USMNT midweek roundup: Upsetting Leverkusen

Here’s a bullet-point rundown of the USMNT players whose clubs were in action this week (Sunday afternoon through Thursday). I divided players by position groups (that helps my depth-chart-oriented brain to process this information most usefully). Within position groups, players are listed chronologically, in order of when their games took place.

Strikers

Injured: Ricardo Pepi (knee, out for season), Damion Downs (hand, a few days), Jordan Pefok (hamstring, back in the squad), Jordan Morris (hamstring, mid-April)

• Brandon Vázquez played the full 90 in Austin FC’s 1-0 win over St. Louis City on Sunday. Vázquez was 7/21 on duels (2/11 ground, 5/10 aerial); no player lost more duels than he did (14).
• Jordan Pefok didn’t make the bench, but he was listed in Reims’ squad for their Coupe de France match with Cannes on Wednesday, his first time since a hamstring injury that was expected to keep him out for the rest of this season.
• Brian White played 75 minutes and scored in the Vancouver Whitecaps’ 1-1 draw with Pumas on Wednesday.

Wingers and attacking mids

Injured: Kevin Paredes (ankle, back in squad), Brian Gutiérrez (muscle injury, mid-April), Cole Campbell (knock, a few days)

• Griffin Yow played 81 minutes and created 2 chances in Westerlo’s 0-1 loss to Dender on Sunday.
• Christian Pulisic played 79 minutes and created 1 chance in AC Milan’s 1-2 loss to Napoli on Sunday. The big talking point was that Santi Giménez took a penalty for Milan and missed it. Pulisic is 4/5 on penalties for Milan, his teammates are only 1/4.
• Alex Zendejas played 78 minutes and created 1 chance in Club América’s 0-0 draw with Cruz Azul on Tuesday. Zendejas was 5/14 on duels (all on the ground, no aerials); his 9 lost duels were most in the match.
• Christian Pulisic played 76 minutes and created 2 chances in AC Milan’s 1-1 draw with Inter Milan on Wednesday.
• Matko Miljevic was an unused sub as Huracán played their first Copa Sudamerica game of the season on Wednesday, a 2-1 win over Corinthians.

Center mids

Injured: James Sands (broken leg, mid-July), Niko Tsakiris (muscle injury, mid-April)

• Owen Wolff played the full 90 and created 1 chance in Austin FC’s 1-0 win over St. Louis City on Sunday.
• Yunus Musah was suspended for yellow card accumulation, missing AC Milan’s 1-2 loss to Napoli on Sunday.
• Johnny Cardoso played the full 90 and scored as Real Betis won 2-1 over Sevilla on Sunday in El Gran Derbi.

Here’s a full comp of Johnny’s performance in the derby:

• Jack McGlynn played 87 minutes, provided an assist, and made an error that led to a goal as the Houston Dynamo lost 1-3 to the Portland Timbers on Sunday.

Here’s McGlynn’s error that led to a goal. A backpass into space that launched the Timbers attack:

• 30-year-old American midfielder Mael Corboz played the full 90 and wore the captain’s armband for third-division German club Arminia Bielefeld in a DFB-Pokal semifinal as they completed a shock 2-1 upset win over current holders (and reigning Bundesliga champions) Leverkusen. Corboz created 2 chances, won 1/1 tackle, made 5 clearances, 6 recoveries, and went 2/9 on duels (1/3 ground, 1/6 aerial).

• Lennard Maloney started for Mainz’s reserves in their game against FSV Frankfurt. Not ideal for Maloney, who was getting Bundesliga matches with Heidenheim earlier this season before his transfer to Mainz.
• Tyler Adams played 45 minutes off the bench and created 2 chances in Bournemouth’s 1-2 loss to Ipswich on Wednesday.
• Leon Flach played 66 minutes as his Polish club Jagiellonia Białystok won Poland’s cup final 1-0 over Wisła Kraków on Wednesday. Jagiellonia are currently second in Poland’s table with 26 matches played, sitting in a Conference League qualifying spot. They’re only 4 points behind leaders Raków Częstochowa. The league winner gets into Champions League qualifying. Flach has made 14 appearances for Jagiellonia since joining from the Philadelphia Union in January, playing over 1,000 minutes already.
• Yunus Musah missed AC Milan’s 1-1 draw with Inter Milan on Wednesday due to a fever.
• Benja Cremaschi played 23 minutes off the bench as Inter Miami lost 0-1 to LAFC on Wednesday.

Fullbacks

No injuries

• Bryan Reynolds played the full 90 and scored an own goal, the game’s only goal, as Westerlo lost 0-1 to Dender on Sunday. Reynolds also created 1 chance and made 15 passes into the final third.
• Antonee Robinson played the full 90 and wore the captain’s armband for Fulham in a 1-2 loss to Arsenal on Tuesday. Jedi created 2 chances and made 3 passes into the final third.
• George Bello played the full 120 minutes as LASK Linz lost 1-1 (2-4 on penalties) Wolfsberger in Austria’s cup semifinal on Wednesday.

Center-backs

Injured: Chris Richards (calf, expected back this coming weekend), Auston Trusty (calf, back on the bench), Anrie Chase (groin, early April), Jalen Neal (knee, mid-April), Matt Miazga (knee, late June), John Brooks (ankle, mid-April)

Goalkeepers

Injured: Gaga Slonina (finger, mid-April)

• Matt Turner was an unused sub in Crystal Palace’s 1-1 draw with Southampton on Wednesday.
• Diego Kochen was an unused sub as FC Barcelona won 1-0 over Atlético Madrid on Wednesday to advance to the Copa del Rey final (Barça won 5-4 on aggregate).

What were your takeaways? What changes would you make to the format of these articles? Hit the comments to discuss.