LEEDS, England – When Brendan Aaronson joined Leeds United in 2022, the fans welcomed him in their traditional way: They wrote a song for them.
Come to Elland Road and you’ll see him playing.
Signed from Red Bull Salzberg and he is here to stay.
I really want to stay with you in Beeston.
You’ll be my American boy, American boy.
Since then, relations between Leeds fans and the Medford native have not always been so cordial. Based in the Leeds suburb of Beeston, near the club’s Elland Road stadium, the Peacocks are on the brink of a season-long loan to Germany’s Union Berlin after they are relegated from the Premier League in 2023.
A huge banner outside the main stand at Elland Road reads “Side before self”, a quote from Leeds legend Billy Bremner. He captained the team during its most famous era, which included league championships in 1969 and ’74, the 1972 FA Cup title and three more finals, and the 1975 European Cup Final. Since then every player who has entered the gate has been banned for his words.
Aaronson also faces criticism from fans of the US men’s national team: he does not score enough goals as an attacking midfielder. He is currently overweight.
However, recently, the tide has turned back in Aaronson’s favor on both sides of the Atlantic.
In America, his high energy and pressing have earned the respect of Mauricio Pochettino. At Leeds, he had two assists and could have added more as the club went unbeaten in seven matches from 3 December to New Year’s Day.
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Then came this past Sunday, and perhaps the most famous game in these parts. Elland Road is an electric venue on any day, but it goes to another level when Manchester United visit from across the Pennine Hills.
This was the 114th meeting between the clubs, a modern version of the 15th-century regional rivalry between Leeds’ Yorkshire and Manchester’s Lancashire. Although it was 7:30 a.m. in Philadelphia, if you had woken up in time, you would have been jolted out of bed by the Leeds fans singing their club anthem, “Marching On Together”.
Philly flag hoisted around the world
Against this backdrop, where better to start this World Cup year than the home of the Philadelphia area’s most successful men’s soccer player?
Yes, Aronson has now earned that title. Although other local products have played on big stages, none have the Premier League, Champions League and World Cup experience. And if Aaronson makes this year’s World Cup squad, it will be his second – a feat not accomplished by Peter Vermes, Bobby Conway and Chris Albright.
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It means something, like the ability to watch a hometown hero play on the Premier League stage every week on TV. Leeds may not be as big a club as old powers like Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool in Philadelphia, but kids growing up now may want to emulate the 25-year-old player whom Union fans once called the “Medford Messi”.
“It means the world,” Aronson told The Enquirer. “When I get to see the little kids back home — it’s possible to come here, you know. Being an American, going to Europe might not be easy sometimes, but it’s always possible to play in the best leagues in the world. And for the kids, just believe in yourself and keep chasing your dreams.”
To some U.S. national team observers, Aaronson is simply credited with being a regular player in the Premier League. Only four people currently hold that status: him, Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), and Antony Robinson (Fulham).
But if goals are what you care about most, you got what you asked for on Sunday. Aaronson scored his second goal of the season in the 62nd minute, latching on to a loose ball from Ayden Havens and placing it into the far corner. Elland Road roared as Aaronson rounded a corner of the Norman Hunter Stand, booing in celebration, then hoisting teammate Dominic Calvert-Lewin into the air.
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“Honestly, it felt really good,” Aronson said. “Obviously, scoring against your opponent is a huge thing, and I’m really proud of it. And keep going from here.”
Alas, Manchester United equalized after just three minutes, pouncing on Leeds’ own defensive mistake. That was it for the scoring for the day, although Leeds had a few shots at a late winner but could not finish.
victory over critics in leeds
Aronson had a strong day all over the field, hauling in eight defensive recoveries along with his offensive play. When he was dismissed in the 87th minute, he was given a standing ovation by the packed crowd of 36,909.
Asked if he had noticed a change in the mood of fans, Aronson said, “Sure – I think it’s really cool. But for myself, I’ve maintained the mentality of staying straight and not letting myself get too high, not letting myself get too low.”
