

Four players who missed the September international window with injuries, returned to action over the weekend.

* After missing Lille's first 10 French Ligue 1 matches, forward Tim Weah made his season debut in the 1-0 home win over Lens on Sunday, Oct. 9. Weah, who was sidelined with an ankle injury, replaced Jonathan Bamba in the 74th minute.

* Midfielder Yunus Musah returned from a left groin injury, coming on as a substitute in a 2-1 win at Osaunsa in La Liga on Friday, Oct. 7. Musah, who last performed in a 2-1 loss at Ray Vallecano on Sept. 10, replaced Hugo Guillamon in the 62nd minute.

* Left back Antonee Robinson played the entire way for Fulham in its 3-1 defeat at West Ham United in the EPL on Sunday, Oct. 9. Robinson last competed for the Cottagers on Sept. 3, when he was forced out of a 2-1 loss to Tottenham with an ankle injury in the 29th minute.

* Defender Cameron Carter-Vickers played 90 minutes for Celtic in a 2-1 win at St. Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday, Oct. 8. He last competed in a 1-1 draw at Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League on Sept. 14.

 

FOR THE DEFENSE

It took defender Auston Trusty 13 matches to tally his first goal for Birmingham City. It took him only 40 minutes to score his second of the English Championship season, recording a brace in a 3-0 win on Saturday, Oct. 8.


 

Trusty, 24, scored early and late in the opening half. He headed Tahith Chong's cross past goalkeeper Daniel Bentley into the bottom right corner in the third minute. He then put home a rebound off Hannibal Mejbri's free  kick that bounced off the post in the 43rd minute for a 2-0 advantage.

Part of the USMNT pool, Trusty has not yet earned an international cap, but was last in camp with the team in January.

 

FULL RUNDOWN

-- Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United; English Premier League) - 76 minutes in 2-1 loss at Crystal Palace (Oct. 9)

 

-- Kellyn Acosta (Los Angeles FC; MLS) - 78 minutes in 1-0 loss at Nashville SC (Oct. 9)

 

-- Tyler Adams (Leeds United; English Premier League) - 90 minutes in 2-1 loss at Crystal Palace (Oct. 9)

 

-- Paul Arriola (FC Dallas; MLS) – 89 minutes, GOAL, ASSIST, in 2-1 win vs. Sporting Kansas City (Oct. 9)

 

-- Cole Bassett (Fortuna Sittard; Dutch Eredivisie) - 2 minutes as a substitute in 2-1 win at Vitesse (Oct. 9)

 

-- George Bello (Arminia Bielefeld; 2. Bundesliga) - 45 minutes as a substitute in 2-1 loss vs. Karlsruher (Oct. 7)

 

-- John Brooks (Benfica; Portuguese Primeira) – In 18, DNP in 4-2 win vs. Rio Ave (Oct. 8); In 18, DNP in 1-1 draw vs. Paris St-Germain in UCL (Oct. 5)

 

-- Gianluca Busio (Venezia; Italian Serie B) - 74 minutes in 2-1 loss vs. Bari (Oct. 8)

 

-- Reggie Cannon (Boavista; Portuguese Primeira) - Injured, DNP in 1-1 draw vs. Maritimo (Oct. 9)

 

-- Johnny Cardoso (Internacional; Brazilian Serie A) – 73 minutes in 4-2 win vs. Goiás (Oct. 9); Not in 18, DNP in 0-0 draw at Flamengo (Oct. 5)

 

-- Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic; Scottish Premiership) - 90 minutes in 2-1 win at St. Johnstone (Oct. 8); Injured, DNP in 3-1 loss at RB Leipzig in UCL (Oct. 5)

 

-- Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo; Spain La Liga) - In 18, DNP in 1-0 loss at Barcelona (Oct. 9)

 

- Sergiño Dest (A.C. Milan; Italy Serie A) - In 18, DNP in 2-0 win vs. Juventus (Oct. 8); 90 minutes in 3-0 loss at Chelsea in UCL (Oct. 5)

 

-- Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas; MLS) - 90 minutes, ASSIST, in 2-1 win vs. Sporting Kansas City (Oct. 9)

 

-- Matthew Hoppe (Middlesbrough; English Championship) - 15 minutes as a substitute in 2-0 loss at Millwall (Oct. 8); Not in 18, DNP in 1-0 win vs. Birmingham City (Oct. 5)

 

-- Ethan Horvath (Luton Town; English Championship) - 90 minutes, SHUTOUT, in 0-0 draw at West Bromwich Albion (Oct. 8); 90 minutes in 3-3 draw vs. Huddersfield Town (Oct. 4)

 

-- Sean Johnson (New York City FC; MLS) - 90 minutes in 2-1 win at Atlanta United (Oct. 9)

 

-- Richy Ledezma (PSV; Dutch Eredivisie) - 1 minute as a substitute in 1-0 win at Heerenveen (Oct. 9); In 18, DNP in 5-1 win at Zurich in Europa League (Oct. 6)

 

-- Sebastian Lletget (FC Dallas; MLS) - 90 minutes, GOAL, in 2-1 win vs. Sporting Kansas City (Oct. 9)

 

-- Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls; MLS) - 90 minutes in 2-0 win vs. Charlotte FC (Oct. 9)

 

-- Weston McKennie (Juventus; Italy Serie A) - 45 minutes as a substitute in 2-0 loss at A.C. Milan (Oct. 8); 90 minutes in 3-1 win vs. Maccabi Haifa in UCL (Oct. 5)

