LEEDS, England \u2014 When Brenden Aaronson joined Leeds United in 2022, the fans welcomed him in their traditional way: They wrote him a song.<\/p>\n
Come to Elland Road and you will see him play.<\/i><\/p>\n
Signed from Red Bull Salzburg and he\u2019s here to stay.<\/i><\/p>\n
I really want to live in Beeston with you.<\/i><\/p>\n
You\u2019ll be my American boy, American boy.<\/i><\/p>\n
Since then, relations between Leeds fans and the Medford native haven\u2019t always been so warm. In Beeston, the Leeds suburb near the club\u2019s Elland Road stadium, they remain scarred by his season-long loan to Germany\u2019s Union Berlin<\/a> after the Peacocks were relegated from the Premier League in 2023.<\/p>\n A giant banner on the outside of Elland Road\u2019s main stand proclaims \u201cSide before self,\u201d a quote from Leeds legend Billy Bremner<\/a>. He captained the team during its most famous era, including league championships in 1969 and \u201974, the 1972 FA Cup title and three more finals, and the 1975 European Cup final. Every player who has entered the gates since then has been held to his words.<\/p>\n Aaronson is also chased by a criticism he gets from U.S. men\u2019s national team fans, too: He doesn\u2019t score enough goals<\/a> as an attacking midfielder. That one carries more weight at the moment.<\/p>\n Lately, though, the tides on both sides of the Atlantic have turned back in Aaronson\u2019s favor.<\/p>\n In the U.S., his high energy and pressing have earned Mauricio Pochettino\u2019s respect. In Leeds, he had two assists and many more plays that could have added more as the club went seven games unbeaten from Dec. 3 through New Year\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: A look back at Brenden Aaronson’s early days at Leeds United<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n Then came this past Sunday, and perhaps the most famous game of all in these parts. Elland Road is an electric venue on any day, but it goes to another level when Manchester United visits<\/a> from across the Pennine Hills.<\/p>\n It was the 114th clash between the clubs, the modern version of a regional rivalry between Leeds\u2019 Yorkshire and Manchester\u2019s Lancashire that dates back to the 15th century<\/a>. Though it was a 7:30 a.m. kickoff in Philadelphia, if you woke up in time, you\u2019d have been jolted out of bed by Leeds\u2019 fans singing their club anthem, \u201cMarching On Together.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n With that as the backdrop, where better to start this World Cup<\/a> year than at the home of the most successful men\u2019s soccer player from the Philadelphia area?<\/p>\n Yes, Aaronson has earned that title now. Though other local products have played on big stages, none has his trifecta of Premier League, Champions League, and World Cup experience. And if Aaronson makes this year\u2019s World Cup squad, it will be his second \u2014 a feat Peter Vermes, Bobby Convey, and Chris Albright did not achieve.<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Brenden Aaronson and Mark McKenzie relished their USMNT homecoming on the Union\u2019s turf in November<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n That counts for something, just like the ability to watch a hometown hero play on the Premier League stage on TV every week. Leeds might not be as big of a club in Philadelphia as longtime powers like Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool, but children can grow up now wanting to emulate the 25-year-old whom Union fans once called \u201cthe Medford Messi.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt means the world,\u201d Aaronson told The Inquirer. \u201cWhen I\u2019m able to see young kids back home \u2014 it\u2019s possible to get over here, you know. It might not be easy sometimes to get to Europe being an American, but it\u2019s always possible to play in the best leagues in the world. And for the kids, just keep believing in themselves and keep chasing their dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n To some U.S. national team observers, Aaronson gets credit simply for being a regular player in the Premier League. Just four men have that status right now: he, Tyler Adams<\/a> (Bournemouth), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), and Antonee Robinson (Fulham).<\/p>\n But if goals are what you care about most, you got what you asked for on Sunday. Aaronson scored his second of the season, sprinting past Ayden Heaven in the 62nd minute to grab a loose ball and slot it to the far corner. Elland Road roared as Aaronson sprinted to a corner of the Norman Hunter Stand, mock-shrugging in celebration then getting a hoist in the air from teammate Dominic Calvert-Lewin.<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Folarin Balogun is living up to the hype as a long-awaited top striker for the USMNT<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n \u201cThat one felt really good, to be honest with you,\u201d Aaronson said. \u201cOf course, to score against your rival is huge, and I\u2019m really proud of it. And keep going from here.\u201d<\/p>\n Alas, Manchester United equalized just three minutes later, jumping on Leeds\u2019 own defensive error. That was it for the day\u2019s scoring, though Leeds had a few shots at a late winner that it couldn\u2019t finish.<\/p>\n Aaronson had a strong day all over the field, throwing himself into eight defensive recoveries along with his attacking play. When he was subbed out in the 87th minute, the jam-packed crowd of 36,909 gave him a warm ovation.<\/p>\n Asked if he noticed the fans\u2019 change of mood, Aaronson said, \u201cFor sure \u2014 I think it\u2019s really good. But for myself, I\u2019ve kind of kept this mentality of just staying straight and not letting myself get too high, not letting myself to get too low.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Projecting the USMNT’s World Cup roster<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n Views on him have changed in the media, too. Graham Smyth<\/a>, a veteran Leeds United beat reporter for the Yorkshire Evening Post newspaper, noted how Leeds manager Daniel Farke recently said Aaronson \u201cpolarizes opinion.\u201d But Smyth\u2019s player ratings for games show Aaronson\u2019s rise in form and popularity. Aaronson earned an 8 out of 10<\/a> on Sunday, a level he has reached a few times<\/a> recently.