It's a lengthy one this week as we take the midweek slate of domestic cup fixtures into account. The repost of yesterday's hot sheet also contains plenty of good news for those rooting US internationals in the German top flight. The DFB-Pokal quarterfinals leads us to another multi-match column. Although four Americans were eligible for double duty this week, only Tyler Adams ended up playing maximum matches. Edin Terzic opted not to use Giovanni Reyna in the Pokal. Josh Sargent saw his Tuesday fixture cancelled on account of COVID. John Anthony Brooks had to serve a suspension this weekend. There remains a great deal to catch up on. Chris Richards' ascendancy at Hoffenheim pushes the … [Read more...] about Americans in the Bundesliga: Reyna on the comeback trail, Sargent and Adams impress
VfB Stuttgart
Americans in the Bundesliga: Brooks takes a deserved bow, Adams picks up assist
A repost of this week's scouting column lies below. Not a great deal of storylines are shifting at the moment, but there's still tons of nuance to discuss. A busy week for Americans playing in Germany's top footballing flight leaves us with six graded sections for the five starters and one trainer. Young phenom Giovanni Reyna found himself excluded from Edin Terzic's starting XI this week, playing only ten non-graded minutes at the tail end of the BVB's victory over Schalke. We still await the first bench squad appearance for Borussia Mönchengladbach's Joe Scally even if, by all accounts, the 18-year-old remains fully fit. John Anthony Brooks, VfL Wolfsburg Minutes played … [Read more...] about Americans in the Bundesliga: Brooks takes a deserved bow, Adams picks up assist
Bundesliga Tactics Talk–Round 22
With the snow melted and February nearly out, it's time to gear up for a great 2020/21 Bundesliga "stretch run". There's another fine weekend of football on tap. Here's the re-post for those who didn't have a chance to catch last Sunday's comprehensive breakdown of the previous round. League-Wide Talking Points: Round 22 The VfL Streaks Who can resist a nice and clean streak narrative? Oliver Glasner's Wolfsburg record their seventh consecutive clean sheet on the trot. Friday's 3-0 win over Bielefeld also marks the sixth consecutive time the VfL trainer deployed the exact same starting XI. We know for certain that one series is officially over. Defender John Anthony Brooks … [Read more...] about Bundesliga Tactics Talk–Round 22
Americans in the Bundesliga: Reyna, Hoppe, and Sargent continue to slump
Another fantastic weekend of German Bundesliga football is on tap! One genuinely hopes that the US internationals earning their living in Germany's top flight have a better round than the last. For those who missed out on the initial release, we'll repost here. This week's analysis of US internationals earning their pay checks in the Bundesrepublik features only four players. Leipzig trainer Julian Nagelsmann rotated out midfielder Tyler Adams in anticipation of the upcoming UCL duel against Liverpool. The played 27 minutes of half-speed relief again Augsburg on Friday. Chris Richards regrettably missed the chance to build upon his strong debut for loan-squad Hoffenheim this weekend. … [Read more...] about Americans in the Bundesliga: Reyna, Hoppe, and Sargent continue to slump
Americans in the Bundesliga: Chris Richards turns in stellar Hoffenheim debut
Another busy week for US internationals in Germany's top footballing flight. We've got the full lowdown here for those who missed the "hot-sheet". This week's "American's" Column welcomes a highly touted player into the regular fold. Chris Richards made his starting XI debut for Sebastian Hoeneß's XI this week. The thorough scout of him undertaken for this instalment leads the writer to conclude that he actually did much better than his coach is letting on. We still wait Joe Scally's first selection into a Marco Rose squad, but the play of Stefan Lainer this past weekend might imply that it's not far away. The possibility of eight regular actors in Germany's top flight could draw … [Read more...] about Americans in the Bundesliga: Chris Richards turns in stellar Hoffenheim debut
Bundesliga Tactics Talk–Round 20
From a snow-flurried opener to a snow-cancelled capper, we've got all the relevant action from the 20th round of the 2020/21 German Bundesliga covered. It may be frigid in the Bundesrepublik, but the storylines of this campaign remain red-hot. Here's the re-post for all those needing to catch up on Sunday's column. League-Wide Talking Points: Round 20 Bayern's "Arbeitssieg" The English have a saying. True championship football teams, it is said, must be able to prove their mettle "on a windy night in Stoke". This round, Germany's record champions eked out a grinding victory during a "blinding snowstorm in Berlin". For anyone who might have missed the 1-0 victory of Hertha, … [Read more...] about Bundesliga Tactics Talk–Round 20