American media reacts to Leeds United loanee Brenden Aaronson display in USA v Uzbekistan
Brenden Aaronson, a loanee from Leeds United, participated for the USA in their victory over Uzbekistan on September 9.
In the 67th minute of the friendly against the Central Asian team, the 22-year-old, who is now on loan at Union Berlin, came off the bench to set up a goal as his team earned a 3-0 victory.
Weston McKennie, a former Whites loanee, joined the midfielder on the American squad. Christian Pulisic, Ricardo Pepi, and Timothy Weah scored the goals.
The MLS Soccer website said Aaronson brought a “spark of energy” as he recorded the assist for the second goal with a “tidy little pass” on the edge of the box. US news sites have since responded to Aaronson’s performance.
The midfielder wasn’t quite as impressive to NBC Sports, who claimed that he was a touch “herky-jerky” and “out of control” since he couldn’t finish a dribble and lost most of his duels.
The only thing ESPN said about the American’s performance was that he brought his “trademark energy” as he went on to set up Pepi’s goal at Missouri’s CityPark Stadium in the 91st minute.
As expected
The fact that Aaronson’s primary contribution to the game was his high level of energy won’t really come as much of a surprise.
In his time at Elland Road last season, the midfielder demonstrated that, but he was mainly ineffective in the final third, scoring just once and providing three assists in 40 appearances.
But in his quest to earn a spot in the starting lineup for the US national team, he will have been happy to have contributed an assist.
Aaronson had a generally lackluster first few games with Union Berlin, so it wasn’t too surprising that he wasn’t started right away.
The midfielder has played in three games, but he was dismissed after just 21 minutes of a recent Bundesliga match against Darmstadt, which might make him unpopular in the nation’s capital.