 

-- Mark McKenzie (Genk; Belgian Pro League) - 90 minutes in 2-1 win vs. Kortrijk (Oct. 8)

 

-- Matt Miazga (FC Cincinnati; MLS) - 90 minutes in 5-2 win at D.C. United (Oct. 9)

 

-- Shaq Moore (Nashville SC; MLS) - 90 minutes in 1-0 win vs. Los Angeles FC (Oct. 9)

 

-- Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC; MLS) - 45 minutes in 2-2 draw vs. San Jose Earthquakes (Oct. 9)

 

-- Yunus Musah (Valencia; Spain La Liga) - 28 minutes as a substitute in 2-1 win at Osasuna (Oct. 7)

 

-- Erik Palmer-Brown (Troyes; French Ligue 1) - 60 minutes in 3-2 loss at Nice (Oct. 9)

 

-- Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg; Bundesliga) - 15 minutes as a substitute in 1-1 draw at Augsburg (Oct. 8)

 

-- Jordan Pefok (Union Berlin; Bundesliga) - 65 minutes in 1-0 win at Stuttgart (Oct. 9); 74 minutes in 1-0 win at Malmo in Europa League (Oct. 6)

 

-- Ricardo Pepi (Groningen; Dutch Eredivisie) - 90 minutes, TWO GOALS, in 3-2 loss vs. RKC Waalwijk (Oct. 7)

 

-- Christian Pulisic (Chelsea; English Premier League) - 72 minutes, GOAL, in 3-0 win vs. Wolverhampton (Oct. 8); In 18, DNP in 3-0 win vs. A.C. Milan in UCL (Oct. 5)

 

-- Tim Ream (Fulham; English Premier League) - 90 minutes in 3-1 loss at West Ham United (Oct. 9)

 

-- Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund; Bundesliga) - Injured, DNP in 2-2 draw vs. Bayern Munich (Oct. 8); Injured, DNP in 4-1 win at Sevilla in UCL (Oct. 5)

 

-- Bryan Reynolds (Westerlo; Belgian Pro League) - 73 minutes in 2-0 win at Club Brugge (Oct. 8)

 

-- Chris Richards (Crystal Palace; English Premier League) - Injured, DNP in 2-1 win vs. Leeds United (Oct. 9)

 

-- Antonee Robinson (Fulham; English Premier League) - 90 minutes in 3-1 loss at West Ham United (Oct. 9)

 

-- Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders; MLS) - 90 minutes in 2-2 draw vs. San Jose Earthquakes (Oct. 9)

 

-- Josh Sargent (Norwich City; English Championship) - 90 minutes, GOAL, in 3-2 loss vs. Preston North End (Oct. 8); 90 minutes in 1-1 draw at Reading (Oct. 4)

 

-- James Sands (Rangers; Scottish Premiership) – In 18, DNP in 4-0 win vs. St. Mirren (Oct. 8); Not in 18, DNP in 2-0 loss at Liverpool in UCL (Oct. 4)

 

-- Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach; Bundesliga) - 83 minutes in 5-2 win at Köln (Oct. 9)

 

-- Gaga Slonina (Chicago Fire; MLS) - Injured, DNP in 1-1 draw vs. New England Revolution (Oct. 9)

 

-- Zack Steffen (Middlesbrough; English Championship) - 90 minutes in 2-0 loss at Millwall (Oct. 8); 90 minutes, SHUTOUT, in 1-0 win vs. Birmingham City (Oct. 5)

 

-- Malik Tillman (Rangers; Scottish Premiership) - In 18, DNP in 4-0 win vs. St. Mirren (Oct. 8); 66 minutes in 2-0 loss at Liverpool in UCL (Oct. 4)

 

-- Auston Trusty (Birmingham City; English Premiership) - 90 minutes, TWO GOALS, in 3-0 win vs. Bristol City (Oct. 8); 90 minutes in 1-0 loss at Middlesbrough (Oct. 5)

 

-- Matt Turner (Arsenal; English Premier League) - In 18, DNP in 3-2 win vs. Liverpool (Oct. 9); 90 minutes, SHUTOUT, in 3-0 win vs. Bodo Glimt in Europa League (Oct. 6)

 

-- Sam Vines (Royal Antwerp; Belgian Pro League) - 90 minutes in 2-0 win vs. Sint-Truiden (Oct. 7)

 

-- Tim Weah (Lille; French Ligue 1) – 16 minutes as a substitute in 1-0 win vs. Lens (Oct. 9)

 

-- DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami CF; MLS) - 79 minutes in 3-1 loss vs. CF Montreal (Oct. 9); 90 minutes in 4-1 win vs. Orlando City SC (Oct. 5)

 

-- Eryk Williamson (Portland Timbers; MLS) - In 18, DNP in 3-1 loss at Real Salt Lake (Oct. 9)

 

-- Haji Wright (Antalyaspor; Turkish Super Lig) - 85 minutes in 1-1 draw vs. Konyaspor (Oct. 8)

 

-- Gyasi Zardes (Colorado Rapids; MLS) - 22 minutes as a substitute in 1-1 draw at Austin FC (Oct. 9)

 

-- Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; MLS) - 45 minutes in 1-0 win vs. Los Angeles FC (Oct. 9)

Go Deeper

MNT