DOOPing Overseas: Leon Flach wins Polish Super Cup, Paxten Aaronson registers assist

Another week, another trophy! It was a mixed bag of results and performances for former Union players overseas, highlighted by a trophy for Leon Flach, an assist for Paxten Aaronson, and two disallowed goals for Julian Carranza. 

With sustained success this decade, fans have seen some of the brightest academy talents, their favorite players, and outcasts make their way overseas to compete in some of the best leagues in the world. The club is represented in Europe, South America, the Middle East, and more. 

Let’s see how some of those former Union players faired in last week’s matches:

Leon Flach – The former Union midfielder won his first trophy with Jagiellonia Bialystok since joining the team in January. Flach played 66 minutes in his team’s 1-0 win over Wisla Krakow in the Polish Super Cup Final. Traditionally, this match between the champions of the Ekstraklasa and the reigning Super Cup winners is held before the season starts. However, due to both sides playing in European competitions, the match was rescheduled multiple times. This is the second time Jagiellonia Bialystok has won the Super Cup. Flach’s triumph marks the second time within the last week that a former Union player lifted a trophy after Jose Martinex did so with Corinthians in the Brazilian Paulista A1 Final. 

Paxten Aaronson – The former Union attacking midfielder recorded an assist in FC Utrecht’s 2-2 draw at Go Ahead Eagles last Sunday. Aaronson’s one-two combination with Yoann Cathline opened space for the latter to score from long range, making it a 2-1 game in the 43rd minute. The 21-year-old played all 90 minutes and registered the most tackles (2) in the match. Aaronson now has five assists across all competitions for the Dutch side. 

Julian Carranza – The former Union striker helped Feyenoord collect six points in a two-game match week. Unfortunately, the 24-year-old had goals in both games ruled out by VAR. In Wednesday’s 4-1 home win over FC Groningen, Carranza headed in a cross from Gijs Smal on the stroke of halftime but was found to be inches offside. During Saturday’s 1-0 road win over AZ Alkmaar, Carranza had another goal ruled out after it was deemed he fouled Bruno Martins Indi just before finding the back of the net. Carranza is still searching for his first goal since February 22. 

Auston Trusty – The former Union center back was sound defensively for Celtic in his return to the starting XI. Trusty completed 119 of his 128 passes (98%), the most in the match. He also had 144 touches, made 22 passes into the final third, and made seven clearances. Despite the American’s strong play at the back, Celtic failed to find the back of the net in a shock, 1-0, loss at last-place St. Johnstone. 

Damion Lowe – In his first game back from the international break, the former Union defender led Al Akhdoud to a clean sheet over Al-Orobah FC. Lowe played the full 90 minutes in his side’s 1-0 win on Friday. Lowe won the most tackles (3) in the match, won four of his five ground duels, and made six clearances and five recoveries. The win helped propel Al Akhdoud out of the relegation zone in the Saudi Pro League.

Other Notables 

– Brenden Aaronson played the final 11 minutes of Leeds’ third straight draw, this time at the hands of second-to-bottom Luton Town.

– Jamiro Monteiro completed 94 percent of his passes in PEC Zwolle’s 2-2 road draw to Almere City FC. The result moved Monteiro’s side six points clear of relegation in the Eredivisie.

– Mark McKenzie completed 91 percent of his passes in Toulouse’s 3-2 road loss to Marseille, his team’s third straight defeat

– Sam Adeniran registered two shots on target for an xGOT of 1.21 in a 20-minute substitute appearance during LASK’s 1-0 win over Grazer AK.

What’s Next

– Brenden Aaronson and Leeds will look to pick up all three points as they travel to Middlesbrough on Tuesday, April 8 at 3 p.m. ET.

– Jose Martinez and Corinthians play their second match of the Copa Sudamericana Group Stage on Tuesday, April 8 at 8:30 p.m. ET.

– Leon Flach and Jagiellonia Bialystok return to the UEFA Conference League as they travel to Real Betis on Thursday, April 10 at 3 p.m. ET in the first leg of the quarterfinals.

-Julian Carranza and Feyenoord will look to continue their four-game winning streak when they travel to Fortuna Sittard on Saturday, April 12 at 10:30 a.m. ET.

– Paxten Aaronson and FC Utrecht will continue to fight for a Champions League qualification spot in the Eredivisie as they host FC Groningen on Sunday, April 13 at 6:45 a.m. ET.

Check back with DOOPing Overseas next week to find out how these former Union players performed.