A Belgian bonanza, Luca de la Torre’s big moment and concerns over Matt Turner’s game time all play a part of this week’s USMNT Player Tracker.
Throughout the season, we will be bringing you updates on the USMNT players plying their trade in various leagues around Europe. With a World Cup on home soil on the horizon, we’re keeping tabs on how they perform every weekend.
Top story of the weekend
There’s a new show in town for aficionados of promising young Americans in Europe: the Jupiler Pro League.
Yes, the top flight in Belgium has long fostered U.S. talent trying to make their way to the big clubs in Europe, but this season the Jupiler Pro League has an especially intriguing and bumper-sized clutch of gifted Americans — some of whom caught the eye during the U.S.’s encouraging Olympics campaign over the summer.
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At Westerlo, a club who finished 11th last term, there is the exciting winger Griffin Yow, who made his mark for the national team in Paris and appeared in all of their four games. The 21-year-old’s progress has been monitored by several bigger teams, but he remains at Westerlo along with right-back Bryan Reynolds.
Reynolds, a 23-year-old Texan, has made seven appearances for the USMNT. He came through FC Dallas in Major League Soccer, moved to Roma and then eventually Belgium, where he has flourished. Reynolds has started this season in good form with a goal and an assist already after six games.
The Antwerp-based club added to their American contingent over the summer, recruiting 18-year-old Julian Placias from United Soccer League side North Carolina. Placias, a dual-national who is also eligible to represent Argentina, signed a three-year deal with Westerlo.
Over at Standard Liege, former Fulham right-back Marlon Fossey is into his third full season in Belgium. He made 30 appearances for the club last term, with one goal and two assists, and his form was enough to earn a call-up to interim USMNT manager Mikey Varas’ roster for the team’s friendly games this month.
Fossey was an unused substitute in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat by Canada, but Varas was upbeat before the game about his potential.
“Marlon we haven’t seen since 2019,” Varas said. “He hasn’t been in the group for a long time, but I think it’s a great example that, even if you haven’t been in for a while, what you do with your club matters. We’re always watching a really big pool of players. Right now, it’s a great opportunity for the entire right-back pool.
“Unfortunately, with Sergino Dest out, who we miss dearly, it’s opened up the opportunity for us to test other guys. He (Fossey) has done a great job with Standard Liege, performing really well. We’ve been tracking him, and we want to give him an opportunity.”
It was one American in, another out for Genk. Mark McKenzie left the club to join Toulouse at the end of the summer transfer window, but the club lined up right-back Kayden Pierre, who left Sporting Kansas City to sign a four-year deal with the Belgian club.
As part of the agreement, Sporting will receive a sell-on fee for any future transfer of the Michigan native.
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Also at Genk is 20-year-old midfielder Evan Rotundo. The Californian, who is playing for the club’s youth side Jong Genk, came through the ranks at German side Schalke before moving to Belgium. He has also made three appearances for the U.S. Under-17s.
Another youngster hoping to break into the senior team at his Belgian club is 18-year-old Devon De Corte. Now at Anderlecht, De Corte is a former Philadelphia Union player.
While at Sint-Truiden, striker Kahveh Zahiroleslam, a Californian who was briefly with Chicago FC United after playing college soccer for Yale Bulldogs, has started this season like he means business. With three goals and one assist in six appearances, the Iranian-American is one to watch.
Player of the weekend
After enjoying an impressive season with Celta Vigo in Spain last term — racking up three goals and six assists — now Luca de la Torre has scored his first goal in a U.S. shirt.
Granted, the 26-year-old’s big moment came in the defeat against Canada over the weekend, but it still underlined his potential and showed again what he can offer the team.
Receiving the ball from (last week’s player of the weekend) Aidan Morris, De la Torre pulled one back for Varas’ men with a calm strike from 10 yards out. He had only been on the field for two minutes.
Quote of the weekend
“I don’t think he’s going to get better sitting on the bench.”
Former USMNT goalkeeper Tony Meola, speaking on CBS Sports Golazo America, explains his frustration at U.S. No 1 Matt Turner’s decision to join Crystal Palace on loan from Nottingham Forest, effectively going from third-choice at the City Ground to backup at Selhurst Park.
Graphic of the weekend
Over two years have passed since Gabriel Slonina committed his international to the U.S. despite Poland’s interest in the young goalkeeper.
It was seen as a massive securement for the USMNT, the confirmation of another promising net minder in a proud lineage for the program. Since leaving the Chicago Fire for Chelsea, however, Slonina has largely developed outside the spotlight — first on a loan with Eupen in Belgium, and now in England’s League One with Barnsley.
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Through four starts with the third-tier side, Slonina has helped his new side to three wins and a draw. Most recently, he backstopped Barnsley to a 2-1 win at home against Bristol Rovers, fending off another team that may have outside hopes of crashing the promotion playoffs.
The conceded goal wasn’t one that flattered Slonina; a proper route one heave from his opposite number was flicked on by a winger towards the edge of the box. Slonina, a defending team-mate and on-rushing forward Ruel Sotiriou converged, but it was the Bristol Rovers forward who came out on top, rounding the goalkeeper before sliding into an empty net.
Nevertheless, he made up for his error in the second half, with the score still 1-1, saving from point-blank range after a defensive mistake.
Slonina set a season high mark with his passing, with his one turnover in the defensive third not leading to an incurred shot.
In 2022, many would have expected Slonina to be among the options at the Copa América; instead, he spent the summer as the Olympic team’s backup. Still some way below Europe’s highest standard, he’ll hope to rebuild his stock and guide Barnsley back to the Championship.
Jeff Rueter
What’s coming up?
(All times ET)
Lennard Maloney will hope to feature for Heidenheim as they face Gio Reyna’s Borussia Dortmund on September 13 (2:30pm, ESPN+).
Elsewhere in Germany, Joe Scally’s Borussia Monchengladbach face Stuttgart the following day (9:30am, ESPN+).
Later that morning, Chris Richards and Crystal Palace (though probably not Turner) are in action against Leicester City (10am on Peacock Premium) and on the same channel at the same time will be Antonee Robinson’s Fulham. They take on West Ham.
Tim Weah and possibly Weston McKennie will also hope to be involved in Serie A as Juventus face Empoli on Saturday (12pm, Paramount+) and, as Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah line up for AC Milan the same day, it will be interesting to see Gianluca Busio face his compatriots, with Venezia back in the Italian top flight (2:45pm, Paramount+).
(Top photos: Getty Images)
