With an eye towards the final legs of qualification for European play, a number of players such as Cameron Carter-Vickers were either rested, or saw their games postponed. Those that did play, including Matthew Hoppe, Rokas Pukstas and George Bello, saw a mixed bag of results.
We’ll take a look around the European continent (and quickly over to one of those nearby islands) at how Yanks playing outside of the leagues getting our usual detailed coverage did during the weekend’s games.
Denmark
SønderjyskE 2 – 0 Brøndby IF
Matthew Hoppe continued his run as SønderjyskE’s starting center forward in their 2-0 win over Brøndby on Sunday. Despite the convincing win for his team, the American’s performance was hardly attention-grabbing, as he was limited to just 21 touches, none of which were in the 18-yard box, and no shots in his hour of play. For Brøndby, Gavin Beavers served as the team’s backup keeper and was not called into action, while Justin Che was once again left off the roster amidst reports of an impending transfer.
AGF Aarhus 1 – 0 Vejle BK
Jonathan Amon continued his slow return to full health, this time playing the final six minutes of regulation for Vejle in their 1-0 road loss at Aarhus on Sunday. The American had six touches and completed his only pass attempt, and will hope to see his role expand when they host Viborg FF on Friday.
Scotland
No Americans were in action Scotland over the weekend. Cameron Carter-Vickers was rested by Celtic ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League Qualification game (editor note: it didn’t help their fortunes in Kazakhstan), while Auston Trusty sat out with a minor injury as the Hoops beat Livingston by a 3-0 margin. Dante Polvara also got a break as Aberdeen’s visit to Dundee United was postponed.
Croatia
Osijek 0 – 2 Hajduk Split
Rokas Pukstas retained his spot in Hajduk Split’s starting lineup for their 2-0 road win over Osijek on Sunday, but was not able to recreate his goalscoring heroics of the previous weekend. He still had a good showing in the win during his 85 minutes, taking four shots, one of them on target, while setting up an additional two chances. The team remains perfect after four games, trailing Dinamo Zagreb only on goal differential. They next host Rijeka on Sunday.
Austria
Red Bull Salzburg 3 – 0 LASK
George Bello and Samuel Adeniran both started for LASK in their tough three-goal loss at Red Bull on Saturday. The team never had a chance against the league giants, and were already down 2-0 when they had midfielder Sacha Horvath sent off for a second yellow in the 35th minute. Bello played 85 minutes at left back, with no major positives or negatives, apart from picking up a yellow card. Adeniran had few chances to make any impact up top in his 58 minutes of play, with 20 touches and no shots or created chances. LASK face SSV Horn in cup action on Wednesday, then host Ried in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Altach 1 – 1 Grazer AK
Donovan Pines helped Grazer AK hold down the fort on Sunday for their 1-1 road draw at Altach. All the scoring took place early on – Altach going ahead in the 11th minute and Grazer equalizing seven minutes later – after which the respective defenses locked down the game. Pines made eight clearances, had two interceptions and three recoveries, while not committing any fouls. They are still winless on the season, and host Sturm Graz in a derby match on Saturday.
Austria Wien 1 – 3 Hartberg
Maurice Malone and Austria Wien extended their winless streak, falling by a 3-1 margin at home to Hartberg. Malone played the full game at forward, taking three shots and forcing two saves. The team will try to pull out of their slump when they host Attach on Sunday.
Poland
None of Poland’s contingent of American players took the field over the weekend. Forward Kahveh Zahiroleslam was an unused substitute for Cracovia in their scoreless draw at Piast Gliwice on Sunday. Leon Flach and Aziel Jackson had a rest ahead of Jagiellonia Bialystok’s Europa Conference League qualification visit to Albania as their planned game at Legia Warsaw was postponed.
Portugal
FC Porto 4 – 0 Casa Pia AC
Korede Osundina and Casa Pia were blown away by their hosts FC Porto on Saturday, falling by a four-goal margin. The American had little chance to pester Porto’s goal during his 58 minutes of play, with only 14 touches and a single shot. The team is midtable in Liga Portugal after three games, and will expect a better result when they host Nacional on Saturday.
Slovakia
FC Kosice 1 – 0 Ruzomberok
American attacker Zyen Jones only saw a couple of garbage-time minutes for FC Kosice on Saturday during their 3-1 home win over Ruzomberok. The American has been a rotational starter so far for the team in the new season, and will hope to see more time on the field on Saturday when they visit Slovan Bratislava.
Norway
Sarpsborg 08 0 – 1 Kristiansund BK
Ian Hoffmann started and played 68 minutes at right back for Kristiansund BK on Monday night as they narrowly beat their hosts Sarpsborg 08 by a 1-0 margin. The former US and German youth international took one shot and set up one chance during hiss time on the field. The win gives the team three points of breathing room above the relegation playoff, ahead of their home game against third-place Brann on Sunday.