GOAL

Ryan Tolmich

Aug 10, 2026 07:29 +08:00

Americans Abroad: USMNT midfielder Sebastian Berhalter impresses with assist on Middlesbrough debut as Ricardo Pepi and PSV struggle

Analysis | USA | FEATURES | Middlesbrough | Championship | PSV Eindhoven | Eredivisie | S. Berhalter | M. Arfsten | R. Pepi

GOAL reviews the major takeaways from Americans playing in Europe, including a standout debut. While most of American soccer's top stars are still waiting for their seasons to start, several World Cup veterans were in action this weekend.

The headline of the weekend was a sensational debut, one that gives America's new favorite team a bit of momentum heading into the start of their season. New signings Sebastian Berhalter and Max Arfsten immediately made their mark for Middlesbrough, with the former setting up the crucial goal in the duo's first game for the club. As a result, Boro are off and rolling with an EFL Cup win to start the campaign, with Berhalter and Arfsten setting a tone with a perfect first impression in their new home.

It wasn't all perfect, though. Both Ricardo Pepi and Diego Kochen endured tough days in their own leagues, which are now off and running as well. While the latter can expect some growing pains, the tough start for the former's club is raising concern just a few days into the season.

GOAL looks at the major takeaways from this weekend's Americans Abroad.

Debuts at Boro

A tweet from a Middlesbrough fan went semi-viral this weekend. In it, the fan referred to Berhalter as "f***ing mustard." A follow-up clarified that mustard was good, which makes sense given Berhalter's first impression.

That first impression was headlined by Berhalter's assist, which earned Boro a 1-0 win over Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's Wrexham in the Carabao Cup. The assist benefited greatly from a Will Lankshear finish, but it wasn't Berhalter's only contribution.

• He created more chances (4) than anyone else on the field.
• He had two tackles, two interceptions, and 11 passes into the final third.
• He whipped in cross after cross, and while they didn't always connect, Berhalter showed his ability to strike the ball and create danger—which is why Boro signed him.

The club also signed Arfsten, who made his debut. Starting at left back, the now-former Columbus Crew star played 67 minutes and was forced to do a lot of defending on his side of the field. It wasn't perfect, but it was solid enough as Wrexham never broke through.

With Aidan Morris expected to return soon, there's a chance that all three Americans will be key figures for Boro this season. If Berhalter, in particular, keeps this level, the club will be feeling good about their Championship campaign.

Tough day for Kochen and Lyngby

Kochen started his third consecutive game this weekend. It was, however, another tough one for the 20-year-old goalkeeper. This summer, Kochen was loaned to Lyngby, a club that would give him the playing time Barcelona never could.

Through three games, though, Lyngby remain winless. The latest game was a 2-0 loss to Randers, a game that kept up Lyngby's unfortunate streak of conceding multiple goals in every game so far this season. The results, realistically, aren't a surprise.

Lyngby are in their first season in Denmark's top flight, which means there will be obvious growing pains. The same can be said of the goalkeeper, who, at just 20, still has a lot of growing to do. The hope is that that growth will happen throughout this season—and that applies to both the player and club after a difficult start to the campaign.

Reasons to worry about Pepi and PSV?

Pepi was dangerous in PSV's Eredivisie opener. He had more touches in the box than any other player on the field. He took the most shots, too. There was no goal at the end of it, though, which is part of the reason why PSV slumped to a disappointing draw.

After taking a 2-1 lead in the 74th minute, PSV threw the game away late, conceding a 92nd-minute equalizer in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Fortuna Sittard. As a result, PSV dropped points to begin their Eredivisie title defense, with that defense beginning with a fairly uninspiring performance.

It was a frustrating one for Pepi, in particular. In some ways, he was kept in check, limited to only 17 touches. Nearly half of those touches were in the box, though, as Pepi lurked and waited for his big moment. It didn't come. Of his four shots, only one required a save.

It'll get better for Pepi and PSV, who were without the other American in the team, Sergino Dest, due to a suspension stemming from last season. However, after losing the Super Cup 4-0 to AZ Alkmaar, there are concerns in Eindhoven—and those concerns will remain until PSV looks a little bit more like the team we saw last season.

American defense leads Celtic to big win

Celtic opened the season on Monday with an uncharacteristically quiet 1-0 win over Dundee. Scotland's champions were back to their best this weekend, though, with a lopsided win in their second match. Celtic smashed through Kilmarnock, 5-1, on Saturday to make it six points from six to start the season.

From an American perspective, World Cup veteran Auston Trusty started and played all 90 minutes. More notably, Cameron Carter-Vickers started next to him, going 90 for the second time in less than a week after missing nearly all of last season due to injury.

That injury kept the 28-year-old defender from making a World Cup push, but only a few days into the new season, Carter-Vickers looks like he's back to full fitness. That's good news for Celtic, who look set to rely on their American defensive partnership a lot this season.