USMNT Bundesliga match day 8 recap: Cole Campbell returns to the score sheet
November has arrived, which means we are just days away from the USMNT roster for the upcoming international window being announced. In the German Bundesliga, there are several Americans, many of whom are borderline players to be called up by Mauricio Pochettino for the two matches in the Nations League. For those players, this was their last club performance before the roster comes out, so let's look at how they fared.
Cole Campbell, Elversberg
Campbell has been relegated to the bench for a few weeks, but he made the most of his opportunity on Friday. The 20-year-old entered the game in the 77th minute and scored an absolute banger in the 91st minute, putting the icing on the cake of Elversberg’s 4-1 win over Mainz. It would be great to see Campbell get more consistent minutes, but this goal will definitely get some attention, with him very much on the bubble for a call-up later this month.
Lennard Maloney, Mainz
Maloney has been largely forgotten, but he finally got an extended run on Friday against Elversberg. He entered in the 63rd minute with Mainz already behind 3-0, getting 10 touches and making one defensive contribution. It was the most minutes Maloney has played all season, but with Mainz on a three-game losing streak in all competitions, perhaps this appearance will help him get more time to help Mainz turn things around.
Santiago Castañeda, Paderborn
It wasn’t quite the Player of the Match performance that Castañeda had two weeks ago, but he continues to be a standout player for Paderborn. Castañeda played all 90 minutes of a scoreless draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach, winning 7 of his 13 duels and making six defensive contributions. It’s unclear how the USMNT staff rates Castañeda, but he’s been a huge part of Paderborn all season, helping the Bundesliga debutantes climb out of the relegation zone in recent weeks.
Joe Scally, Borussia Mönchengladbach
Scally also played 90 minutes in the scoreless draw between Paderborn and Mönchengladbach. He had one shot on goal and six defensive contributions, playing the right wing-back position. Despite being part of a scoreless draw, Scally has two goals and two assists in his last five matches, helping to make him the leading scorer for a Mönchengladbach side that is currently bottom of the Bundesliga table.
Malik Tillman, Bayer Leverkusen
Leverkusen lost 4-2 to Stuttgart over the weekend, but Tillman can hardly be blamed. He didn’t enter the match until the 75th minute when Leverkusen was trailing 4-1. Tillman had 17 touches in his limited time but failed to create any chances. Lately, he’s been starting Europa League games and performing quite well in them, so watch for him to get a start on Thursday when Leverkusen takes on Marseille, who are captained by Tim Weah.
Mathis Albert, Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund managed a compelling 2-2 draw against rival Bayern Munich on Saturday. Unfortunately, Albert wasn’t part of the matchday squad. The 17-year-old hasn’t seen the field since October 17, which will surely hurt his chances of getting called up to the USMNT this month.
Today's best reads
USMNT Bundesliga match day 7 recap: Joe Scally scores again, another star effort by Santiago Castañeda
Johnny Cardoso's latest injury puts USMNT return in jeopardy
USMNT Ligue 1 match day 8 recap: Weah's goal keeps him in Nations League mix
Christian Pulisic signs new long-term deal at AC Milan
What to know about USMNT December camp and Jamaica friendly
