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Americans abroad

Dest, Morris, Corboz, Pittman stand out, Jedi shelved, & Much More

ASN's Brian Sciaretta writes up his thoughts from the weeekend amongst Americans abroad. Sergino Dest looked terrific, while Scott Pittman, Aidan Morris, Marlon Fossey, and Mael Corboz are also standout performers. Plenty of good and bad to go through. 
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
August 11, 2025
9:00 AM

IT WAS A BUSY weekend for Americans in Europe, despite the top divisions in Germany, England, France, and Italy still at the tail end of preseason. Many U.S. players, in including USMNT hopefuls, were in action in both regular season and preseason games.

For now, let’s just get right into it and we will start with the Eredivisie opening weekend.

 

Dest shines vs. PSV

 

One of the big stories this weekend for American in Europe was the big statement made by defending champion PSV, who sold a lot of talent this summer (including USMNT midfielder Malik Tillman) but also spent money on new players.

Despite playing well at times this preseason, Ricardo Pepi was not deemed fit enough to be in the squad for Saturday’s opener against Sparta Rotterdam. But Sergino Dest, who mist most games this calendar year, including the Gold Cup, did start.

The news could not have been any better for Dest, who played in top form and did not show any indication of his ACL tear or subsequent injury at the end of the season. He played like the high level player he is.

Dest scored the third goal in a 6-1 win over Sparta that featured PSV having five different goal scorers. That is what makes this team difficult to beat – numerous scoring options.



Overall, Dest played 82 minutes and had three shots. He was consistently dangerous. This bodes well for both PSV and the USMNT as it heads into the fall.

 

Rest of Eredivisie

 

In the rest of the Eredivisie outside of PSV, Taylor Booth started and played all 90 minutes for Twente in a 1-0 loss to PEC Zwolle. It was a disappointing result for Twente, who is expected to be in contention for a top five finish, because Zwolle is typically in relegation battles.

Booth, 24, wasn’t one of Twente’s problems on the day and he did create a few chances. He had his own shot in the box blocked in the first few minutes and then he set up two chances later in the game with crosses.

Booth is still likely a long way off from the USMNT but a good season could put him into the picture next year, likely after the World Cup.

The younger Booth brother, Zack Booth, had a tough game in Excelsior’s opener as he came off the bench in the 71st minute in a 5-0 loss to NEC Nijmegen. The game was 4-0 when he came on. The best news for Booth, 21, is that Excelsior will likely have to make changes after such a poor result.

 

Championship: Morris impresses for Boro

 

There are a lot of Americans in the Championship this season and we could see a few involved in the promotion races.

Aidan Morris, 23, was solid in central midfield for Middlesborough in a 1-0 win over Swansea to open the season. He was good at setting the pace and helping Boro win the possession battles.

 



It wasn’t a flashy performances, but he is very important to the Boro midfield moving forward.

After a big 2024/25 campaign, Josh Sargent scored his first goal of the new season in Norwich’s opening day win. The 55th minute goal was an equalizer in what eventually turned out to be a 2-1 loss at home to Millwall.

The goal was all hustle as Sargent blocked a goalkeeper clearance directly back into the goal. It was more seen as a goalkeeper error, but Sargent hustled on the play.

Sargent remains an interesting player for the rest of the month. Norwich is still hopeful of selling him, as they could use the money. But for Sargent to get interest, he needs to keep scoring in any way possible. But where does Sargent want to go? Turning down Wolfsburg two weeks ago shows signs of a limited options.

Damion Downs played the final 31 minutes for Southampton and was on the field as they scored two very late goals to turn a 1-0 loss into a 2-1 win over Wrexham in the season opener. It was a good shift for Downs as he was involved in the final goal where he slightly touched a pass to Jack Stephens, who smashed in the winner from close range.

Downs, 21, is in a good spot. He will continue to get chances and he will contribute to a team that should be in contention to bounce right back up.

George Campbell came on in the dying minutes for West Brom to help see out a 1-0 victory over Blackburn. It marked his debut for the club after moving from Montreal earlier in the transfer window.

