In what was quite a prolific week for U.S. Men's National Team pool players, it was difficult to keep up with those who were either filling the net or setting up teammates for their respective sides.
Ten players scored goals on both sides of the Atlantic. The list boasted Josh Sargent (Norwich City) , Paxten Aaronson (FC Utrecht), Gianluca Busio (Venezia), Jordan Pefok (Reims) and Tanner Tessmann (Lyon) in Europe, and Brandon Vazquez (Austin FC), Ben Cremaschi (Inter Miami), Djordje Mihailovic (Colorado Rapids), Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC) and Brian Gutiérrez (Chicago Fire) in Major League Soccer. Pefok, Tessmann and Cremaschi tallied their first goals of the season.
Mihailovic also recorded an assist. Alejandro Zendejas and Jesús Ferreira each contributed two of their own, while Kevin Paredes and Marlon Fossey had one apiece.
In addition, goalkeeper Sean Johnson earned his second consecutive clean sheet of the season for Toronto FC.
A GOAL AND AN INJURY
Josh Sargent scored his 15th goal of the English Championship season for Norwich City but was forced out of a 5-3 home loss to Portsmouth with a shoulder injury at halftime on Friday, April 18. The 25-year-old striker slotted home a rebound to knot things up at 1-1 in the 21st minute. Despite missing two months of the season, Sargent is tied for second in goals in the league with Leeds United's Joel Piroe, behind teammate Borja Sainz (17). The Canaries (13-14-17, 53 points), who have won only twice in their past dozen contests and have fallen into 14th place, have dropped out of contention for the promotion playoffs.
JOINING THE PARTY
Paxten Aaronson put the exclamation point on Utrecht's 4-0 triumph over first-place Ajax in the Dutch Eredivisie on Sunday, April 20. The 21-year-old midfielder scored the hosts' final goal, drilling a 20-yard shot past Brazilian keeper Matheus in the 85th minute, his seventh tally of the campaign. Utrecht (17-5-8, 59) is in fourth place, trailing Ajax (23-3-4, 73) by 14 points.
FIRST OF THE SEASON
Forward Jordan Pefok's first goal of the French Ligue 1 season was all Reims needed in its 1-0 victory over 10-man Toulouse on Sunday, April 20. Injuries have kept Pefok sidelined for a good portion of the season before he headed home Sergio Akieme's cross in the 39th minute. Toulouse was forced to play a man down for the final 63 minutes after USMNT defender Mark McKenzie was red carded in the 27th minute.
As it turned out, McKenzie was one of three U.S. players who were awarded red cards over the weekend. The others were Real Salt Lake's Diego Luna in a 1-0 loss to Toronto FC and Crystal Palace's Chris Richards (two yellow cards) in a 0-0 tie with AFC Bournemouth. Luna’s red card was ultimately rescinded by the MLS Disciplinary Committee.
Reims (8-14-8, 32) sits in 13th place, five points above the relegation zone.
SECOND OF THE SEASON
Gianluca Busio tallied his second goal of the Italian Serie A season for Venezia in its 2-2 draw at Empoli on Sunday, April 20. The midfielder gave the visitors the lead in the 85th minute, but Empoli equalized two minutes later. Busio also scored in a 2-0 victory over Genoa on Sept. 21. Venezia (4-16-13, 25) is in 18th place out of 20 teams and in the relegation zone to Serie B. The club trails Lecce (6-19-8, 26), which is in the safety zone.
DOUBLING UP
Alejandro Zendejas registered a pair of assists and drew a penalty kick in Club America's 5-0 romp over Mazatlán in the Liga MX Clausura on Saturday, April 19. Twice he combined with Álvaro Fidalgo, first in the 13th minute, which gave the home side a 2-0 lead, and then for the team's fourth goal in the 58th minute. He was also fouled to set up Victor Davila’s 51st-minute penalty kick. Zendejas has five goals and seven assists this season.
Club America (10-3-4, 34) completed the Clausura — the second half of the split season — in second place behind Toluca (11-2-4, 37). The team qualified for the playoffs and because it was among the top six teams, it will begin its postseason run in the quarterfinals. America won the first-half title and is scheduled to play away in the first leg on May 6 and host the second leg on May 9.
FROM GOAT TO HERO
It appeared that Brandon Vazquez was going to be the goat-of-the-game when LA Galaxy goalkeeper John McCarthy saved his 67th-minute penalty kick. But the Austin FC forward made up for the miss not 15 minutes later by scoring the lone goal in a 1-0 home win on Saturday, April 19. Vazquez pushed home a deflection off an Owen Wolfe pass from the right flank for his second tally of the campaign. Second-place Austin FC (5-3-1, 16) is four points behind the Vancouver Whitecaps (6-1-2, 20) in the MLS Western Conference.
