What a memorable week for several members of the U.S. Men's National Team.
Six players combined for nine goals, which included a hat-trick and a striker scoring in back-to-back games as the European season really got into full swing and Major League Soccer continued its march to the playoffs.
Gyasi Zardes led the way with three goals in a win. Jordan Pefok connected in consecutive matches and Kellyn Acosta, Cristian Roldan, Walker Zimmerman and Aaron Long added single tallies. Brenden Aaronson also forced an own goal in his Leeds United debut.
ZARDES HAT TRICK
Gyasi Zardes struck for a hat-trick for the second time in his MLS career in the Colorado Rapids' 4-3 win over Minnesota United on Saturday. After the visitors grabbed an early 1-0 lead, Zardes began his personal showcase in the seventh minute as his shot bounced out of goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair’s hands in the net.
The 30-year-old forward, struck again in the 15th minute off a Michael Barrios feed. Following a 90-minute weather delay, Zardes finished off his superb performance. He converted a rebound of Diego Rubio's attempt, sliding the ball into the back of the net after St. Clair bobbled the ball, for a 4-2 advantage in the 61st minute.
Zardes has recorded both his hat-tricks against Minnesota. His first came with the Columbus Crew in a 3-2 home triumph on Oct. 28, 2018.
A ROUSING DEBUT
Brendan Aaronson was not credited with a goal in Leeds United's 2-1 home victory over the Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, but his impactful performance led to both goals in his debut for the English Premier League side.
The former Philadelphia Union standout stole the ball from a visiting player before Rodrigo tallied the equalizer in the 24th minute. Another USMNT midfielder making his Leeds debut, Tyler Adams, was also involved in the game-winner.
Patrick Bamford's left-wing feed set up Aaronson, who appeared to smash home his first Premier League goal in the 74th minute. It eventually was ruled an own goal credited to Wolverhampton’s Rayan Aït-Nouri.
“I touched it in there. It was in there and it came off my shin somewhere in there, so I’m taking credit for it,” Aaronson joked in his post-match interview.
STRIKING TWICE
Jordan Pefok picked up where he left off last season - celebrating goals. The USMNT forward scored in each of his first two matches for Union Berlin in the Bundesliga. In his team debut on Monday, Aug. 1, Pefok scored in the 64th minute of a 2-1 home victory over Chemnitzer in the DFB Pokal.
Making his Bundesliga debut in the Berlin derby on Saturday, he found the net again, nodding home a glancing header to open the scoring in the 31st minute of Union's 2-1 home win over Hertha Berlin.
Last season, the 26-year-old Pefok tallied 27 goals across all competitions. He also won the Swiss Super League Golden Boot, finding the net 22 times with Young Boys.
GAME-WINNER
Kellyn Acosta snapped a 1-1 tie in the 17th minute, drilling home a 17-yard strike from the top of the box to help LAFC to a 4-2 victory over host Real Salt Lake on Saturday.
The midfielder notched his second goal of the season for LAFC, which leads the MLS Western Conference with a 16-4-3 record and 51 points, six more than second-place Austin FC (45).
GOALS IN DEFEAT
Three players scored goals for their respective MLS teams in losses.
New York Red Bulls center back and team captain Aaron Long headed home Lewis Morgan's free kick from eight yards past goalkeeper William Yarbrough for a 2-0 advantage over the Colorado Rapids at home on Tuesday, Aug. 2. The Red Bulls could not hold the lead and lost, 5-4. Long has scored four goals this season, tied for fourth place on his club. He has five across all competitions.
Midfielder Cristian Roldan scored the lone goal in the Seattle Sounders' 2-1 setback at Atlanta United on Saturday. After the hosts took a 1-0 lead, Roldan knotted things up with his fourth goal of the season and fifth in all competitions in the 68th minute.
Nico Lodeiro found Nouhou at the edge of the box and the left back crossed a pass into the penalty area. After several deflections, the ball fell to Roldan, who finished at the near post past keeper Rocco Ríos Novo.
Team captain and center back Walker Zimmerman headed home a Hany Mukhtar cross into the top left corner for the final goal in Nashville SC’s 4-3 defeat to Toronto FC on Saturday, Aug. 6. Zimmerman has scored twice in the league this season.
A PROMISING START
Antonee Robinson and Tim Ream, the team captain, helped make Fulham's return to the Premier League a memorable one in a 2-2 home draw and a point with Liverpool on Saturday. Both defenders went the entire way against the reigning English FA Cup champions.
