US men’s national team standout Brenden Aaronson played a crucial role in Leeds United’s victory over Derby County on Sunday. He scored the only goal of the match in the 79th minute in a 1–0 win over Derby. The goal was the result of impressive build-up play from Leeds that started when Sam Byram received the ball on the left flank. He played a quick pass to Manor Solomon, who spun and played a pass through traffic to Joel Piroe. From there, Piroe played an impressive pass for him to Aaronson, who raced towards goal before scoring from close range.
Watch the goal below.
The result puts Leeds in first place in the Championship, two points ahead of second-placed Sheffield United. They also have a three-point buffer between them and third place, with the top two earning promotion to the Premier League at the end of the season. Leeds are aiming to return to the top flight for the first time since the 2022/23 season when they were relegated.
Aaronson has now scored seven goals for Leeds this season, matching his best season with Red Bull Salzburg in the 2020/21 campaign. The New Jersey native is one of several USMNT stars to excel for their club teams this season, although Aaronson’s role as a regular at Leeds marks a necessary change of pace after struggling for minutes on loan at Union Berlin last season.
The USMNT winger also has two assists for Leeds in 25 appearances in all competitions this season.