A HEADY PLAY
Some nice timing by Ben Cremaschi as his first goal of the season boosted Inter Miami CF to a 1-0 road triumph over the Columbus Crew in a game played in Cleveland, Ohio in a battle of the last two MLS unbeaten squads on Saturday, April 19. The midfielder headed home Marcelo Weigandt's right-wing cross from six yards in the 30th minute past goalkeeper Pat Schulte. Luis Suárez started the sequence with a long pass to Weigandt on the right side. Miami (5-0-3, 18) is in third place and the Crew (5-1-3, 18) in fourth in the MLS Eastern Conference. Miami has a better goal differential (plus seven, to plus five).
ONE OF EACH
Djordje Mihailovic continued his hot start to the MLS campaign as he had a hand in both of the Colorado Rapids' goals, scoring one and setting up another, in a 2-2 draw at the Houston Dynamo on Saturday, April 19. He converted a penalty kick into the lower left corner against goalie Jonathan Bond to equalize at 1-1 in the 58th minute. He fed Rafael Navarro with a perfect lead pass that the Brazilian turned into a goal and a 2-1 edge in the 77th minute before Houston knotted things up in stoppage time. Mihailovic has four goals and two assists in the league, and two goals in the Concacaf Champions Cup. He has helped the Rapids (4-2-3, 15) to fifth place in the MLS Western Conference.
BREAKING A SCORELESS STREAK
Forward Patrick Agyemang broke a personal, three-game scoreless streak in Charlotte FC's 3-0 home win over San Diego FC on Saturday, April 19. Agyemang converted a penalty kick in the 45th minute past a diving Carlos dos Santos to give Charlotte some breathing room. It was his second goal of the MLS season. The victory boosted Charlotte (6-2-1, 19) to the top of the MLS Eastern Conference.
SPIRIT OF 76TH MINUTE
In a late Lyon comeback attempt, Tanner Tessmann struck for his first goal of the French Ligue 1 campaign in a 2-1 defeat at Saint-Etienne on Sunday, April 20. Tessmann side-footed a Georges Mikautadze feed past goalkeeper Gautier Larsonneur in the 76th minute, cutting the host’s lead in half. It was Tessmann's first goal in almost 11 months since recording one in Venezia's 2-1 win over Palermo on May 24, 2024. The game was delayed for 40 minutes after an assistant referee was hit by an object thrown from the stands. Despite the defeat, Lyon (15-9-6, 51) is in sixth place, battling for a spot in Europe next season, while Saint-Etienne (7-16-6, 27) is in 17th place out of 18 teams, trying to climb out of the relegation zone.
CONSOLATION GOAL
Brian Gutiérrez pulled one back in the 85th minute of the Chicago Fire's 3-2 defeat at home to FC Cincinnati on Saturday, April 19. He cut the deficit to one, putting away a penalty kick past goalie Roman Celentano. It was his first goal since his brace in the Fire's 4-2 defeat against Columbus Crew in its season opener on Feb. 22. The Fire (3-3-3, 12) sits in eighth place of the MLS Eastern Conference.
WELCOME BACK ASSIST
Kevin Paredes celebrated his first start and game of the Bundesliga season by assisting on Wolfsburg's first goal in its 2-2 draw at Mainz on Saturday, April 19. He set up Maximilian Arnold's score in the third minute. Paredes, who played 63 minutes, had not seen any action since he suffered a broken foot in pre-season training in August. His last match was in the USMNT’s 4-0 quarterfinal loss to Morocco in the Paris Olympics on Aug. 2. Paredes was on the Wolfsburg bench for the last three games.
FROM GOALSCORER TO PLAYMAKER
Jesús Ferreira has forged a reputation as a goalscorer. Playing with the Seattle Sounders this year, he hasn't found the net quite yet in nine MLS matches but has been setting up teammates for goals. Ferreira recorded two assists in the 3-0 home victory over Nashville SC on Saturday, April 19. He set up Daniel Musovski in the 19th minute for a 1-0 lead and Paul Rothrock for the final score in the 34th minute. Seattle, which is in eighth place in the MLS Western Conference, improved to 3-3-3 and 12 points.
HELPING OUT
Defender Marlon Fossey set up Dennis Eckert Ayensa's 58th-minute goal in Standard Liege's 1-1 home draw with Westerlo on Saturday, April 19. Standard Liege (10-12-12, 23) is in seventh place in the Belgian Pro League.
