The English Championship regular season concluded on Saturday, with some good news and bad news for U.S. Men's National Team players.
Leeds United and Brenden Aaronson already clinched their promotion to the Premier League last month, but closed out the campaign in style by finishing as league champions after a win.
Also in the Championship, Haji Wright and Coventry City lived to play another two days in the promotion playoffs.
Norwich City did not qualify for the Championship playoffs, but forward Josh Sargent was selected to the league's team of the season alongside being named the club's player of the year.
Cardiff City and Ethan Horvath will play in League One next season.
Elsewhere, there was plenty of encouraging news, as Brian White scored another goal as the Vancouver Whitecaps defeated Inter Miami CF to reach the Concacaf Champions Cup final.
Folarin Balogun also tallied his first goal in seven months for Monaco in France, while Diego Luna converted a penalty kick for Real Salt Lake in a loss.
THEY ARE THE CHAMPIONS
Midfielder Brenden Aaronson did not score or assist on a goal, but he had plenty of reasons to celebrate on Saturday, May 3. Aaronson and Leeds United (29-4-13, 100 points) clinched the English Championship title. Leeds and Burnley finished at 100 points, but the former team won the crown on a superior goal differential (65 to 53). Leeds earned promotion to the Premier League last month.
STILL ALIVE
Coventry City and striker Haji Wright will fight for a spot in the Premier League after finishing fifth in the Championship with a 20-17-9 mark and 69 points. They will take on fourth-place Sunderland (21-12-13, 76) in a home-and-home semifinal promotion series. City will host on Friday, May 9 before playing away on Tuesday, May 13. The winner will meet the victor of the Sheffield United-Bristol City semifinals in a one-off affair at Wembley Stadium on May 24.
DOUBLE HONORS
Norwich City failed to clinch a promotion playoff berth, but striker Josh Sargent was chosen to the Championship team of the year and was named the team's player of the year. Sargent, despite missing 14 Championship games due to injuries, still finished with 15 goals in 32 appearances. He took fourth place among the league's top goal-scorers during the regular season. Leeds' Joel Piroe took first-place honors with 19. Norwich teammate Borja Sainz was tied for second with Burnley's Josh Brownhill with 18 apiece. Sargent did not score for the 13th-place Canaries (14-17-15, 57) in their 4-2 win in their season finale on Saturday, May 3.
GOING DOWN
Cardiff City and goalkeeper Ethan Horvath were relegated to League One after the team finished 24th in the English Championship after dropping a 4-2 away decision to Norwich City on Saturday, May 3. City, which was joined by Luton Town and Plymouth Argyle in demotion, registered a 9-20-17 record and 44 points.
A DARN GOOD DAY
Brian White enjoyed a memorable day on Wednesday, April 30. He first was named MLS player of the month for April, and then went out and helped the Vancouver Whitecaps to a 3-1 triumph over host Inter Miami CF and a spot in the Concacaf Champions Cup final. Vancouver won the aggregate goals series, 5-1. White, who tallied in the opening leg, leveled the second leg at 1-1 with a 51st-minute goal as his side-footed finish off Sebastian Berhalter's feed beat goalkeeper Oscar Ustari from 11 yards. The 29-year-old forward has 11 goals across all competitions this season and has seven in his last six appearances. Cruz Azul, 2-1 semifinal aggregate winners over UANL Tigres (via a 1-0 win on Thursday, May 1), will host the Whitecaps in the final on June 1.
White sat out Vancouver's 2-1 home win over Real Salt Lake in MLS action on Saturday, May 3 due to hamstring issues.
SEVEN-MONTH ITCH
Folarin Balogun, who has missed most of the season with a shoulder injury, connected for his first Ligue 1 goal in almost seven months for Monaco in its 3-1 victory at Saint-Etienne in French Ligue 1 on Saturday, May 3. Starting in his first match since Dec. 1, Balogun latched onto a Maghnes Akliouche pass and beat goalkeeper Gautier Larsonneur from the top right of the penalty area for the visitors' final goal, in the 78th minute. Balogun, who has found the net four times this season, scored his first goal since a 3-1 victory over Saint-Etienne on Oct. 5, 2024. He had come off the bench for five consecutive games before starting on Saturday.
During the 2022-23 Ligue 1 campaign, Balogun scored a career-high 21 goals. Monaco (17-8-7, 58) is in second place, trailing leader Paris Saint-Germain (24-2-6, 78) by 20 points.
CONSOLATION GOAL
Six minutes into second-half stoppage time on Saturday, May 3, Diego Luna converted a penalty kick to help Real Salt Lake avert a shutout in its 2-1 loss the Vancouver Whitecaps. Luna put away his PK to the right of goalkeeper Yohe Takaoka, who dove in the opposition direction. He has tallied sixth goals for the Claret and Cobalt (4-7-0, 12), which is in 11th place in the MLS Western Conference.