Charlton defeated Watford 1-0 on Saturday. Charlie Kelman, 23, started and played 71 minutes for Charlton. He is coming off a season where he won the third-tier League One scoring title with Leyton Orient. Caleb Wiley was out with a back injury for Watford. Kelman had a good chance to score in the 59th minute but his close-range shot was saved. Charlton found a stoppage time winner to earn all three points.

 

Scotland: Pittman & CCV stand out

 

Scott Pittman, 33, has scored goals in Livingston FC’s first two games of the Scottish Premiership season. The latest in a 3-1 win over Falkirk on Saturday.

The all-time appearance leader for Livingston opened the scoring in the 18th minute with a shot from inside the box for a 1-0 lead.



After earning promotion last season, Livingston is looking to pull away from a relegation battle early.

Celtic dominated its way to a 2-0 win over Aberdeen on Saturday. Cameron Carter-Vickers completed 139 passes in the win. Auston Trusty completed 51 passes in just 24 minutes when he came on to see out the win.

Those passing numbers reflect Celtic’s domination in possession which typically began with the central defenders.



Coincidentally enough, Aberdeen’s best chance of the game came from American midfielder Dante Polvara in the 75th minute – two minutes after he subbed on. His right footed shot from close range was saved.

 

Belgium: Fossey scores in big Standard win

 

Standard Liege defeated Genk 2-1 on Sunday to move to seven points from three games to start the Belgium First Division season. Standard captain and USMNT hopeful Marlon Fossey scored in the 54th minute to give Standard a 2-1 lead – which he then celebrated with a back flip.

On the play, Fossey, 26, moved into the attack and was able to pounce on a ball from close range and beat the keeper with a shot into the top of the net.  

 

 

Will Fossey make it back into the USMNT picture? It seems difficult. With Dest now back, Alex Freeman continuing to impress in Orlando, and Joe Scally continuing to be the starter for Borussia Monchengladbach, there is a crowded field. But performances like this don’t hurt.

Also in Belgium, Westerlo dropped a 1-0 loss at home to KV Mechelen at home after conceding a goal in the 84th minute. Griffin Yow started at right wing for Westerlo but was subbed out after the first half as part of a tactical change. Despite the loss, Bryan Reynolds had a strong 90-minute shift at right back. Both Yow and Reynolds could move before the end of the month as they have likely done all they can do for a small club like Westerlo. The club could also use the money but it comes down to offers.

 

2.Bundesliga: Corboz impresses again

 

It was the second matchday in the 2.Bundesliga season where several Americans play their trade. This week, there were two games that saw multiple players involved.

Holstein Kiel dropped a 2-0 decision to Arminia Bielefeld and it was a big setback for Holstein Kiel, which has no points from the first two games in a season where they are coming back down from the Bundesliga.

John Tolkin, 23, started for Holstein Kiel but was subbed out at halftime for tactical reasons as both wingbacks were removed. The tactical shift did not help at all. Tolkin was okay in his 45 minutes, but the team overall was very poor and does not want to have a poor start to the season. Such starts only create relegations battles.

On the flip side, Arminia Bielefeld was excellent and now has a perfect six points from two games – immediately coming off promotion last year. Led by American captain Mael Corboz, Arminia Bielefeld is off to a great start. Corboz has done well to add maturity to a team that looks ready for the 2.Bundesliga. Corboz, 30, is one of the best “under the radar” stories in American soccer.

Eintracht Braunschweig defeated Greuther Furth 3-2 and Johan Gomez enjoyed one of his best performances in years when he came off the bench in the 61st minute. He was dangerous, assisted on goal that was called back, won a lot of duels, and built a case to start for the club.

For Eintracht, the club has six points from two games. This is huge after narrowly avoiding relegation last season.

On the flip side, Furth sits on three points from two games after the loss. Both Julian Green and Max Dietz both started. Green was subbed out in the 86th minute while Dietz went the whole game. Neither stood out.

