Brenden and Paxten Aaronson are ready to make USMNT history as their club careers reach very different crossroads

Paxten couldn't help but smirk when he told the story. It was one of his fondest memories, and it came from going to war with his older brother, as they so often did. It was Christmas and the two were battling one-on-one in the basement. On this occasion, thanks to a stroke of luck, younger brother won, and older brother wasn't very happy about it.

"He came up to Christmas dinner and was so mad, he punted the ball and broke the light," Paxten told GOAL last summer. "My dad and mom came down there so aggravated because it was Christmas, you know? It's supposed to be a time of happiness and the entire dinner he was just sulking because he lost to me!

"It was always really intense between us. We would never have a full fist-fight, but we would get into some wrestling matches. And it was the same with all sports, like ping pong – we were so competitive in that. Around the holidays, I always got the better of him in that, so he would freak out. He beat me one time and I threw my paddle and hit him in the face!"

It's one story, but also an insight into the competitiveness that fuelled the Aaronson brothers. That competitiveness, ultimately, made them the players they are now. Growing up in Medford, New Jersey, Brenden and Paxten always had each other to compete with. Iron sharpened iron, and that iron got so sharp that the pair both rose to prominence with the Philadelphia Union.

Brenden came first, of course, emerging as a homegrown star before making his move to Europe. Paxten was hot on his heels, and he came armed with the knowledge gained from watching his older brother go through those growing pains first.

"When my brother first joined the league, he found it really hard to get shots off in the box and get good goalscoring opportunities, so my dad thought it was really important that I work on my ability in and around the box," Paxten explained. "He saw my brother struggling with it and he was like, 'Alright, well clearly he's struggling with it so we need to work on this with you.' I remember that off-season or that summer when he was struggling, all we did was work on finishing. My dad did a lot of research and we would just strictly do finishing for like an hour, just getting confident with it.

"I had that time ahead of him to really get good at it and perfect the technique and perfect the quick shot so I had a little bit of a head start on him. It was kind of like a blessing in disguise. He was struggling but I took his struggle and kind of developed that into my game."

The Aaronson brothers made history earlier this year when Paxten earned his first USMNT cap, and should they see the field together, they'd become the first siblings to do so since Ken and Steve Snow all the way back in 1988.

It's an impressive feat, for sure. Two boys from the same household shouldn't be among the 30 or so best players in the country, but here they are with the USMNT for a crucial camp. They haven't played as team-mates since childhood. Their club careers never overlapped, with Brenden jetting off to Europe before Paxten made his Union debut. They have, however, battled as foes.

On November 4, both brothers came off the bench in Eintracht Frankfurt's 3-0 win over Union Berlin, with as Paxten's team secured the three points in the Bundesliga. In doing so, they became the first set of American brothers to play against one another in a top European league.

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USMNT defender Chris Richards told the world of Balogun's embarrassing moment in the lead up to Thursday's match in Austin, revealing that the striker was stunned to find out, midway through training, that the two Aaronsons he was about to play alongside were actually related.

"It was funny," Richards said. "We were warming up today and Flo had no idea they were brothers. He thought that they just had the same last name. I was like, 'Bro, they look exactly the same, sound the same, play the exact same!' They're both kind of quirky. They're both pretty similar going like 100 miles per hour all the time. You can see that whatever their family is doing, they're doing pretty well, and it's funny because they're kind of still big brother and little brother. You're gonna give your little brother a little bit of smack, but it's funny to see to like the exact same people just few years apart."

Richards went on to reveal that there have been some odd moments with the two together. Paxten is a bit quiet, at least at the start. Brenden was too, before finding his place with the team. Richards also noticed that, at certain times, the two avoided each other on the field as both navigated the phenomenon of seeing their brother standing across from them.

"I think [Paxten] needs a little bit of time because B (Brenden) was [quiet] at first, too," Richards said. "They're both funny. They have the exact same personality both on and off the field."

