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- 230315 ASU Newsletter
230315 ASU Newsletter
“Once this tournament is over, I can make one phone call and give one interview, and his cool sneakers and bounce passes will be gone.”
—Danielle Reyna, mother of Gio, speaking about Gregg Berhalter in the Alston & Bird U.S. Soccer Investigation of Berhalter. For Rog’s complete take on the findings within the report, be sure to listen to the Men in Blazers Berhalter/Reyna Investigation Emergency Podcast. 🎧
Welcome Back Back, Haji:
Haji Wright 🇹🇷 is back. Or as Christian Pulisic 🏴 put it, “That boy back back!”
The 24-year-old striker from Los Angeles had two goals and an assist in Antalyaspor’s 4-0 win over Kayserispor in the Turkish Super Lig on Saturday. (WATCH: GOAL 1 | GOAL 2 | ASSIST) It was an exceptional performance, especially considering that Wright only just returned from a two-month absence due to injury. Which might explain why he was mobbed by smiling teammates with every celebration. And why he himself seemed a bit emotional, perhaps wiping away a stray tear or two after the goals.
One can only imagine what the last four to five months have been like for Wright. First, a World Cup goal, no matter how intentional, against the Netherlands, followed by a January transfer window that saw him linked to multiple Premier League clubs. But no move happened. Injury that same month. And then, a devastating earthquake in your new country of residence on Feb. 6.
If any footballer needed a two-goal, one-assist afternoon, it’s probably Wright. Welcome back back, Haji. Courage.
Best American in France Since Ernest Hemingway?:
Folarin Balogun 🇫🇷 scored his 16th Ligue 1 goal of the season for Reims on Sunday, this one a breakaway wallop that seemed to go straight through the Monaco goalkeeper. (WATCH) This puts the 21-year-old born in NYC in a tie for third in the league scoring race, behind Kylian Mbappe and Jonathan David.
As previously reported, the Arsenal loanee has yet to decide whether his international future lies with England, Nigeria, or the U.S. Meaning it’s time to land this Eagle. His USMNT commitment needs to be a priority at the Diplomatic Level. 🇺🇸
He Chose US 🇺🇸🇲🇽:
While Balogun is still unsure where his international footballing future lies, the USMNT did secure another top recruit this week, as Club America winger Alejandro Zendejas announced on Instagram that he was committing his international future to the U.S.
The 25-year-old FC Dallas Academy product has taken a circuitous route to Confirmed Eagle Status. Born in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico and raised in El Paso, Texas, Zendejas played with Tyler Adams and Christian Pulisic as part of the USYNTs early on, but then later joined the Mexican National Team for two friendlies in 2021/2022. El Tri did not submit the proper paperwork for the move, however, meaning that the matches were forfeited. This left the door open for the Liga MX star to “return” to the USMNT, a move that was confirmed Tuesday.
With eight goals and three assists across all competitions in 2022-23 for one of Mexico’s biggest clubs, the left-footed Zendejas provides badly needed attacking depth to the U.S. frontline. Welcome, Alex. Hope we can provide a manager for you soon.
News and Notes:
Tim Ream 🏴 (35; St. Louis, MO) and Fulham fell to the Arsenal at Craven Cottage on Sunday, but the club captain made news with a really beautiful pre-match gesture by wearing noise-canceling headphones out onto the pitch as a show of solidarity with the child he was accompanying. 🙌
Cameron Carter-Vickers 🏴 (25; Southend-on-Sea, ENG) scored his first goal of the season in Celtic’s FA Cup win over Hearts on Saturday. (WATCH) The USMNT center back who started against Iran in the World Cup was then named to the SPFL Team of the Week for his efforts.
Tyler Adams 🏴 (24; Wappingers Falls, NY) and Leeds pulled off an encouraging 2-2 draw with Brighton Saturday, but not before Adams and Alexis Mac Allister mixed it up in the midfield.
Kevin Paredes 🇩🇪 (19; South Riding, VA) subbed on at right back in the 82nd minute against Union Berlin, then had an assist two minutes later to help lift Wolfsburg to the 1-1 home draw. (WATCH)
Benji Michel 🇵🇹 (25; Orlando, FL) was also an instant-impact sub in Arouca’s 2-0 win at Vitoria de Guimares on Saturday. Michel came on in the 75th minute and then threaded a perfect through ball for the assist in the 76th. (WATCH)
Matt Turner 🏴 (28; Park Ridge, NJ) got his seventh start of the season in a 2-2 draw with Sporting CP in the Europa League on Thursday. Over those seven starts, Bergen County Buffon has steered the Gunners to five wins, one draw and one loss.
Luca de la Torre 🇪🇸 (24; San Diego, CA) started against Rayo Vallecano on Saturday, and took to Instagram after the win. And his fellow Eagles were all over the comments. yunus.musah8: “Mas pulpo 😂”. hajiwright: “First time I’ve seen you in jeans in 10 years”. 🐙👖
Weston McKennie 🏴 (24; Little Elm, TX) didn’t get the start against Brighton on Saturday, but he did show off some decent pre-game tekkers.
This near-worldie from Daryl Dike 🏴 (22; Edmond, OK) is over a week old, but it’s absolutely still worth sharing. 🤯
Richy Ledezma 🇳🇱 (22; Phoenix, AZ) played in PSV’s 5-2 win over Cambuur Sunday, his first senior appearance since Nov. 3. That said, a loan to NYCFC might be in Ledezma’s future.
Careers are trending in opposite directions for two U.S.-born managers in Germany. With a win over Greuther Fürth on Saturday, Fabian Hürzeler 🇩🇪 has won every one of his first seven matches as manager of FC St. Pauli, while Pellegrino Matarazzo 🇩🇪 has now lost five of five since taking over at Hoffenheim, after falling to Freiburg on Sunday.
For reasons unknown, Gregg Berhalter was at Craven Cottage on Sunday. Perhaps he was there to attend an Order of the DILFs meeting.
US World Cup Champions in Europe:
Our back-to-back World Champion is back in the goals abroad, as Lindsey Horan 🇫🇷 (28; Golden, CO) scored her fifth league goal of the season for Lyon, via a lovely short-hop redirect. Next up for Horan and the French leaders: a visit from Sam Kerr and Chelsea in the Champions League Quarter Finals next Wednesday.
Fit But You Know It:
Josh Sargent 🏴 (23; O’Fallon, MO) returned to action Sunday after missing nearly three weeks of action with an ankle injury … Rangers manager Michael Beale expects Malik Tillman 🏴 (20; Nürnberg, GER) to return to action against Motherwell Saturday. Tillman has been out since Feb. 4 with a hamstring injury … Sam Vines 🇧🇪 (23; Colorado Springs, CO) played with Royal Antwerp “Young Reds” (article in Dutch) on Sunday. It was Vines’ first action since suffering an ankle fracture at the start of November, an injury that kept him off the USMNT World Cup roster. 🙌
Parting Shots:
Baby Eagle Ulysses Llanez 🇦🇹 (21; Lynwood, CA) used pace and finesse to score a silky breakaway goal for SKN St. Pölten in Austria on Friday. (WATCH) The Wolfsburg loanee has four goals so far this season, his output helping to lift St. Pölten up to first place in the 2. Liga. More on Llanez: the young talent is an L.A. Galaxy Academy product who lists Neymar and Alexis Sanchez as his favorite footballers, and he already has three caps and one goal for the USMNT.
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