Americans Abroad Player of the Week: Alan Sonora

Argentinian side Independiente earned back-to-back wins in two separate competitions over the past five days with American playmaker Alan Sonora headlining the performances with two stellar goals.

The 23-year-old midfielder netted goals in consecutive victories over General Caballero JLM and Huracan respectively, earning SBI’s Americans Abroad Player of the Week honors for his stellar play. Sonora now has four goals for Independiente across all competitions, tying a career-high in a single season.

After notching the fourth and final goal in Tuesday’s 4-0 romp over Caballero in Copa Sudamericana action, Sonora followed that up with the opener against Huracan in league play on Saturday. Sonora’s curling free kick found the back of the net and helped kickstart another important win for the Argentinian top-flight side.

Sonora, a New Jersey native, has been linked with the USMNT over recent months and could be in the mix for a senior call-up this June if he continues this goalscoring form. The attacking midfielder has totaled over 60 appearances to date for Independiente, but has yet to represent the United States at any level.

Here is a look at some of the other top Americans Abroad performers from the past week:

Christian Pulisic

Christian Pulisic returned to the Chelsea starting lineup on Saturday at Stamford Bridge and the USMNT star delivered a strong performance in a 2-2 draw with Wolves.

The 23-year-old fought hard in his entire 90-minute performance, assisting on Romelu Lukaku’s second goal of the match. Pulisic picked up possession and played a through ball upfield for Lukaku to finish, giving Chelsea a two-goal advantage at the time.

Although the result didn’t go Chelsea’s way, manager Thomas Tuchel will be pleased with Pulisic’s performance as the Blues try to clinch a top-four finish this week.

John Brooks

German club Wolfsburg earned its second win out of the past three matches, using a 1-0 clean shutout to defeat Cologne.

USMNT veteran John Brooks continued to rack up minutes at the tail-end of the league season, making his 30th league appearance for Wolfsburg. The 29-year-old made one tackle, eight clearances, and won two of his five duels, helping Wolfsburg register its league-leading 11th clean sheet of the season.

With Miles Robinson’s recent Achilles injury, Brooks could receive a new opportunity with the USMNT this summer.

James Sands

Rangers avoided conceding the Scottish Premiership title to rivals Celtic on Sunday after picking up a 2-0 win over Dundee United.

NYCFC loanee James Sands registered his first 90-minute outing since March 13, starting alongside veteran Steven Davis in Giovanni Van Bronckhorst’s midfield. Sands finished the match as the most-accurate passer (97%), to go along with six recoveries, and one completed dribble.

The 21-year-old only earned 74 minutes of playing time during the month of April, but could feature down the stretch for Rangers after Sunday’s solid showing.

Tim Weah

Lille may be struggling for consistency down the final stretch of the Ligue 1 season, but Timothy Weah hasn’t taken his foot off of the gas after earning his fourth-straight start on Friday.

Weah has totaled 360 minutes in the past four matches, and although he hasn’t scored for Lille this season, the USMNT winger is fighting to make an impact in any way he can. The 22-year-old created the most chances (3) in Friday’s 2-1 home loss to Monaco, while also winning five of eight duels, and completing two dribbles.

Weah has two final matches with Lille this season before a short break ahead of possible USMNT involvement in June.

What did you think of the top Americans Abroad performances this past week? Who impressed you the most? Who didn’t make the list that you feel deserved a mention?

Share your thoughts below.