Fulham twice took the lead, but Liverpool tied it on a Mohamed Salah goal in the 80th minute.
A TRANSFER AND A WIN
Goalkeeper Gaga Slonina celebrated his transfer to Chelsea, backstopping the Chicago Fire's 3-2 win at Charlotte FC on Saturday.
Slonina, who signed with the English Premier League Club on Tuesday, Aug. 2, will remain on loan with Chicago through the rest of the MLS season before joining the Blues and USMNT Christian Pulisic in the fall.
FULL RUNDOWN
-- Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United; English Premier League) - 85 minutes in 2-1 win vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers (Aug. 6)
-- Kellyn Acosta (Los Angeles FC; MLS) - 90 minutes, GOAL, in 4-1 win at Real Salt Lake (Aug. 6); 45 minutes in 0-0 draw vs. Club American (lost on PKs, 6-5) in Leagues Cup (Aug. 6)
-- Tyler Adams (Leeds United; English Premier League) - 90 minutes in 2-1 win vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers (Aug. 6)
-- Paul Arriola (FC Dallas; MLS) - 90 minutes in 1-1 draw at Portland Timbers (Aug. 6); 29 minutes as a substitute in 1-0 loss at Seattle Sounders (Aug. 2)
-- Cole Bassett (Feyenoord; Dutch Eredivisie) - 6 minutes as a substitute in 5-2 win at Vitesse (Aug. 7)
-- George Bello (Arminia Bielefeld; 2. Bundesliga) - 18 minutes as a substitute in 2-1 loss at Hansa Rostock (Aug. 6)
-- Gianluca Busio (Venezia; Italian Serie B) - Not in 18, DNP in 3-2 loss vs. Ascoli in Coppa Italia (Aug. 7)
-- Reggie Cannon (Boavista; Portuguese Primeira) - 90 minutes in 1-0 win at Portimonense (Aug. 7)
-- Johnny Cardoso (Internacional; Brazilian Serie A) – 90 minutes in 3-0 loss at Fortaleza (Aug. 7); 5 minutes as a substitute in 0-0 draw at Melgar (Aug. 4)
-- Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic; Scottish Premiership) - 90 minutes in 3-1 win at Ross County (Aug. 6)
-- Konrad de la Fuente (Marseille; French Ligue 1) - Not in 18, DNP in 4-1 win vs. Reims (Aug. 7)
-- Daryl Dike (West Bromwich Albion; English Championship) - vs. Watford (Monday, 3 p.m. ET)
-- Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas; MLS) - 90 minutes in 1-1 draw at Portland Timbers (Aug. 6); 45 minutes as a substitute in 1-0 loss at Seattle Sounders (Aug. 2)
-- Nicholas Gioacchini (D.C. United; MLS) - 14 minutes as a substitute in 3-0 loss vs. New England Revolution (Aug. 6)
-- Ethan Horvath (Luton Town; English Championship) - 90 minutes in 1-1 draw at Burnley (Aug. 6)
-- Sean Johnson (New York City FC; MLS) - 90 minutes in 3-2 loss at Columbus Crew (Aug. 6)
-- Richy Ledezma (PSV; Belgian Pro League) - 45 minutes as a substitute in 4-1 win vs. Emmen (Aug. 6); In 18, DNP in 1-1 draw at Monaco in UEFA Champions League (Aug. 2)
-- Sebastian Lletget (FC Dallas; MLS) - 89 minutes in 1-1 draw at Portland Timbers (Aug. 6)
-- Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls; MLS) - 90 minutes in 0-0 draw at D.C. United (Aug. 6); 90 minutes, GOAL, in 5-4 loss vs. Colorado Rapids (Aug. 2)
-- Mark McKenzie (Genk; Belgian Pro League) - In 18, DNP in 4-2 win vs. AS Eupen (Aug. 6)
-- Djordje Milhailovic (CF Montreal; MLS) - 90 minutes in 2-2 draw vs. Inter Miami CF (Aug. 6); 71 minutes in 2-1 win at Columbus Crew (Aug. 3)
-- Shaq Moore (Nashville SC; MLS) - 79 minutes in 4-2 loss vs. Toronto FC (Aug. 6); 73 minutes in 1-1 draw at Portland Timbers (Aug. 3)
-- Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC; MLS) - 90 minutes in 2-1 loss at Atlanta United (Aug. 6); 89 minutes in 1-0 win vs. FC Dallas (Aug. 2)
