USMNT Bundesliga match day 7 recap: Joe Scally scores again, another star effort by Santiago Castañeda

As November draws closer, performances at club level for USMNT players hoping to be called into the November camp become more important. There are five players in the German Bundesliga who Mauricio Pochettino is undoubtedly watching closely. A couple of those players performed well over the weekend on matchday 7, while a couple of other young players are having a hard time making their case. Let's check out how Americans in the Bundesliga performed over the weekend.

Santiago Castañeda, Paderborn

Paderborn knocked off Hamburg 1-0 with an 88th-minute goal from Rayan Philippe. But it was Castañeda who earned Player of the Match honors. As usual, he did a lot of dirty work in midfield, making nine defensive contributions. But he also had four shots, including two on goal, one of which he probably should have finished. This was just the latest in a string of strong performances this season from Castañeda, who keeps making a strong case to be involved in the next USMNT camp.

Joe Scally, Borussia Mönchengladbach

Despite playing just 70 minutes, Scally had a brilliant performance in Mönchengladbach’s 3-2 win over Stuttgart on Friday. He had a beautiful goal in the 38th minute, looking like a veteran striker while flicking the ball into the back of the net with his back to goal. Scally also assisted on a goal and picked up a yellow card, which is part of the reason he didn’t play all 90 minutes. Nevertheless, Scally was one of the best players on the field for Mönchengladbach and now has three goals and an assist in the Bundesliga this season.

Malik Tillman, Bayer Leverkusen

Tillman started the game on the bench for Leverkusen, only to be subbed on in the 41st minute as an injury replacement for Moussa Diaby. Unfortunately, he joined an utterly disastrous performance by Leverkusen, who lost 3-0 to Hoffenheim. Tillman didn’t have a bad game, creating one chance and making four defensive contributions. But he didn’t do enough to create chances when the game was in the balance, prior to Leverkusen conceding the first of three goals in the 79th minute. The loss snapped a six-game winning streak for Leverkusen in all competitions. 

Cole Campbell, Elversberg

It was a long day for Elversberg, who have just one win in their last five games after such a promising start to the Bundesliga season. They lost 4-0 to RB Leipzig in a lopsided match. It was also a suboptimal day for Campbell, who only entered the game in the 82nd minute. The 20-year-old got just seven touches, unable to make an impact on the game. He has had just two appearances since the International break, both off the bench, hindering his chances of being called in for the Nations League games against Haiti in November. 

Mathis Albert, Borussia Dortmund

This weekend was an undeniable setback for Albert, who didn’t make the matchday squad for Dortmund. Keep in mind he finally made his first Bundesliga appearance of the season last weekend. Despite reports that big clubs are after him, Albert continues to lack regular playing time at Dortmund, hindering his chances of being included in the November USMNT squad.

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