{"id":26614,"date":"2021-03-02T17:32:47","date_gmt":"2021-03-02T22:32:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/?p=26614"},"modified":"2021-03-02T17:32:47","modified_gmt":"2021-03-02T22:32:47","slug":"stars-stripes-and-soccer-weekly-round-up-feb-22-28","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/2021\/03\/02\/stars-stripes-and-soccer-weekly-round-up-feb-22-28\/","title":{"rendered":"Stars, Stripes and Soccer: Weekly Round Up (Feb. 22-28)"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Cameron Meyer<\/p>\n

As the month of February came to a close and 2021 spilled into an incredibly busy March period for the USMNT, American players across Europe tried to prove their talents on the club stage. For the general majority of Americans abroad, they did just that. Up-and-comers and established internationals alike made their country proud on the pitch. For a choice few\u2026 maybe not so much.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here were the best and worst performances of Americans this past week:<\/span><\/p>\n

Best Performances of the Week:<\/h2>\n

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(Photo courtesy of Stuart Franklin\/Getty)<\/em><\/p>\n

Weston McKennie (Juventus\/Italy)<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

You\u2019re a wizard, Weston — one with an incredible knack for outperforming everyone\u2019s expectations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When McKennie burst onto the Juventus scene in early September, many were surprised with his output, but I don\u2019t think anyone\u2019s gawking now. It only took him one day to get going this past week, completing 91 percent of his passes and scoring a goal in Juve\u2019s 3-0 handling of Crotone last Monday.<\/span><\/p>\n

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It was a pretty impressive finish as well. With defenders all around him, McKennie calmly controlled the ball with his chest and hit a strike that no goalkeeper could save at its velocity. To top it off, he commemorated the occasion with another Harry Potter-inspired celebration, which is quickly becoming a McKennie signature.<\/span><\/p>\n

The weekend wasn\u2019t as magical for McKennie. He started on the bench for Juve, being rested for a midweek tie, but came on in the second half and didn\u2019t get much of the ball. The game ended in a frustrating 1-1 draw for the Old Lady, in which much of the fault landed on the attack, who were unable to get the ball consistently on target.<\/span><\/p>\n

McKennie is quickly becoming one of those guys that USMNT fans don\u2019t necessarily need to worry about, of which are few and far between. Barring injury, he\u2019ll always put in a solid performance for Juventus, who are destined to sign him permanently. He\u2019s by every stretch of the imagination the best male American soccer player right now.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Daryl Dike (Barnsley\/England)<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

Dike has been playing better week-by-week for Championship outfit Barnsley and on Wednesday, he finally got his long-awaited goal. Coming in the 62nd minute on Wednesday, the big man subbed on for his side against Stoke and found the back of the net to seal the game in the 90th.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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It was a goal that any number nine would be proud of. Coming off his mark\u2019s back shoulder, he made the diagonal run into space so Conor Chaplin could find him. After the nifty piece of movement, he did what he\u2019s expected to do in a 1v1 position: finish.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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It wasn\u2019t a perfect performance by the dual international, as evidenced by this whiff early on in the match, but a goal will do a lot for his confidence. As a 20-year-old battling for promotion in the Championship, that\u2019s absolutely necessary to keep a starting job.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I haven\u2019t been sold yet on Dike. From what I\u2019ve seen so far, he\u2019s like Jozy Altidore minus the first touch and agility. But I\u2019m definitely willing to change my opinion after more consistent performances. I think the call by Matt Doyle that he\u2019ll be sold in the summer for upwards of $20 million is quite the stretch.<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/BarnsleyFC\/status\/1364684119649751042<\/a><\/p>\n

But after this goal and his subsequent appearance on Barnsley\u2019s Twitter, my opinion is starting to lean in Dike\u2019s favor. I mean, who can say no to that smile?<\/span><\/p>\n

Jordan Siebatcheu (BSC Young Boys\/Switzerland)<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s hard to believe Siebatcheu is only 24. It seems like it\u2019s been years since the striker was picked up by American radars. Of course, he\u2019s never really hit the heights many hoped he would. Recently, though, he\u2019s been firing in goals for the unfortunately-named Swiss squad BSC Young Boys in the Europa League.<\/span><\/p>\n

Usually, scoring goals for Young Boys wouldn\u2019t necessarily warrant any attention outside of the small alpine country, but when you score three in two against Bayer Leverkusen, that can\u2019t be ignored.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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As I said, American-born Jordan Siebatcheu has been playing well since December and when you\u2019re playing well, you get the lucky bounces – like this goal. His third goal in the Round of 32 against Leverkusen as BSC Young Boys now have a 5-3 aggregate lead pic.twitter.com\/uc7J8TXiwY<\/a><\/p>\n

— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) February 25, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n