Medford’s Brenden Aaronson happy to take on whatever role the USMNT needs at the World Cup

DOHA, Qatar — “What doesn’t Brenden bring to the table?”

It was a fitting rhetorical question, posed by U.S. captain Tyler Adams Friday afternoon in Doha, as he reflected on Brenden Aaronson’s role for the United States men’s national team at the World Cup.

Whether pressing and creating in the Leeds United midfield (where Aaronson plays alongside Adams), or replacing an injured Christian Pulisic in the most important half of soccer the U.S. has played these past few years, or contributing to a fierce team mentality in Qatar, the answer appears to be that there’s not much Aaronson doesn’t offer.

“He has the same mentality every single day,” said Adams.

That mentality, Aaronson explained in a phone call, is always doing his best, doing what he’s asked to do for the team, and making his family — and America — proud.

» READ MORE: Can the U.S. beat the Netherlands? Our soccer writers predict their next World Cup matchup

Nicknamed the “Medford Messi” for his New Jersey roots, Aaronson made his World Cup debut in the USMNT’s opening game last week against Wales, replacing Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie in the second half. “It’s something that you know you dream about as a kid; you never really think this opportunity is gonna come, but then it comes.”

In the moment, though, it was nerve-wracking. Aaronson has been coming off the bench for the US, something he hasn’t done in years since he worked his way up the ranks of the Union’s youth teams.

Coach Gregg Berhalter has stated it’s a luxury to have a player like Aaronson be able to come in and impact the game, though it’s not an easy ask on a player. Aaronson was tasked with defending and preserving a 1-0 scoreline in a World Cup match while Wales heaped pressure on the U.S. goal.

“It is nerve-racking coming off a bench,” Aaronson said. “You know, especially when you’re coming into a game — I’ve had a couple experiences like this now — where you’re trying to defend the lead, or keep a tie. It’s tough, you know, and it’s something different. I’m not really used to it. But it’s been good.”

Aaronson’s nerves usually calm once he’s able to get his first touch. Berhalter described Aaronson’s primary impact as “energy.” The midfielder has consistently topped Premier League charts for most ground covered. Utilizing that frenetic engine, Aaronson forced turnovers, created counters, and took one of the team’s few shots of the evening before the U.S. conceded a late goal via a penalty.

In the next match against England, Aaronson again replaced McKennie in the second half, but had to wait for what “felt like ten years” for a stop in the match to allow his entry. The U.S. drew England that night, outplaying the heavy favorites in a scoreless draw.

“I wasn’t really surprised,” Aaronson said of the compelling USMNT performance, adding he’s excited for when he returns to Leeds. “I’ll get to get some banter with the English guys, and see what they say about the game. So that’ll be great.”

Though his club teammates might be, he’s not astonished at how well the U.S. has played. “I know the quality of the team. I know the quality of the players that we have, either starting or coming off the bench. And I think that a lot of people are now starting to learn that we have a really, really good team.”

That’s something people paying attention have been saying for some time. But with the platform a World Cup provides, more fans, players, and pundits both at home and abroad are starting to take notice.

Against Iran, the team needed a win to progress out of the group stage. Desperate to stay alive in the tournament, to keep growing that platform of awareness for the squad at a World Cup, Aaronson says the team definitely felt pressure.

“I talked to a lot of people, talking about this, and it was definitely one of the most pressurized games in I think everybody’s career. You know, it’s a moment where we can make the country really proud and we can go to the next round and really show a lot of people that we’re a really good footballing nation, and we’re on the up and coming. And we wanted to do that. You know, as a team, we wanted to show how much quality we have and get to the next round.”

Once again, Aaronson was among the first chosen off the bench to make the needed impact in the second half of the match. But this time, a first-half injury to goal-scoring hero Christian Pulisic put Aaronson on the field to start the second half.

He went on to play what he considers the most important half of soccer of his entire career.

“By far,” he said, repeating “by far” a few times to ensure emphasis.

“The pedestal that we’re on, the amount of eyes that are watching the game, that’s by far the number one game in my mind that I can think of in my career so far, that was just meaningful in every way. I just wanted to go out there, and just do the best I can to help the country and help the team.”

The U.S. players had the lead, 1-0, but Iran mounted attack after attack and piled on the pressure, as the Americans fought through a chaotic, defensive half. “There was a lot of things going on,” Aaronson said. “There was some attacking, a lot of defending at one point; it was just a whirlwind of a game.”

The USMNT was ultimately victorious. As the whistle blew, players on both sides collapsed to the grass: the Iranians, in sheer devastation, and the Americans in joy and relief. Then multiple U.S. players, including Aaronson, went to console the Iranian players, many of whom were in tears.

“As a footballer, it breaks your heart,” said Aaronson. “It’s tough. If we were in that situation, we’d get the same way.”

There was excitement and celebration back in the United States locker room, knowing that they’d move on to face the Netherlands on Saturday. But not as much as one might imagine, and Aaronson noted that was no accident.

» READ MORE: The dream has come true for Brenden Aaronson, with Leeds United and the U.S. men’s soccer team

“We don’t want to celebrate too much and think: ‘Oh, we just did it. We won.’ Like we didn’t win anything yet. The ultimate goal is winning the World Cup. So we want to keep a calm mind, and just know that we got to give our all against Netherlands.”

The U.S. aren’t odds-on favorites to defeat the Dutch, but they’re certainly capable of it. What’s clear is that they have the mentality to pull it off. Aaronson wants Philadelphia and the whole of the United States to know the USMNT squad has amazing players, personalities, and that they, and he in particular, just want to do the best they can to make Americans proud.

“We have so much bravery and intelligence. We’re diverse. We’re fearless. We go out there, and we do it all.”