High-level soccer officially returned Saturday when Bundesliga games got underway in Germany with 9:30 am ET kick-off times Saturday. It was a highly-anticipated moment as the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a worldwide pause to soccer.
As Matchday 26 unfolded in the Bundesliga, here's how MLS and US men's national team exports fared.
Tyler Adams: A former New York Red Bulls Homegrown midfielder, Adams started and played 69 minutes before being subbed off for Marcel Sabitzer. RB Leipzig ultimately drew Freiburg, 1-1, and now sit in third place.
John Brooks: It was an altogether solid showing from USMNT center back John Brooks during Wolfsburg’s 2-1 win over Augsburg. Tin Jedvaj's tally for Augsburg in the 54th minute was originally ruled an own goal by Brooks, but eventually reversed. Otherwise, he completed a season-high 92.1 percent of his passes.
Timmy Chandler: It was a tough day for Chandler's Eintracht Frankfurt side, which fell 3-1 to Borussia Monchengladbach, but the American fullback at least got a run on the field coming on as a 74th-minute substitute for Stefan Ilsanker and seeing out the rest of the contest.
Alphonso Davies: The Canadian national team star went the distance to help lead Bayern Munich to a 2-0 win over host Union Berlin Sunday and remain atop the Bundesliga standings, four points clear of Borussia Dortmund. The former Vancouver Whitecaps standout showed some understandable rust and earned a 36th-minute yellow card, but his tank was full right up to the final whistle with bursts up and down the left flank. That includes this unreal recovery run.
Weston McKennie: McKennie, a USMNT midfielder and former FC Dallas youth player, went 90 minutes during Schalke’s 4-0 loss against Dortmund in the Revierderby. Schalke used all five substitutes in a rules adjustment from the COVID-19 pandemic, but 21-year-old went the full duration.
Alfredo Morales: This USMNT midfielder subbed on for Marcel Sobottka in the 68th minute, but was unable to help Fortuna Dusseldorf earn three points. Morales, 30, instead saw his team play Paderborn to a 0-0 draw.
Josh Sargent: Sargent was a 71st minute substitute for Werder Bremen, who struggled mightily in a 4-1 home defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in Monday's Matchday 26 finale. The 20-year-old forward had little chance to impact the game with Leverkusen already leading by two when he took the field and his side offering little going forward. The result, a seventh straight home defeat for Werder in league play, kept them firmly in the relegation zone.
Giovanni Reyna: The NYCFC academy product and USMNT prospect was scheduled to start for Borussia Dortmund against Schalke, but suffered an injury during warm-ups. That denied Reyna, 17, his first Bundesliga start after already making 11 appearances for the first team. Dortmund ultimately won, 4-0, and his starting replacement (Thorgan Hazard) scored BVB’s third goal.
Zack Steffen: The former Columbus Crew goalkeeper missed out on Fortuna Dusseldorf’s 0-0 draw against Paderborn due to a knee injury. Steffen, often the USMNT starter, has made 18 appearances for Dusseldorf since heading overseas.
