US stars through to Europa League Round of 32
There will be eight Americans whose clubs have advanced to the next round of the UEFA Europa League and who are eyeing the final.
The UEFA Europa League group stage is over and the draw for the Round of 32 took place on Monday 14 December at the headquarters of European football in Nyon, Switzerland. In this round, based on current squads, there will be eight players who were born in the United States competing in Europe’s second-tier competition. Let's have a look at each of them...
Ethan Horvath
The American goalkeeper is the back-up at Club Brugge, so in order for him to make his debut in this competition it is likely that first choice Mignolet will have to get injured or suspended. However, Horvath did start on matchday 1 of the UEFA Champions League when Brugge defeated Zenit 2-1. They couldn’t finish in the top 2 of their group so they are now going to compete in the second-round of the Europa League, and they've been drawn against Dynamo Kyiv.
Timothy Weah
The striker from Lille has four appearances in the tournament, scoring 1 goal and 1 assist. The only games he didn’t play in the previous round was against AC Milan, home and away. Now the French team has to face Ajax in order to advance to the Round of 16.
Brenden Aaronson
The former Philadelphia Union player will arrive in Salzburg in January and he will be eligible to play in the UEFA Europa League. He will have to gain Jesse Marsch’s trust in order to be included in the roster that will face Villarreal in this round.
Henry Wingo
The Seattle born defender is currently playing for Molde and he has participated in five games of this year's UEFA Europa League. His team will face Hoffenheim in the next round and he will be included in the roster that will look to advance in this competition.
Folarin Balogun and Jordan Siebatcheu
The 19-year-old was signed by Arsenal and he got promoted to the first team for this competition. He has four appearances, two goals and an assist in this edition of the UEFA Europa League.On the other hand, Siebatcheu has nine appearances and has provided two assists this season, and he will also be included for the match-up against Benfica in the Round of 32.
Ledezma
The midfielder from PSV got injured in the first week of December, but if his recovery goes according to plan, then he will be ready to face Olympiacos in the next round. Richard Ledezma has a total 11 appearances, two goals and two assists in all competitions this year with PSV.