The United States international went to the Bundesliga in search of salvation, but has only found more pain
Brenden Aaronson has got used to losing football matches over the past 15 months. But even by his own miserable standards, Union Berlin's recent stretch of results must be hard to take.
On Tuesday, Die Eisernen were dumped out of the DFB-Pokal by high-flying Stuttgart, a result that extended their losing streak to 11 straight games. Union have not won since August, when they pummelled Darmstadt 4-1 on Bundesliga matchday two, and their Champions League dream has quickly descended into a nightmare, with bad luck and sloppiness condemning them to three straight defeats in the group stages.
As bad as this season has been for the club, it's been even worse for Aaronson, who's failed to establish himself in the starting XI despite being billed as a marquee summer addition.
Getty ImagesStruggles at Leeds
Aaronson is no stranger to strife, of course. Last season, he endured a hugely testing campaign at Leeds United alongside U.S. men' national team colleagues Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie. After starting promisingly enough, Aaronson and Co's season veered violently off course. Three permanent managers failed to get a tune out of the squad, with the Whites eventually finishing five points adrift of safety.
McKennie and Aaronson, in particular, received plenty of flak at the end of that campaign for their underwhelming performances, with the former pictured boarding a train away from Leeds mere hours after relegation was confirmed.
Meanwhile, Aaronson was repeatedly criticised for his lack of physicality, while stats provider gave him the dubious honour of being named their worst Premier League player of the season.
AdvertisementGettyUnion Berlin was a big move
Despite his inability to adapt to the rigours of Premier League football, Aaronson had no shortage of suitors this summer. Fulham were strongly linked with a loan move, but ultimately decided against adding the midfielder to their own USMNT contingent.
In the end, Aaronson would jet off to Germany to join 2022-23 Bundesliga surprise package Union. Their remarkable story – from blood donations keeping the club afloat to automatic Champions League qualification- is well documented, and the switch represented a huge opportunity for the player.
At Union, he had the chance to test himself at the pinnacle of the European club game, while remaining insulated from the intense scrutiny that is part and parcel of playing for the continent's very biggest clubs. His excellent mobility and work-rate also seemed well suited to the Bundesliga, where the high-press and counter-attacking football remain king.
It felt like the perfect place for Aaronson to make a fresh start and get his fledgling career back on track.
GettyNightmare start
But the reality has been rather different. Since joining Union, Aaronson has generally played as one of Urs Fischer's advanced central midfielders in his favoured 3-5-2.
His Bundesliga debut came against Mainz, and while Union's 4-1 win might suggest it went well for the American, he was a passenger throughout the contest. Striker Kevin Behrens – who scored a hat-trick – was the only Union starter who had fewer touches than Aaronson. He also completed just one progressive pass, barely carried the ball and failed to take a shot.
Things got worse the following week against Darmstadt, with Aaronson dismissed for two yellow cards inside 20 minutes, leading to him trudging down the tunnel with his shirt over his head. Since that early bath, Aaronson has started just three more times under Fischer, all of them losing efforts.
GettyLittle signs of improvement
Even when he has got on the pitch, Aaronson has done little to redeem himself. Each of his Champions League appearances have been disappointing, starting with last-gasp heartbreak against Jude Bellingham and Real Madrid. He only appeared as a late sub in that one and could not prevent Bellingham scoring a 94th-minute winner to break Union hearts.
His side's second group game against Braga was similarly challenging. Again, Aaronson came on off the bench and was presented with a golden opportunity to grab a late winner, only to place a point-blank header wide. Moments later, Union's Portuguese opponents grabbed all three points in dramatic fashion.
The bad times continued against Napoli in one of Aaronson's rare starts. The first half was probably his best for Union, but the mask eventually slipped and the Bundesliga strugglers capped off their first trio of Champions League fixtures with another defeat.
Domestically, the story's been the same for Aaronson. Namely, occasional and ineffectual cameos paired with constant defeat. The dream he was sold in the summer is quickly turning to dust in front of his eyes.