VIDEO: USMNT midfielder Brenden Aaronson nets eighth goal of the season in Leeds' blowout of Cardiff City

U.S. international Brendan Aaronson sparked a flurry of goals for Leeds as they won 7-0 over Cardiff in the English Championship.

Aaronson scored to put Leeds ahead less than six minutes into Saturday's match. The American was on the receiving end of a squared pass from Dan James, who had gotten around Cardiff goalkeeper Jak Alnwick. Aaronson made no mistake with the finish, picking his spot to net his eighth goal of the season in league play.

Aaronson was joined on the scoresheet by James, Manor Solomon, Joel Piroe, Wilfried Gnonto, and Mateo Joseph, with the American ultimately being removed in the 71st minute with the game well and truly out of hand.

Back in November, GOAL sat down with Aaronson to discuss his goals for the season, and he laid out a very specific one: "15 goals, 15 assists".

He has some work to do on the assist portion of that, having registered just two this season, but he is certainly making his mark in the goalscoring department. With his eight goals this season, Aaronson has now set a new career high, surpassing the seven he scored in all competitions for Red Bull Salzburg back in 2020-21.

That goal, he said, would hopefully change the perception of him while proving that he can be a legitimate attacking threat for both club and country.

"I want to be outside of that box," he said. "I'm not just a runner. I'm not just a guy that's pressing all the time. I'll show that, of course, but I think I'm also more than that, you know? I think I'm a guy that brings other things to the pitch and, yeah, I just wish people could see that more."

With Saturday's win, Leeds remain atop the table, sitting with a two-point lead over second-place Sheffield United. Up next for Aaronson and Co. is a visit to Coventry City on Wednesday before they host Millwall in the FA Cup fourth round next weekend.