USMNT Weekly Youth Update: Jonathan Amon finds the back of the net

Overall, this was a very quiet week for young Americans both abroad and at home, but one player had a standout performance.

Denmark

Jonathan Amon - Winger, FC Nordsjaelland

Following last week’s halftime substitution, Amon got his first start since returning from injury on Sunday. Amon would repay the coach for giving him the chance just 16 minutes in. Amon once again shows off his blazing pace and also finishes brilliantly for his second goal of the season.

The goal would only briefly put Nordsjaelland in front. Unfortunately it was nowhere near enough as Brondby would score three times and win 3-1. Amon would be subbed off in the 70th minute. For Amon, he now has two goals and two assists in just 502 first team minutes in all competitions this season. Let’s hope he can continue this run of form.

Germany

Nick Taitague - Attacking Midfielder, FC Schalke

Taitague watched from the sidelines this weekend as the Schalke U-19’s prepare for the semifinal round coming in a couple weeks. Taitague injured his hamstring last week in their 2-0 win that saw them winners of their region at the U-19 level. He is currently awaiting some MRI results to determine whether he will be available when the playoffs kick off. Let’s hope Taitague can recover soon and be ready to go for the preseason

England

Cameron Carter-Vickers - Centerback, Tottenham (On Loan at Ipswich Town)

Carter-Vickers was in the news a bit this week with some interesting comments about his future. In this article, CCV states that

I found it very interesting to hear that he’s so open to a move away from his parent club. His future at Tottenham is undoubtedly in question with them having invested in several other centerbacks in the last couple years. While he has had some very nice runs of form this year in the Championship, he’s also made some head-scratching errors at times. We’ll see what the future holds for the 20-year-old, but it will be a very interesting summer for him. CCV was absent this weekend with an injury picked up last week.

Italy

Joshua Perez - Winger, ACF Fiorentina (On Loan at AS Livorno Calcio)

Livorno celebrated promotion to Serie B over the weekend. For the team, that’s a great accomplishment. However, Perez was unable to see the field again. It was his third straight week where he saw no playing time. Until then, he had been seeing the field pretty regularly even if only a few minutes at the ends of matches. It’s been a tough year for Hugo Perez’s nephew, getting just 495 minutes in all competitions while appearing 23 times. When he’s played, he’s done pretty well, providing three assists. The summer promises to be a fascinating one for the 20-year-old. Would Fiorentina really give him a look after he struggled to get minutes in the third division in Italy? I doubt it. Look for him to be loaned out again or even possibly sold outright.

Belgium

Erik Palmer-Brown - Centerback, Manchester City (On Loan at KV Kortrijk)

EPB got the start again on Friday as Kortrijk got a big 2-1 win. Palmer-Brown was at fault as he let a runner get across his face on the opening goal. However, he would recover to have a decent match. It’s good to see Palmer-Brown, who turned 21 on Tuesday, getting some opportunities to see the field. Let’s hope he can keep it up.

Netherlands

Matt Miazga - Centerback, Chelsea FC (On Loan at Vitesse Arnhem)

Miazga started as usual over the weekend. He played 78 minutes in the 5-0 win before being subbed off with a yellow card. Miazga has played nearly 3,300 minutes this season in all competitions, even scoring twice. While the 22-year-old has seemingly cemented his place in the starting 11 for the US, his club future remains far from certain. When this season ends, he will leave Vitesse and return to Chelsea where he will have to fight for a spot with the Premier League giants. It’s also very possible that he will be sold or go out on loan for a third consecutive season. Miazga is one to keep a very close eye on this summer.

Kai Koreniuk - Winger, AZ Alkmaar

Koreniuk is a 20-year-old Dutch-American winger currently playing for AZ Alkmaar’s U-21’s after a move from Vitesse’s U-21’s last summer. They play in the Eerste Divisie (the second division in Holland), which is the same league that Andrija Novakovich is playing with Telstar. Koreniuk returned from injury last week when he came off the bench in Alkmaar’s 2-0 loss to NEC Nijmegen. This past weekend, he returned to the starting lineup and played 56 minutes in their 2-2 draw with De Graafschap. This season he has two goals and one assist in 21 appearances (1,385 minutes). Koreniuk has played for both the US and Holland, but he last represented Holland at the U-18 level in November 2015.

United States

Brooks Lennon - Winger/Right Back, Real Salt Lake

It’s been an interesting start to the season for Brooks Lennon. After making the permanent move from Liverpool in the winter, the 20-year-old has moved from playing on the Right Wing to playing at Right Back. He’s started six consecutive matches at the new position after only making one bench appearance in the first two matches. Lennon has been inconsistent as has the entire Real Salt Lake team this season (they’ve alternated wins and losses in all 7 games he’s played in). While Lennon is a great crosser, it will take some time for him to grasp the new responsibilities involved with playing along the backline. We’ll see if Lennon continues to develop in his new role.

Hit the comments section to let me know if there’s anything major I overlooked this week. Also, let me know if there’s any players you would like to hear an update about. Thank you for reading!