-- Erik Palmer-Brown (Troyes; French Ligue 1) - 89 minutes in 3-2 loss at Montpellier (Aug. 7)
-- Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg; Bundesliga) - Not in 18, DNP in 2-2 draw vs. Werder Bremen (Aug. 6)
-- Jordan Pefok (Union Berlin; Bundesliga) - 78 minutes, GOAL, in 3-1 win vs. Hertha Berlin (Aug. 6); 105 minutes, GOAL, in 2-1 win vs. Chemnitzer in DFB Pokal (Aug. 1)
-- Ricardo Pepi (Augsburg; Bundesliga) - 15 minutes as a substitute in 4-0 loss vs. Freiburg (Aug 6)
-- Christian Pulisic (Chelsea; English Premier League) - 25 minutes as a substitute in 1-0 win at Everton (Aug. 6)
-- Tim Ream (Fulham; English Premier League) - 90 minutes in 2-2 draw vs. Liverpool (Aug. 6)
-- Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund; Bundesliga) - In 18, DNP in 1-0 win vs. Bayer Leverkusen (Aug. 6)
-- Bryan Reynolds (Westerlo; Belgian Pro League) - In 18, DNP in 2-1 loss at Gent (Aug. 7)
-- Chris Richards (Crystal Palace; English Premier League) - In 18, DNP in 2-1 loss vs. Arsenal (Aug. 5)
-- Antonee Robinson (Fulham; English Premier League) - 90 minutes in 2-2 draw vs. Liverpool (Aug. 6)
-- Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders FC; MLS) - 90 minutes, GOAL, in 2-1 loss at Atlanta United (Aug. 6); 90 minutes in 1-0 win vs. FC Dallas (Aug. 2)
-- James Sands (Rangers; Scottish Premiership) - 90 minutes in 2-0 win vs. Kilmarnock (Aug. 6); 90 minutes in 2-0 loss at Union Saint-Gilloise in UEFA Champions League Qualifying (Aug. 2)
-- Josh Sargent (Norwich City; English Championship) - 13 minutes as a substitute in 1-1 draw vs. Wigan Athletic (Aug. 6)
-- Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach; Bundesliga) - 84 minutes in 3-1 win vs. Hoffenheim (Aug. 6)
-- Gaga Slonina (Chicago Fire; MLS) - 90 minutes in 3-2 win at Charlotte FC (Aug. 6)
-- Zack Steffen (Middlesbrough; English Championship) - 90 minutes in 3-2 loss at Queens Park Rangers (Aug. 6)
- Tanner Tessman (Venezia; Italian Serie B) - 90 minutes in 3-2 loss vs. Ascoli in Coppa Italia (Aug. 7)
-- Malik Tillman (Rangers; Scottish Premiership) - 75 minutes in 2-0 win vs. Kilmarnock (Aug. 6); 77 minutes in 2-0 loss at Union Saint-Gilloise in UEFA Champions League Qualifying (Aug. 2)
-- Matt Turner (Arsenal; English Premier League) - In 18, DNP in 2-1 win at Crystal Palace (Aug. 5)
-- Auston Trusty (Birmingham City; English Championship) - 90 minutes in 2-1 win vs. Huddersfield Town (Aug. 5)
-- Sam Vines (Royal Antwerp; Belgian Pro League) - 90 minutes in 4-2 win vs. OH Leuven; 90 minutes in 3-1 win at Lillestrom in Europa Conference League Qualifying (Aug. 4)
-- DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami CF; MLS) - 90 minutes in 2-2 draw at CF Montreal (Aug. 6); 90 minutes in 1-0 win at San Jose Earthquakes (Aug. 3)
-- Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes; MLS) - 90 minutes in 3-3 draw at Austin FC (Aug. 6); 90 minutes in 1-0 loss vs. Inter Miami CF (Aug. 3)
-- Tim Weah (Lille; French Ligue 1) - Not in 18, SUSPENSION, DNP in 4-1 win vs. Auxerre (Aug. 6)
-- Eryk Williamson (Portland Timbers; MLS) - 64 minutes in 1-1 draw vs. FC Dallas (Aug. 6); Not in 18, DNP in 1-1 draw vs. Nashville SC (Aug. 3)
-- Gyasi Zardes (Colorado Rapids; MLS) - 90 minutes, 3 GOALS, in 4-3 win vs. Minnesota United (Aug. 6); 90 minutes in 5-4 win at New York Red Bulls (Aug. 2)
-- Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; MLS) - 90 minutes, GOAL, in 4-2 loss vs. Toronto FC (Aug. 6); 90 minutes in 1-1 draw at Portland Timbers (Aug. 3)