TWO IN A ROW
Goalkeeper Sean Johnson recorded his second consecutive shutout for Toronto FC in its 1-0 win at Real Salt Lake on Saturday, April 19. Johnson made six saves. He came up big twice in the 70th minute, with two impressive stops in quick succession, frustrating Alexandros Katranis and Braian Ojeda. On March 29, he kept his net empty in a 2-0 home victory against Minnesota United.
FULL RUNDOWN
-- Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United; English Championship) – 86 minutes in 6-0 victory vs. Stoke City (April 21)
-- Paxten Aaronson (Utrecht; Dutch Eredivisie) - 90 minutes, GOAL, in 4-0 win vs. Ajax (April 20)
-- Kellyn Acosta (Chicago Fire; MLS) - 20 minutes as a substitute in 3-2 loss vs. FC Cincinnati (April 19)
-- Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth; English Premier League) – 60 minutes in 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace (April 19); 90 minutes in 1-0 win vs. Fulham (April 14)
-- Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; MLS) - 90 minutes in 1-0 loss vs. Inter Miami CF (April 19)
-- Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC; MLS) - 76 minutes, GOAL, in 3-0 win vs. San Diego FC (April 19)
-- Folarin Balogun (Monaco; French Ligue 1) – 10 minutes as a substitute in 0-0 draw vs. Strasbourg (April 19)
-- Taylor Booth (Twente; Dutch Eredivisie) - No games
-- Gianluca Busio (Venezia; Italian Serie A) - 90 minutes, GOAL, in 2-2 draw at Empoli (April 20)
-- Drake Callender (Inter Miami CF; MLS) – In 18, DNP in 1-0 win at Columbus Crew (April 19)
-- Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis; La Liga) – 90 minutes, GOAL, 1-3 loss at Girona (April 21)
-- Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic; Scottish Premiership) - 90 minutes in 5-0 win at St. Johnstone (April 20)
-- Cade Cowell (Guadalajara; Liga MX) – 1 minute as a substitute in 1-1 draw at Atlas (April 19)
-- Ben Cremaschi (Inter Miami CF; MLS) – 87 minutes, GOAL, 1-0 win at Columbus Crew (April 19)
-- Luca de la Torre (San Diego FC; MLS) – 45 minutes as a substitute in 3-0 loss at Charlotte FC (April 19)
-- Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven; Dutch Eredivisie) - No games
-- Jesús Ferreira (Seattle Sounders; MLS) - 90 minutes, TWO ASSISTS, in 3-0 win vs. Nashville SC (April 19)
-- Marlon Fossey (Standard Liege; Belgian Pro League) - 90 minutes, ASSIST, in 1-1 draw vs. Westerlo (April 19)
-- Julian Gressel (Inter Miami CF; MLS) – Not in 18, DNP 1-0 win at Columbus Crew (April 19)
-- Brian Gutiérrez (Chicago Fire; MLS) - 90 minutes, GOAL, in 3-2 loss vs. FC Cincinnati (April 19)
-- Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City; English Championship) - 90 minutes in 2-0 loss at Sheffield United (April 18)
-- Sean Johnson (Toronto FC; MLS) - 90 minutes, SHUTOUT, in 1-0 win at Real Salt Lake (April 19)
-- DeJuan Jones (Columbus Crew; MLS) – Not in 18, DNP in 1-0 loss vs. Inter Miami CF (April 19)
-- Richy Ledezma (PSV Eindhoven; Dutch Eredivisie) - No games
-- Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; MLS) - 60 minutes, RED CARD, in 1-0 loss vs. Toronto FC (April 19)
-- Kristoffer Lund (Palermo; Italy Serie B) – 89 minutes in 2-1 loss to Bari (April 11)
-- Lennard Maloney (Mainz; Bundesliga) - In 18, DNP in 2-2 draw vs. Wolfsburg (April 19)
-- Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo; MLS) - 90 minutes in 2-2 draw vs. Colorado Rapids (April 19)
-- Weston McKennie (Juventus; Italy Serie A) – 66 minutes in 2-1 win over Lecce (April 12)
-- Mark McKenzie (Toulouse; French Ligue 1) - 27 minutes, RED CARD, in 1-0 loss at Reims (April 20)
-- Djordje Mihailovic (Colorado Rapids; MLS) - 90 minutes, GOAL, ASSIST, in 2-2 draw at Houston Dynamo (April 19)
-- Shaq Moore (FC Dallas; MLS) - 90 minutes in 0-0 draw at Minnesota United (April 19)
-- Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough; English Championship) - 90 minutes in 2-1 win vs. Plymouth Argyle (April 18)
-- Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders; MLS) - 27 minutes as a substitute in 3-0 win vs. Nashville SC (April 19)
-- Yunus Musah (A.C. Milan; Italy Serie A) - In 18, DNP in 1-0 loss vs. Atalanta (April 20)
-- Jalen Neal (CF Montreal; MLS) – Injured, DNP in 0-0 draw vs. Orlando City SC (April 19)
-- Erik Palmer-Brown (Panathinaikos; Greek Super League) - No games
-- Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg; Bundesliga) - 63 minutes, ASSIST, in 2-2 draw at Mainz (April 19)
-- Jordan Pefok (Reims; French Ligue 1) - 62 minutes, GOAL, in 1-0 win vs. Toulouse (April 20)
-- Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven; Dutch Eredivisie) - No games
-- Christian Pulisic (A.C. Milan; Italy Serie A) - 75 minutes in 1-0 loss vs. Atalanta (April 20)
-- Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; MLS) - 52 minutes as a substitute in 3-0 win vs. San Diego FC (April 19)
-- Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund; Bundesliga) - In 18, DNP in 3-2 win vs. Borussia Monchengladbach (April 20); 26 minutes as a substitute in 3-1 win vs. Barcelona in UCL (April 15)
-- Bryan Reynolds (Westerlo; Belgian Pro League) - 90 minutes in 1-1 draw at Standard Liege (April 19)
-- Chris Richards (Crystal Palace; English Premier League) - 45 minutes, RED CARD, in 0-0 draw vs. AFC Bournemouth (April 19); 90 minutes in 5-0 loss at Newcastle United (April 16)
-- Antonee Robinson (Fulham; English Premier League) - 90 minutes in 2-1 loss vs. Chelsea (April 20); 90 minutes in 1-0 loss at AFC Bournemouth (April 14)
-- Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; MLS) - 90 minutes in 3-2 win at Chicago Fire (April 19)
-- James Sands (St. Pauli; Bundesliga) - Injured, DNP in 1-1 draw vs. Bayer Leverkusen (April 20)
-- Josh Sargent (Norwich City; English Championship) - 45 minutes, GOAL, in 5-3 loss vs. Portsmouth (April 18)
-- Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach; Bundesliga) - 70 minutes in 3-2 loss at Borussia Dortmund (April 20)
-- Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; MLS) - 90 minutes in 1-0 loss vs. Inter Miami CF (April 19)
-- Gaga Slonina (Chelsea U-21; English Premier League 2) - Not in 18, DNP in 4-2 win at Crystal Palace U-21 (April 14)
-- Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids; MLS) - 90 minutes in 2-2 draw at Houston Dynamo (April 19)
-- Tanner Tessmann (Lyon; French Ligue 1) – 90 minutes, GOAL, 2-1 loss at Saint-Etienne (April 20); 65 minutes as a substitute in 5-4 loss (7-6 aggregate loss) at Manchester United in UEFA Europa League (April 17)
-- Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven; Dutch Eredivisie) - No games
-- Timmy Tillman (Los Angeles FC; MLS) - 90 minutes in 3-3 draw at Portland Timbers (April 19)
-- John Tolkin (Holstein Kiel; Bundesliga) - 90 minutes in 1-1 draw at RB Leipzig (April 19)
-- Auston Trusty (Celtic; Scottish Premiership) - In 18, DNP in 5-0 win at St. Johnstone (April 20)
-- Matt Turner (Crystal Palace; English Premier League) - In 18, DNP in 0-0 draw vs. AFC Bournemouth (April 19); In 18, DNP in 5-0 loss at Newcastle United (April 16)
-- Brandon Vazquez (Austin FC; MLS) - 90 minutes, GOAL, in 1-0 win vs. LA Galaxy (April 19)
-- Tim Weah (Juventus; Italy Serie A) – 23 minutes as substitute in 2-1 win vs. Lecce (April 12)
-- Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps; MLS) - 90 minutes in 0-0 draw at St. Louis CITY (April 19)
-- Caleb Wiley (Watford; English Championship) - 90 minutes in 2-1 loss vs. Burnley (April 18)
-- Haji Wright (Coventry City; English Championship) - 89 minutes in 2-0 win vs. West Bromwich Albion (April 18); 89 minutes in 1-1 draw at Hull City (April 14)
-- DeAndre Yedlin (FC Cincinnati; MLS) - 86 minutes in 3-2 win at Chicago Fire (April 19)
-- Alejandro Zendejas (Club America; Liga MX) - 90 minutes, TWO ASSISTS, in 5-0 win vs. Mazatlán (April 19); 90 minutes in 1-0 loss at Monterrey (April 16)
-- Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; MLS) - Injured, DNP in 3-0 loss at Seattle Sounders (April 19)
