USA national media deliver verdict on Brenden Aaronson's substitute display vs Iran

By Shamanth Jayaram

Leeds United star Brenden Aaronson‘s USA sealed a place in the knockout stage of the World Cup thanks to a 1-0 win over Iran last night.

The Americans needed things to go their way to qualify for the next round of the competition. Christian Pulisic’s solitary goal got them there, and Aaronson, who came on in the 45th minute, has earned some interesting reviews from his country’s media.

USA national media deliver verdict on Brenden Aaronson’s substitute display

Aaronson joined Leeds in the summer and Whites fans absolutely adore him.

The way he carries the ball forward, his sensational dribbling and his fearless style of play have made him a fan-favourite at Elland Road, and opponents hate playing against him.

Interestingly, NBC Sports claim that’s exactly what happened against Iran last night. The outlet has given Aaronson a 7/10 rating and wrote that Carlos Queiroz’s side were ‘enraged’ by the Leeds United man.

“A busy boy in his half, had Iran just as enraged as he’s had Premier League opponents,” they wrote.

Another American outlet, CBS Sports, rated Aaronson 6/10 and wrote: “Held up the ball well in the second half but never had the chance to look dangerous in attack.”

USA Today too gave him a 6/10 rating, but their words weren’t as kind as above: “He was in the thick of it going forward immediately, and seemed dangerous in the final third.

“However, he also seemed lost in defensive moments, as we’ve already covered, and seemed to be taking positional risks in moments where the U.S. needed him to help support the structure instead.”

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Aaronson, like in his last two appearances for the USA at the World Cup, only came on as a substitute last night.

He played 45 minutes of football and had just 26 touches of the ball, but he still managed to create two chances. He completed seven of his 10 attempted passes, but none of his crosses met a teammate. (SofaScore)

It’s a shame that Aaronson hasn’t been a starter for the USMNT at the World Cup, but Gregg Berhalter’s side are playing really well, and there’s no real need for change.

The USA face the Netherlands next and it will be their toughest test yet. Aaronson will be hoping to have more of an impact off the bench if he gets an opportunity.