As for head coach Gregg Berhalter, he says he's made sure to treat the two like any other player, despite the uniqueness of their situation. "We haven't made a big deal about it," he said. "I think they're both two different people, two different career paths."

Berhalter has a point when pointing out those career trajectories, too. Entering this camp, Brenden finds himself in need of a boost, and, very soon, it seems like he'll find himself at something of a crossroads. After a disastrous season with Leeds United last campaign, Aaronson was loaned to Union Berlin as the English side tumbled into the Championship. Thus far, the season hasn't gone to plan, as Aaronson has featured 14 times, but has yet to score a goal. In total, he's played just 450 minutes for Union, and hasn't looked like a player that has the confidence to change games anymore.

"Brenden, he seems like one of the more experienced guys in the team, which is incredible for his young age," Berhalter said, "and it's been great seeing him grow and take the steps that he's had. He's in a little bit of a troubled spot with his club right now. Maybe not troubled, but his lack of minutes and lack of rhythm has hindered him a little bit. But he's a guy we believe in and we hope that he can contribute in this camp."

Now 23 and with professional experience with the Philadelphia Union, Red Bull Salzburg, Leeds and Union Berlin, you know what you're going to get from the elder Aaronson. He's an all-energy menace that can contribute either out wide or centrally. He was a key substitute at the 2022 World Cup thanks to that skillset, and he remains a player that Berhalter can turn to to bring life into any game.

He's shown, in spurts, that he can play at a high level, be it in the Premier League or Champions League, although we haven't seen that version of Aaronson at some time. There's still plenty of time to turn his loan spell in Germany around, but come June, Aaronson's next step will need be decisive.

Will he remain in a top-five European league, be it the Bundesliga or Premier League? Could he return to Leeds and make an impact? Could it be time to take a step backwards to a club to regain the confidence that he has lost? The time for that decision will come, but Aaronson faces a big seven months or so beforehand to get himself back on the right track for success.

In a recent interview with The Athletic, Eintracht Frankfurt CEO Axel Hellmann couldn't help but gush over Paxten Aaronson. "I am absolutely sure he will play a crucial role in the squad," Hellmann said. "He has all the talent and technical ability. What I really like is he has this 360 [degree view], it’s like a radar. He knows where the defenders are, where his teammates are. He can foresee a situation on the pitch, which is a talent you cannot learn. You have this, you cannot learn this."

Despite Hellmann's praise, Paxten hasn't quite had his big breakthrough in Germany yet. The 20-year-old midfielder is seemingly on his way, having provided two assist in 10 appearances (nine of which have come off the bench) after featuring nine times last season.

The young midfielder seems so close to truly breaking through, and Berhalter has been pleased with his progress so far. "What we've been impressed with with Paxten is the communication from his club," Berhalter said. "Frankfurt are really impressed with his development. He's a guy that gets into very dangerous positions and, to me, is very interesting player."

With Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah both out injured, there's a pretty good chance we see at least one Aaronson feature on Thursday night. Brenden seems the most likely, as he could earn a starting role either out wide or centrally as a No.8. Given his experience, he's almost certain to play in this match as the U.S. looks to seize a big lead on home soil before the second leg in Port of Spain on Monday.

Minutes for Paxten, though, have not been ruled out by Berhalter, who said: “When two guys go down, an opportunity opens up for another player. We see [Paxten] as a winger similar to Christian, in the fact that he gets in the penalty box and he's dangerous in front of goal, and that’s what we focus on with our wingers. We know goals are a premium, and he's a young player that has shown that he has a knack for scoring goals, and the starting point is arriving in the penalty box, which he does really well.

“He's got an interesting profile with his quickness and his ability to get out of trouble. We think he's good at pressing. He's got a lot of things that show us he’s going to be an excellent player in the future and now's the time to give him an opportunity.”

Whether we see one of or both Aaronson brothers on Thursday, it'll still be a special night for the family. It'll be the first of what the two will hope is many, as having two Aaronsons on the teamsheet could very well become a regular occurrence for the next decade.