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The Americans Abroad Five: PSV showing promise for USMNT trio

In the span of just a few months, PSV became one of the first clubs on the list of anyone monitoring Americans Abroad.

Three players who figure to play a key role over the next decade for the U.S. men’s national team — Sergiño Dest, Malik Tillman and Ricardo Pepi — all joined the Dutch giants over the summer.

The transformation of PSV into a hub for Americans is largely due to Earnie Stewart, the former sporting director of U.S. Soccer who now holds the same position with PSV.

The season is still young, but there are some promising signs coming out of Eindhoven for all three USMNT players.

Dest looks to be the player who’s immediately benefitted the most, but Tillman and Pepi can also be encouraged by their first month at the club.

Let’s kick off this week’s Five with a look at PSV’s American trio.

PSV could be profitable for USMNT trio

After making four starts all of last season on loan at AC Milan, Dest has started his first three games with PSV. The 22-year-old has shown well,  playing left and right back as he’s seemingly found a club where he will play the regular minutes he so desperately needed.

Pepi and Tillman have started a bit slower, with neither having started a game yet. Still, both have scored their first goal, with Tillman’s coming over the weekend in a 4-0 win over RKC Waalwijk.

Tillman’s minutes may increase with the sale of fellow central midfielder Ibrahim Sangaré to Nottingham Forest, while Pepi is clearly second choice behind veteran forward Luuk de Jong. But with plenty of games upcoming and de Jong just turning 33, Pepi will get his chance.

PSV has reached the Champions League group stage, adding a whole host of midweek fixtures in the upcoming months. All three USMNT players look to be positioned well to be a major part of the Dutch club’s campaign.

Rough deadline day for Horvath and Richards

Chris Richards and Ethan Horvath did not have a great transfer deadline day.

Both players could use a change of scenery but instead of getting moves away, they stayed put and watched their clubs bring in even more competition at their positions.

Horvath is in a dire situation after Nottingham Forest signed Odysseas Vlachodimos from Benfica to compete with Matt Turner. Now a third-stringer, the 28-year-old won’t even have the meager diet of cup games a backup goalkeeper typically suffices on.

Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

Richards is talented enough to still break through at Crystal Palace, but he’s already not starting and then watched his club sign Rob Holding from Arsenal to offer even more competition.

For Richards, there could yet be a move away as he’s been linked with a loan to Club Brugge in Belgium, where the transfer window is open an extra week.

Goals!

Several Americans found the net in Europe this week, and the goals were highly varied both in their execution and in the players who scored them.

We had a couple of the banger variety, with Julian Green and Sam Vines providing the ammo (the hard-luck Vines would, however, leave Royal Antwerp’s game with an injury).

We also had a midweek free-kick banger from newly minted USMNT call-up Tanner Tessmann.

There was also the aforementioned Tillman goal for PSV, while a couple of center backs who rarely score, Tim Ream and John Brooks, both found the net from close range.

The goal from Brooks was more worthy of celebration, as it came in a 3-1 Hoffenheim win over his former side Wolfsburg. Ream’s goal, meanwhile, was Fulham’s lone tally in a 5-1 loss to Man City.

Turner makes a statement

Matt Turner has got some real competition at Nottingham Forest now, with the club signing Odysseas Vlachodimos from Benfica on deadline day.

One day later, Turner responded in the best way possible, keeping a clean sheet in a shock 1-0 win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The USMNT goalkeeper wasn’t overly busy, but made two saves including a vital late stop on Thiago Silva at the near post.

Turner is now fourth in the Premier League in goals prevented with 1.7 (ironically, Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale is currently dead last at -1.8). Vlachodimos will be a formidable competitor but for now at least, the job is Turner’s to lose.

Aaronson making strides in Frankfurt

Paxten Aaronson was a spark off the bench last season with Eintracht Frankfurt after joining the club in January. Now in his first full campaign, Aaronson is looking to become more than just a late-game option.

Last week showed the 19-year-old is inching toward making that a reality. Aaronson made his first start for the club in a midweek Conference League match against Levski Sofia, before coming off the bench on Sunday and delivering a late match-tying assist against FC Köln.

Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images

Gregg Berhalter left Aaronson off his U.S. national team roster for its upcoming friendlies, and the head coach said the attacker’s club situation was very much front of mind.

“He was a player that was really close to being on this roster,” Berhalter said. “One of the sensitivities is letting him continue to be in Frankfurt, continue to train and try to break into the team and get a bigger role.”

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