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Opinions about him have also changed in the media. Graham Smith, the veteran Leeds United beat reporter for the Yorkshire Evening Post newspaper, reported how Leeds manager Daniel Farke recently said that Aaronson “polarizes opinion.” But Smith’s player ratings for the games reflect Aaronson’s rise in form and popularity. Aaronson earned an 8 out of 10 on Sunday, a level he has reached several times recently.
“At the moment, I don’t think anyone would disagree that he is probably at his finest moment as a Leeds player,” Smith said. “The performances he’s managed to put in over the last few weeks, the end product he’s managed to put together – I don’t think I can remember a period where he’s silenced his critics so effectively as he has in this last short period.”
A moment later, he added something that would sound as familiar in Haddonfield as it does in Harrogate.
Smith said, “Leeds fans have long memories and they don’t forgive easily.” “They don’t suffer fools easily, and they don’t forgive easily. But if you’re an attacker there’s always a way to gain popularity, and it’s very simple: score goals, score goals, because everyone celebrates them. And that’s the way for Aaronson.”
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As it coincided that Aronson’s hometown newspaper saw him score, it also happened that some of his family was in attendance: father Rusty, mother Janelle, sister Jaden (who had recently finished her first season on Villanova’s women’s soccer team), and fiancée Milana D’Ambra. While D’Ambra is able to spend a good deal of time in England, Aronson said his immediate family visits “once or twice a year”.
He chose a good one.
“Honestly, I think that’s probably some of my best performances when they come out, so that was cool,” Aronson said. “It’s really nice to have them outside all the time. It’s like coming home to you.”
world cup race
With six months left until kick-off, the World Cup is also on his mind. Before then, he’ll need to take a big step forward, as he aims to make the squad for the U.S. team’s high-profile friendlies in March against Portugal and Belgium. These will be the last games before the tournament rosters are announced in late May.
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Aaronson humbly said that making the team “is out of my control, so (I) just try to do the best I can on the field and just go from there.” He has a lot on his plate at the moment as Leeds look to avoid relegation from the Premier League after returning to form this season. In the last two campaigns, the top three teams went straight down again, so a trend that Leeds will have to avoid.
But he can hear the ticking of two clocks: a 154-year-old one on the Time Ball building in the city center of Leeds, and a brand new one at US Soccer’s national training center in suburban Atlanta. The Premier League season ends on May 24, and the World Cup squad will begin assembling the next day.
Pochettino and his staff will have taken note of not only Aaronson’s good play recently, but also the tactical changes made by Leeds manager Daniel Farke. The 3-5-2 formation that Farke has recently switched to puts Aaronson in a midfield position that is similar to where he plays for the US – perhaps a little deeper to start, but with the latitude to press, move forward and advance the attack.
“It’s nice when you can play a back three, because as an offensive player you have a little more freedom where you don’t have to defend as much,” Aronson said. “So you’ve got to have a kind of energy and you’ve also got the feet to do things with the ball. I really like playing in position when we play in a three-back (setup).”
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On Sunday, Farke changed it up a bit, moving one forward back to make it more like Pochettino’s 3-4-2-1.
“I think for Brandon, it’s important that you utilize him where he can play to his strengths,” Farke said. “I would never use him as a winger who just runs towards the corner flag and puts in a few crosses. So if he plays as a winger, he must have the license to go into the pocket, play close to the striker, make passes and use his mobility, and also he likes to open up between the lines.”
He also said that Aaronson “deserves praise at this point, because his work rate is not in doubt and never was. He always works hard for the team.”
This was not the first time Farke had publicly praised Aronson, and the player had not been performing so well in the past. Aronson thanked his boss for the support.
“It’s always good to know that the coach supports you and to say the things he said about me is huge,” he said. “I think he really believes in me, he believes in my quality, and that means a lot when you’re a player because you feel you can go out there and do your job.”
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