Two top young members of the U.S. national team earned their first Ligue 1 starts, while two other attacking youngsters recorded their first goals of the new season in a busy week for Americans Abroad.
Speedy winger Jonathan Amon scored in consecutive matches for Danish side FC Nordsjaelland, while USMNT striker Andrija Novakovich opened his account for Dutch side Fortuna Sittard against PSV Eindhoven.
In France, Tim Weah made headlines when he was handed a start against Guingamp, while Matt Miazga earned his first start for Nantes.
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The Bundesliga season is still a week away, but DFB Pokal action saw several Americans, including Weston McKennie, featuring for their squads.
Here is a look at the top performances by Americans Abroad this past week:
Jonathan Amon
After being sidelined for three months with a hamstring injury, Amon has returned to action in style, scoring in consecutive matches and showing off the blazing speed that has made him such a highly-regarded youth national team prospect.
Amon made his return a week ago, playing 10 minutes in a loss to Malmo, but he then came off the bench and scored in Nordsjaelland’s 3-2 Europa League loss to Partizan on Thursday. Just three days later, Amon found the net again, making a half-field run through the Veljle defense to give his team an insurance goal in a 2-0 victory.
U.S. Under-20 winger Jonathan Amon came off the bench and scored a beauty for Danish side Nordsjaelland in a 2-0 win today. He’s definitely a young speedster to watch on the #USMNT radar: pic.twitter.com/RYQWoTmotc
— Ives Galarcep (@SoccerByIves) August 19, 2018
The 19-year-old is expected to be a key part of Tab Ramos’ U-20 setup, which will take part in Under-20 World Cup qualifying in November.
Andrija Novakovich
After lighting up the Dutch second division last season, Novakovic wasted no time showing he can handle the jump up to the Eredivisie, scoring an impressive goal in Fortuna Sittard’s 2-1 loss to Dutch powerhouse PSV Eindhoven.
The 21-year-old striker, who is still on the books at English side Reading, joined Fortuna Sittard this summer on loan after an outstanding season on loan with Dutch second division side Telstar. He scored 19 goals that season, and his finish against PSV suggests he is capable of another strong season.
Great composure!
Andrija Novakovich with a lovely finish for Fortuna Sittard against PSV. 🙌#Eredivisie pic.twitter.com/0xHjyaGYuZ
— Goal (@goal) August 19, 2018
Novakovich’s goal should also send a message to caretaker USMNT coach Dave Sarachan, who gave Novakovich his national team debut earlier this year, and will have to consider another call-up for him for the September friendlies against Brazil and Mexico.
Weston McKennie
It may have just been the first round of the DFB Pokal, but McKennie’s starting role in Schalke’s 2-0 win against FC Schweinfurt on Friday is a good sign that Domenico Tedesco still has big plans for the young American midfielder this season.
McKennie started alongside Nabil Bentaleb as dual defensive midfielders in a 3-4-1-2 setup. McKennie enters the new season facing stiff competition for playing time from newly-acquired Spanish midfielder Omar Mascarell, but an injury in preseason suffered by Mascarell has helped give McKennie more time to make his case.
McKennie and Schalke begins the Bundesliga season on Saturday on the road against John Brooks and Wolfsburg. Brooks is back healthy with Wolfsburg, having played 90 minutes in Saturday’s DFB Pokal win against SV Elversberg.
Matt Miazga
It didn’t take long for Miazga to convince his new manager to give him a start, and while Nantes may be off to an 0-2 start, Miazga turned in a solid debut in Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Dijon.
Miazga played 90 minutes, and completed 68 of 77 passes — the second-most completed passes on the team — showing the improved passing ability he honed over two seasons with Dutch side Vitesse. He was beaten to the back-post for Dijon’s second goal though, which won’t go over well with his new manager.
Miazga and Nantes take on Caen at home on Saturday.
Tim Weah
After a torrid preseason, and scoring two goals in his previous two matches, Weah was riding high and earned a start for Paris St. Germain in Sunday’s clash with Guingamp. It didn’t go quite according to plan, as he saw little of the ball and left at halftime with PSG trailing 1-0. Kylian Mbappe replaced him, and helped spark a PSG 3-1 win.
Weah had already exceeded expectations before the weekend, and while he seems destined to return to the bench, the fact he has made such a strong early impression bodes well for Thomas Tuchel keeping him with the first team rather than loaning him out. Weah has shown he can contribute in PSG’s loaded attack, but Sunday offered a reminder of how tenuous life can be on a team as strong as PSG.
Weah and PSG face Angiers at home on Saturday.
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