It was a difficult weekend for our boys abroad in the lower tiers of the English football leagues, as no American contributed to a win for their respective clubs.
It’s midweek match day seven in the EFL Championship as we view our Yanks in the tiers below the Premier League in action.
Duane Holmes’ goal against Plymouth made it three scoring contributions on the bounce for the PNE man while Tyler Bindon returned for Reading after being sidelined for a minor injury.
The U.S. men’s national team concluded their September friendlies with wins against Uzbekistan and Oman, scoring seven and conceding none in the process. Although the two Asian countries are ranked 73rd and 74th respectively, the October friendlies against Germany and Ghana will prove to be a greater test for the squad and manager.
A much better performance saw the USA run riot against Oman in Gregg Berhalter’s second game back in charge. By venturing into a fresh and distinctive tactical strategy, Berhalter orchestrated precisely the kind of transformation needed. The USMNT dominated Oman with a resounding 4-0 triumph, thoroughly overpowering their Asian adversaries.
Gregg Berhalter marked his comeback as the USMNT head coach for a second cycle with a 3-0 victory against Uzbekistan in a friendly match. Timothy Weah netted an early goal, while Ricardo Pepi and Christian Pulisic sealed the deal in the later stages. The job was complete but it wasn’t pretty.
Duane Holmes came off the bench for Preston and immediately became the difference-maker by drawing a penalty and setting up the winner, in a game which also saw Lynden Gooch make his Stoke City debut in a losing effort.
Next week, the United States Men’s National Team will be back in action, playing in friendly matches against Uzbekistan and Oman. The roster for this period has been unveiled by U.S. Soccer, consisting of 24 players, who will gather in St. Louis for a training camp.
Josh Sargent scored for a third consecutive league match for Norwich, but sustained an unfortunate ankle injury in the process. Elsewhere, Duane Holmes scored late in the match to snatch all three points for Preston North End.
Josh Sargent scored yet again for Norwich City which sees his side move up to third in the EFL Champions after his side eased past Millwall. Elsewhere, Tyler Bindon has made his third appearance for Reading as they blanked Stevenage.