It was a disappointing night for Brenden Aaronson in Mexico as the Leeds United star suffered a 2-0 defeat and now his participation in Friday night’s clash against Sheffield United is in doubt.
Aaronson, 23 saw out the entire 93 minutes in Mauricio Pochettino’s second game in charge as USA manager. But a Raul Jimenez-inspired Mexico nabbed all three points in 2026 World Cup qualifying.
Jimenez opened the scoring with a brilliant goal before laying on an assist with a tackle on Tim Ream to supply Cesar Huerta. USA were unable to lay a finger on their Mexican rivals, just two shots on target.
With the clash taking place at 3.30AM, Aaronson is in doubt to face Sheffield United. Just 60 hours to recover for Friday’s clash, with jet lag to overcome. Aaronson is now expected back at Leeds on Thursday.
Charlie Davies absolutely rips into Leeds player Brenden Aaronson
The playmaker has made a solid start to life back at Leeds, having a hand in three goals in nine games for the Yorkshire outfit. He started both games for Pochettino during the break, solidifying his USA position.
But he really struggled in Mexico and former USA striker Charlie Davies took aim at Aaronson. A former teammate of Aaronson, Davies told CBS Sports it was the worst he has seen Aaronson play, ever.
“Oh my god, Aaronson. He lost every single ball, they just knocked him over. Hit me and I’m down. I would give him a 2, he was that bad. I’ve never seen Brenden Aaronson play that bad in my entire life.
“I’m talking when he was 15 when he was training with us for the Philadelphia Union. He’s played in the Bundesliga, the Champions League, the Premier League, the Championship. That was trash. Terrible.”
Which other Leeds players were in action on Tuesday?
It was much more successful for Junior Firpo, who netted his third goal of the international break for the Dominican Republic. Wilfried Gnonto got an assist but missed a penalty for Italy’s Under-21 side.
| Name | Country | Opponent | Minutes | Result | Involvement |
| Junior Firpo | Dominican Republic | Antigua and Barbuda | 90 | 5-0 win | 1 goal |
| Brenden Aaronson | USA | Mexico | 90 | 2-0 loss | None |
| Ao Tanaka | Japan | Australia | 90 | 1-1 draw | None |
| Wilfried Gnonto | Italy U21’s | Ireland U21’s | 76 | 1-1 draw | Assist, missed penalty |
| Jeremiah Mullen | Scotland U21’s | Kazakhstan U21’s | 90 | 3-2 loss | 1 goal |
Ilia Gruev, Ethan Ampadu, Dan James and Manor Solomon were not in action due to injury, while Joe Rodon and Karl Darlow played for Wales earlier in the break. Mateo Joseph was missed for Spain’s U21’s.
Leeds then will have plenty to assess and must do it quickly before preparing to face Sheffield United on Friday night at Elland Road. Lots to mull over for Daniel Farke ahead of a crucial Championship match.
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