Matchday 4 of the 2026-27 EFL Championship season was another that saw USMNT players play significant roles in their clubs' endeavours. Among them, two USMNT players scored during this Championship matchweek, while another recorded his debut appearance. Let's break down those performances below.
Luca Bombino comes on in second half to help Stoke City win their first Championship match of the campaign
After securing a move from MLS side San Diego FC, Luca Bombino made his Stoke City debut on Tuesday, which saw the club secure a 1-0 win against Norwich City. The left-back made his debut in the 45th minute, winning two tackles and drawing a foul. Earlier in the match, midfielder Ethan Galbraith scored a 13th-minute goal that effectively served as the winner. No assist was recorded on the goal.
The win took Stoke City up to 22nd in the table, while Norwich City fell to 19th as a result of the loss. Stoke City will play host to Charlton during the next Championship matchday, while Norwich City will travel to Bramall Lane to take on Sheffield United, who are unbeaten through four matchdays.
Preston North End lose to Bristol City, but Caleb Wiley made the game interesting
A slow start to the season for Preston North End only got worse on Tuesday, as the club lost 3-1 to Bristol City. Attacking midfielder/forward Scott Twine opened the scoring for Bristol City in the fourth minute of play. The game remained scoreless through to the end of the first half, and USMNT defender Caleb Wiley ended up scoring the leveller for Preston in the 51st minute.
The club held on to the draw for almost half an hour, putting them within 10 minutes of a precious first point of the Championship season. Ultimately, Lisav Eissat and Dom Ballard would undo all of Preston's work, scoring the respective game-winning and insurance goals before stoppage time could even arrive.
While Bristol City outshot Preston 7-6 in terms of shots on target, Preston was able to create 16 total shots to Bristol City's 11. At the same time, Preston out-possessed Bristol City 51%-49%. Now at the very bottom of the Championship standings, Preston will host Blackburn Rovers in their next Championship encounter. Meanwhile, Bristol City will travel to play Burnley during the next matchday.
Aidan Morris scores first of new campaign, but Middlesbrough surrender draw to Burnley
Aidan Morris was able to score his first Middlesbrough goal during the first half of his club's game against Burnley, doing so on a shot from outside the box. However, Middlesbrough was not able to do much else for most of the game, and Burnley was ultimately able to fight back and salvage a draw courtesy of a 54th-minute goal from Ugo Raghouber. Sebastian Berhalter provided the assist on Morris' goal; the helper served as his second goal contribution of the campaign and the first of his Championship career.
Both Middlesbrough and Burnley recorded 10 shots, though Burnley bested Middlesbrough in the shots-on-target metric by a 3-2 margin. Middlesbrough bested Burnley 58%-42% in terms of possession. Middlesbrough's next contest will see them travel to play Queens Park Rangers, who are currently in a three-way tie with Charlton and Swansea City for the Championship lead. After picking up their first Championship point of the campaign, Burnley will play host to Bristol City.
George Campbell plays full game as West Brom hold Charlton to a draw
American defender George Campbell played the full 90 minutes while recording a tackle during his club's 1-1 draw with Charlton, who had won each of their first three Championship matches. Defender Callum Styles scored the opening goal for West Brom in the 59th minute, while Tyreece Campbell levelled the score 10 minutes later.
Despite the draw, West Brom dominated Charlton in all facets of the match. They outshot them 14-3 (in terms of shots) and 4-1 (in terms of shots on target), while also controlling 60% possession in the match. They also conceded just four fouls to Charlton's 16. The result gave West Brom control of one of the eight promotion/playoff spots, and they'll look to build on this latest point when they host Watford on Saturday. Meanwhile, Charlton will finish their road trip when they travel to play Stoke City.
Add us as a preferred source on Google