RARE ASSISTS
DeJuan Jones made an impact not once, but twice during a nine-minute span in his first start and second appearance for the San Jose Earthquakes. He assisted on two goals in the Quakes' 4-1 home victory on Saturday, May 3. After taking a Christian Arango feed on the right side, Jones one-touched the ball to Cristian Espinosa, who lifted the hosts into a 1-0 lead. With San Jose enjoyed a 2-0 margin, Jones set up Arango for a goal and a 3-0 advantage in the 27th minute. Jones entered the match with three assists in 158 MLS career matches. San Jose (4-6-1, 13) sits in 10th place in the Western Conference.
HELPING OUT
Max Arfsten got into the box score for a second straight week, setting up the Columbus Crew's 4-2 home triumph over Charlotte Fc on Saturday, May 3. The 24-year-old midfielder assisted on Columbus' final goal. He chested down a right-wing cross from Mohamed Farsi before looping a long pass to Jacen Russell-Rowe, who headed home from eight yards for the final goal of the match in the 81st minute. Arsten scored a goal in Columbus' 2-1 win over San Jose on April 26. He has accumulated two goals and three assists for the Crew (7-1-3, 24), who lead the MLS Eastern Conference.
Timmy Tillman recorded his first assist of the MLS season on Los Angeles FC's final goal in the 79th minute of its 2-0 win over the Houston Dynamo on Saturday, May 3. He started a quick counterattack by winning the ball at the top of the LA penalty area and playing a long ball forward to Denis Bouanga on the left flank. Bouanga ran at the Dynamo defense, playing the ball to Jeremy Ebobisse, who scored past diving goalkeeper Jonathan Bond.
QUARTERFINAL BOUND
Club America and Alejandro Zendejas haven't played since April 19, but they will play two vital matches within a three-day span in the Liga MX Clausura quarterfinals. The team visits Pachuca on Tuesday, May 6 before hosting its foes on Friday, May 9.
FULL RUNDOWN
-- Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United; English Championship) – 79 minutes in 2-1 win at Plymouth Argyle (May 3); 86 minutes in 4-0 win vs. Bristol City (April 28)
-- Paxten Aaronson (Utrecht; Dutch Eredivisie) - No games
-- Kellyn Acosta (Chicago Fire; MLS) - Injured, DNP in 0-0 draw vs. Orlando City SC (May 3)
-- Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth; English Premier League) – 90 minutes in 2-1 win at Arsenal (May 3)
-- Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; MLS) - 90 minutes, ASSIST, in 4-2 win vs. Charlotte FC (May 3)
-- Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC; MLS) - 82 minutes in 4-2 loss at Columbus Crew (May 3)
-- Folarin Balogun (Monaco; French Ligue 1) – 90 minutes, GOAL, in 3-1 win at Saint-Etienne (May 3)
-- Taylor Booth (Twente; Dutch Eredivisie) - Injured, DNP in 2-0 win at Sparta Rotterdam (May 4)
-- Gianluca Busio (Venezia; Italian Serie A) - 82 minutes in 1-1 draw at Torino (May 2)
-- Drake Callender (Inter Miami CF; MLS) – Injured, DNP in 4-1 win vs. New York Red Bulls (May 3); Injured, DNP in 3-1 loss vs. Vancouver Whitecaps in Concacaf Champions Cup (April 30)
-- Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis; La Liga) - In 18, DNP in 2-1 win at Espanyol (May 4); 90 minutes in 2-1 win vs. Fiorentina in UEFA Conference League (May 1)
-- Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic; Scottish Premiership) - 90 minutes in 1-1 draw at Rangers (May 4)
-- Ben Cremaschi (Inter Miami CF; MLS) – 32 minutes as a substitute in 4-1 win vs. New York Red Bulls (May 3); 34 minutes as a substitute in 3-1 loss vs. Vancouver Whitecaps in Concacaf Champions Cup (April 30)
-- Luca de la Torre (San Diego FC; MLS) – 90 minutes in 5-0 win vs. FC Dallas (May 3)
-- Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven; Dutch Eredivisie) - 14 minutes as a substitute in 4-1 win vs. Fortuna Sittard (May 3)
-- Jesús Ferreira (Seattle Sounders; MLS) - Injured, DNP in 4-1 win vs. St. Louis CITY (May 3)
-- Marlon Fossey (Standard Liege; Belgian Pro League) - 90 minutes in 1-0 loss vs. Sporting Charleroi (May 4)
-- Brian Gutiérrez (Chicago Fire; MLS) - 84 minutes in 0-0 draw vs. Orlando City SC (May 3)
-- Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City; English Championship) - 90 minutes in 4-2 loss at Norwich City (May 3)
-- Sean Johnson (Toronto FC; MLS) - 90 minutes in 2-0 loss vs. New England Revolution (May 3)
-- DeJuan Jones (San Jose Earthquakes; MLS) – 90 minutes, TWO ASSISTS, in 4-1 win vs. Portland Timbers (May 3)
