Benched in Brugge: Ethan Horvath faces open competition

Ethan Horvath may no longer be the starter at Club Brugge. The 22-year-old American was benched by Brugge coach Ivan Leko for last weekend’s match against Anderlecht and the coach indicated that there is now a three-way competition for the starting job.

Leko told Dutch outlet Nieuws that he wanted to give Guillaume Hubert a chance due to Horvath’s “individual mistakes.” Horvath has started 16 matches this season for Club Brugge, including 2 Champions League and 2 Europa League starts. He also is expected by many fans to feature in the competition for the starting job for the United States during the next cycle. It would be incredibly shocking to not see him named to the USMNT roster for the match next Tuesday against Portugal. So, for Horvath to now be facing serious competition for his starting job is an unexpected setback for the American.

Time will tell to see whether this will affect Horvath’s confidence and whether he will need to seek a new club in January or this summer. In any case, as we head to international break, Ethan Horvath’s club situation has become surprisingly shaky.