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now, I don\u2019t think anyone would disagree that he\u2019s probably in his best moment as a Leeds player,\u201d Smyth said. \u201cThe performances he\u2019s managed to put in over the last couple of weeks, the end product that he\u2019s managed to add to it as well \u2014 I don\u2019t think I can remember a period where he has silenced his critics quite as effectively as this last little period.\u201d<\/p>\n A moment later, he added something that would sound as familiar in Haddonfield<\/a> as it does in Harrogate.<\/p>\n \u201cLeeds fans have very long memories, and they don\u2019t forgive easily,\u201d Smyth said. \u201cThey don\u2019t suffer fools lightly, and they don\u2019t forgive easily. But there is always a route back to popularity if you\u2019re an attacker, and it\u2019s very simple: Score goals, make goals, because everyone celebrates them. And that\u2019s the way for Aaronson.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: What to know about the USMNT’s World Cup group stage opponents<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n As coincidental as it was that Aaronson\u2019s hometown newspaper watched him score<\/a>, it also happened that some of his family were in attendance: father Rusty, mother Janell, sister Jaden (who just finished her freshman season on Villanova<\/a>\u2019s women\u2019s soccer team), and fianc\u00e9e Milana D\u2019Ambra. While D\u2019Ambra is able to spend a decent amount of time in England, Aaronson said his immediate family comes over \u201conce or twice a year.\u201d<\/p>\n They picked a good one.<\/p>\n \u201cI think when they come out, to be honest, I probably have some of my best performances, so it was good,\u201d Aaronson said. \u201cIt\u2019s really good to have them out, always. It\u2019s like home coming to you.\u201d<\/p>\n With six months to go until kickoff, the World Cup is also on his mind. There\u2019s a big step to take before then, as he aims to make the squad for the U.S. team\u2019s high-profile March friendlies against Portugal and Belgium. Those will be the last games before the tournament roster is named in late May.<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: To kick-start a generation of city kids playing soccer, it will take more than just a place to play<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n Aaronson politely said making the team is \u201cout of my control, so [I] just keep trying to perform the best on the field and I just go from there.\u201d He also has plenty on his plate right now as Leeds try to avoid relegation from the Premier League, after having returned this season. In the previous two campaigns, the three teams that came up went straight down again<\/a>, so Leeds has to buck a trend.<\/p>\n But he can hear two clocks ticking: the 154-year-old one on the Time Ball Buildings<\/a> in Leeds\u2019 city center, and the brand-new one at U.S. Soccer\u2019s national training center in suburban Atlanta. The Premier League season ends on May 24, and the World Cup team will begin assembling the next day.<\/p>\n Pochettino and his staff<\/a> will have noticed not just Aaronson\u2019s good play lately, but how a tactical shift by Leeds manager Daniel Farke has helped. The 3-5-2 formation that Farke switched to recently<\/a> puts Aaronson in a midfield spot that\u2019s similar to where he plays for the U.S.<\/a> \u2014 perhaps slightly deeper to start, but with latitude to press, get forward, and push the attack.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s nice when you can play three in the back, because you have a little more freedom as an attacking player where you\u2019re not having to defend as much,\u201d Aaronson said. \u201cSo you kind of have the energy and you kind of have the legs to then, with the ball, do things. I really like playing the position when we play in a three-back [setup].\u201d<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: The USMNT, USWNT, and your kid\u2019s youth team are all different. U.S. Soccer is fine with that.<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n On Sunday, Farke tweaked it a little, withdrawing one of the forwards to make it even more like Pochettino\u2019s 3-4-2-1<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI think for Brenden, it\u2019s just important that you use him where he can play to his strengths,\u201d Farke said. \u201cI would never use him as a winger who just runs to the corner flag and puts some crosses in. So if he plays as a winger, then he has to have license to move into the pocket, to play closer to the striker, to play give-and-goes, and to use his mobility, and also that he likes to open up between the lines.\u201d<\/p>\n He also said that Aaronson \u201cdeserves all the plaudits at the moment, because his work rate is and was never in doubt. He always works his socks off for the team.\u201d<\/p>\n It was not the first time Farke praised Aaronson publicly, and some of the past times were when the player wasn\u2019t doing so well<\/a>. Aaronson gave his boss thanks for the support.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s always great to know that the coach has your back, and for him to say the things that he\u2019s said about me, it\u2019s huge,\u201d he said. \u201cI think he really believes in me, he believes in my quality, and it means a lot when you\u2019re a player because you feel like you can go out there and do your thing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Brazil and France headline the teams coming to Philadelphia for next year\u2019s World Cup<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n LEEDS, England \u2014 When Brenden Aaronson joined Leeds United in 2022, the fans welcomed him in their traditional way: They wrote him a song. Come to Elland Road and you will see him play. Signed from Red Bull Salzburg and he\u2019s here to stay. I really want to live in Beeston with you. You\u2019ll be … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16139,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Brenden-Aaronson-is-on-a-hot-streak-with-Leeds-United.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16138"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16138\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16140,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16138\/revisions\/16140"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Flying Philly\u2019s flag worldwide<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Winning over critics in Leeds<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
The race for the World Cup <\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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