-- Richy Ledezma (PSV Eindhoven; Dutch Eredivisie) - 76 minutes in 4-1 win vs. Fortuna Sittard (May 3)
-- Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; MLS) - 90 minutes, GOAL, in 2-1 loss at Vancouver Whitecaps (May 3)
-- Kristoffer Lund (Palermo; Italy Serie B) - 57 minutes in 2-1 loss at Genoa (May 4); 65 minutes in 2-1 loss vs. Südtirol (May 1)
-- Lennard Maloney (Mainz; Bundesliga) - In 18, DNP in 1-1 draw vs. Eintracht Frankfurt (May 4)
-- Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo; MLS) - 89 minutes in 2-0 loss at Los Angeles FC (May 3)
-- Weston McKennie (Juventus; Italy Serie A) - 90 minutes in 1-1 draw at Bologna (May 4)
-- Mark McKenzie (Toulouse; French Ligue 1) - Not in 18, DNP, SUSPENDED, in 2-1 win vs. Rennes (May 3)
-- Djordje Mihailovic (Colorado Rapids; MLS) - 90 minutes in 2-1 loss at D.C. United (May 3)
-- Shaq Moore (FC Dallas; MLS) - 90 minutes in 5-0 loss at San Diego FC (May 3)
-- Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough; English Championship) - 78 minutes in 2-0 loss at Coventry City (May 3)
-- Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders; MLS) - Injured, DNP in 4-1 win vs. St. Louis CITY (May 3)
-- Yunus Musah (AC Milan; Italy Serie A) - At Genoa (Monday, 2:45 p.m. ET)
-- Jalen Neal (CF Montreal; MLS) – In 18, DNP in 2-1 loss vs. Philadelphia Union (May 3)
-- Erik Palmer-Brown (Panathinaikos; Greek Super League) - 67 minutes as a substitute in 2-1 win at AEK Athens (May 4)
-- Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg; Bundesliga) - Injured, DNP in 4-0 loss at Borussia Dortmund (May 3)
-- Jordan Pefok (Reims; French Ligue 1) - 65 minutes in 1-0 loss at Nice (May 2)
-- Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven; Dutch Eredivisie) - Injured, DNP in 4-1 win vs. Fortuna Sittard (May 3)
-- Christian Pulisic (AC Milan; Italy Serie A) - At Genoa (Monday, 2:45 p.m. ET)
-- Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; MLS) - 90 minutes in 4-2 loss at Columbus Crew (May 3)
-- Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund; Bundesliga) - In 18, DNP in 4-0 win vs. Wolfsburg (May 3)
-- Bryan Reynolds (Westerlo; Belgian Pro League) - 64 minutes in 4-2 win vs. Dender (May 2)
-- Chris Richards (Crystal Palace; English Premier League) - Vs. Nottingham Forest (Monday, 3 p.m. ET)
-- Antonee Robinson (Fulham; English Premier League) - 90 minutes in 1-0 loss at Aston Villa (May 3)
-- Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; MLS) - 90 minutes in 1-0 loss at New York City FC (May 4)
-- James Sands (St. Pauli; Bundesliga) - Injured, DNP in 1-0 loss vs. Stuttgart (May 3)
-- Josh Sargent (Norwich City; English Championship) - 90 minutes in 4-2 win vs. Cardiff City (May 3)
-- Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach; Bundesliga) - 90 minutes in 4-4 draw vs. Hoffenheim (May 3)
-- Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; MLS) - 90 minutes in 4-2 win vs. Charlotte FC (May 3)
-- Gaga Slonina (Chelsea U-21; English Premier League 2) - Not in 18, DNP in 6-0 loss at Crystal Palace U-21 (May 2)
-- Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids; MLS) - 90 minutes in 2-1 loss at D.C. United (May 3)
-- Tanner Tessmann (Lyon; French Ligue 1) – 2 minutes as a substitute in 2-1 loss vs. Lens (May 4)
-- Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven; Dutch Eredivisie) - 89 minutes in 4-1 win vs. Fortuna Sittard (May 3)
-- Timmy Tillman (Los Angeles FC; MLS) - 90 minutes, ASSIST, in 2-0 win vs. Houston Dynamo (May 3)
-- John Tolkin (Holstein Kiel; Bundesliga) - 90 minutes in 3-1 win at Augsburg (May 4)
-- Auston Trusty (Celtic; Scottish Premiership) - In 18, DNP in 1-1 draw at Rangers (May 4)
-- Matt Turner (Crystal Palace; English Premier League) - Vs. Nottingham Forest (Monday, 3 p.m. ET)
-- Brandon Vazquez (Austin FC; MLS) - 90 minutes in 3-0 loss vs. Minnesota United (May 3)
-- Tim Weah (Juventus; Italy Serie A) - 86 minutes in 1-1 draw at Bologna (May 4)
-- Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps; MLS) - Injured, DNP in 2-1 win vs. Real Salt Lake (May 3); 56 minutes, GOAL, in 3-1 win at Inter Miami CF in Concacaf Champions Cup (April 30)
-- Caleb Wiley (Watford; English Championship) - 78 minutes in 1-1 draw vs. Sheffield Wednesday (May 3)
-- Haji Wright (Coventry City; English Championship) - 90 minutes in 2-0 win vs. Middlesbrough (May 3)
-- Alejandro Zendejas (Club America; Liga MX) - No games
-- Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; MLS) - Injured, DNP in 1-1 draw at Atlanta United (May 3)