On Friday, Paderborn drew Preussen Munster 1-1. Santiago Castaneda, 20, started in defensive midfield for Paderborn but did not stand out in his 78 minutes. Both of the Tampa native’s first two games have been quiet.

 

Richards wins Community Shield

 

Chris Richards can now add a Community Shield to his trophy case as played the entire game at Wembley as his Crystal Palace defeated reigning Premier League champions Liverpool on penalties after a 2-2 draw.

Richards had a “hockey assist” on his team’s second goal and saw his header off a corner saved in the 61st minute.



Richards looks to be in great shape to start the Premier League season next week. His great calendar year of 2025.

 

Elsewhere abroad

In Poland's Ekstraklassa, Jagiellonia Bialystok defeated Cracovia 5-2 with Aziel Jackson making his first start for Bialystok in the win. Leon Flach also played the final 12 minutes in the win. Kahveh Zahirolelam made his debut for Cracovia when he came on in the 79th minute.

In Croatia's HNL, Hajduk Split defeated HNK Gorica 2-0. The win was helped by a Gorica red card in the 50th minute when the score was 0-0. Rokas Pukstas returned to the starting lineup after struggling to break in recently and he was helped by injuries that made him needed. He was active in the attack, despite no goal contributions. Was it enough for him to remain in in the starting lineup? That is an open question.

In the Austrian Bundesliga, George Bello scored in the 50th minute for LASK in a 3-1 loss to WSG Tirol. Sam Adeniran started for LASK but was ineffective. It was good news for Bello to have scored but LASK is winless after two games and has work to do in the weeks ahead.

Quincy Butley, 23, meanwhile started and played well for WSG on the right side of the midfield where he won duels and passed effectively. WSG has won its first two games of the season.

In the Swiss Super League, Lausanne dropped a 2-1 decision at home to FC Zurich. Konrad de la Fuente played the final 18 minutes in the loss.

In the Danish Superliga, Matthew Hoppe started for SonderjyskE but was held in check by Viborg in a 1-0 loss. Hoppe was subbed out in the 71st minute.

In Uruguay's Primera, Agustin Anello played 82 minutes for Boston River in a 1-1 draw with Montevideo City Torque. Anello was subbed out with his team trailing 1-0 and down to 10 men. Boston River now has four points from two games.

 

Preseason & Transfer updates

Robinson on the shelf

Antonee Robinson has not played at all this preseason and will not be available for Fulham to start the season. Once figured to be the subject of transfer rumors this summer to big clubs, everything with Robinson has been quiet.



It's hard to see him part of the USMNT in September at this rate.

McKennie & Campbell meet

Juventus defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-1 and there is a lot to unpack in this game from an American perspective.

Weston McKennie came off the bench in the 66th minute as part of a near-entire team substitution for Juventus.

There wasn’t much to report on his performance on the field. But off the field, we now have this – Roma interest.



Every year, McKennie is on the brink of falling out of favor with Juventus and has always pulled himself back into the mix. But eventually this will end. Perhaps now is a good time for him to make a break and Roma is still a very high landing spot. McKennie knows Serie A well and likely wouldn’t need as much adjustment.

Also in this game was Cole Campbell, who played the last 15 minutes for Borussia Dortmund. This comes after interest from VfB Stuttgart was shelved – at least temporarily as Dortmund assess its winger situation. The speedy U.S. U-20 attacker has been on the edge of BVB’s first team and has made his debut. But works remains for him to be a consistent presence.

As expected, there was no Gio Reyna for BVB and there has been no breakthrough on the transfer front. 

 

Captain McKenzie
 

Toulouse played Sevilla to a 1-1 draw in a preseason friendly and the big takeaway is that USMNT central defender Mark McKenzie wore the captain’s armband for Toulouse – a sign of his growing importance to the Ligue 1 club.


 

Milan smashed by Chelsea

 

Chelsea smashed AC Milan 4-1 over the weekend with Yunus Musah starting and playing 73 minutes for Milan. It was 3-1 when Musah departed the game. Musah remains a player to watch in the weeks ahead as his preseason has not gone well. Milan might opt to drop their asking price and move on.

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