U.S. men’s national team standout Brenden Aaronson played a crucial role in Leeds United’s win over Derby County on Sunday, scoring the game’s lone goal in the 79th minute in a 1-0 win over Derby. The goal was the result of impressive build-up play by Leeds that began with Sam Byram receiving the ball on the left flank. He played a quick pass to Manor Solomon, who spun and played a pass through traffic to Joel Piroe. From there, Piroe played an impressive pass in front of him to Aaronson, who made a run towards goal before scoring from close range.
Watch the goal below.
The result has Leeds in first place in the Championship, two points clear of second place Sheffield United. They also have a three-point buffer between them and third place, with the top two at the end of the season earning promotion to the Premier League. Leeds aim to return to the top flight for the first time since the 2022-23 season when they were relegated.
Aaronson now has seven goals for Leeds this campaign, matching his career-best season with Red Bull Salzburg in the 2020-21 season. The New Jersey native is one of several USMNT stars excelling for their club teams this season, though Aaronson’s role as a regular at Leeds marks a necessary change of pace after he struggled for minutes on loan at Union Berlin last season.
The USMNT winger also has two assists for Leeds this season in 25 games across all competitions.