World Cup dark horse? The USMNT midfielder ahead in the odds

Arms sticking out at 45º angles like a swept-wing fighter jet, Brenden Aaronson managed to keep his body stable while his legs did the work of snake-charming the opponent ahead of him, swirling in circles as he jinked left and right.

Newcastle’s Sven Botman, a heavy airliner, could not keep up in the dogfight that Aaronson challenged him to. Left, then right, then left again.

And as Botman’s legs wound around themselves, Brenden flicked up the button cover on the yoke before pressing down on the big red button. Fire.

The ball flashed from the end of his boot, across goal, and into the far corner. Leeds were ahead, and Aaronson wheeled off in celebration.

USMNT’s secret weapon

Brenden Aaronson is on the way back to the US for the upcoming World Cup, and while the example above might not be commonplace in his game, it’s certainly a possibility. According to OddsChecker, the Leeds United midfielder sits at +800 in the odds to be the top scorer of the USMNT at the World Cup this summer, ahead of Timothy Weah, a striker, and level with Ricardo Pepi, who scored 19 goals this season for Dutch champions, PSV.

OddsChecker explain that there is an 11% probability that Aaronson becomes the top scorer - not a hugely likely outcome, but certainly not zero. What’s more likely is that he plays a key role for the US in Pochettino’s high-octane style, pressing like madmen all across the pitch as the pressure of playing at a home World Cup forces them to do anything but sit back.

According to Opta, Aaronson is top when it comes to the most high intensity pressures to opponents in the Premier League this season. For Leeds United, he’s been an almost ever-present in the team that finished comfortably mid-table, and while his numbers (4 goals, 5 assists) wasn’t top of any table, his contribution was felt in other ways that can be utilised by Pochettino.

Whether or not he shines in front of goal is perhaps a tough question to answer right now - but being a huge annoyance for everyone not wearing the same colour shirt as him? That’s Brenden’s game in a nutshell, and the USMNT is going to thank him for it.

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