‘Confidence is changing my game’ - USMNT's Brenden Aaronson is quieting critics and could play a bigger role for Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT

Aaronson spoke about it with GOAL last year: he doesn't like the perceptions of him or his game.

"It's definitely upsetting," Aaronson told GOAL, "Because I think, in moments, I show a lot of quality with the ball. I don't think a lot of people see that. People see my energy and that type of thing, and that's easy to see. You'll always see me giving 100 percent. That's something that I've always had. That was the first thing I learned from my dad at a young age."

"I want to be outside of that box," he added. "I'm not just a runner. I'm not just a guy who'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."

Leeds United fans have seen more of it this season. The numbers don't jump off the page, admittedly. He scored a goal recently against West Ham in an standout Man of the Match performance that included a mazy run through the entire Hammers team. He then set up a goal in this past weekend's loss to Nottingham Forest, notching his first assist of the season. One goal and one assist, generally, aren't anything to get excited about, but the underlying numbers tell a different story.

Yes, the defensive statistics are still elite when compared to other midfielders and wingers, which is always helpful for a promoted team looking to stay up. The chance creation numbers are good, too. Per DataMB, Aaronson is right among the league leaders in chance creation ratio, which measures the amount of key passes per 100 attempts. When it comes to creating danger, Aaronson has been right up there among the Premier League's very best, even if there hasn't been as much to show for it as many would like.

“It’s always a learning process going out there and playing,” Aaronson said. “But I think I’ve been playing at a good level this year, and I need to continue to get better and better and help the team the best I can."

All of that isn't to say that Aaronson is at the level of the Premier League's best. Few would believe that. It does indicate, though, that Aaronson is getting better and is making a real effort to prove that doubters wrong.

There have been multiple times during Daniel Farke's two-year Leeds United tenure when he has had to publicly defend his American midfielder from criticism. The most recent came just a few short weeks ago.

“It’s important not to put too much weight on his shoulders,” Farke said in September. “Sometimes the feeling with Brenden is that we are a bit over-critical in public. We know Brenden has challenges in his offensive game in terms of decision-making, being a bit clearer and more straightforward. This is something we speak a lot about.

“It’s not like I press a button, do my magic, and he’s a completely different player. In training, we bring him more into positions where he has to make decisions. It’s not like he is not willing to score or is not highly motivated. Sometimes, because he is so on it, he is, perhaps, losing a bit of his calmness, but it’s not helpful if everyone is always criticizing him.”

Aaronson, meanwhile, recently acknowledged that he avoids looking into that criticism. It's something he's dealt with for much of his professional career. In his first season with Leeds, the club was relegated. A subsequent move to Union Berlin didn't work out. He returned to Leeds knowing he'd have to win back the fans' trust. That process is ongoing, even after helping the club back to the Premier League with an ironman run through the Championship.

“Listen. I wear the shirt of Leeds United. One of the biggest clubs in England,” Aaronson told Morning Footy. “The fan base is amazing. We have amazing fans, and sometimes it can be tough. It comes with the pressure of wearing the kit. [Criticism] is always there, it is always gonna be there. 

"I’m not someone who uses social media. I never go on. My fiancée and my parents can look at that stuff. I tell them not to sometimes, but my mom can’t help it. I try to stay away from it. Week in and week out, all I can do is do the best I can and just go out there to be myself. That’s what I try to focus on.”

This week, Aaronson is focused on the USMNT and making a mark that could, ultimately, carry him to a second World Cup roster.

One of Aaronson's biggest assets is his versatility. He can play as an attacking midfielder. He can play on the wings. He can slot in as a No. 8 or even as a wingback, in theory. He's also a player that, no matter where you play him, seems like an ideal supersub, one that brings obvious energy and, if his Premier League run is anything to go by, a little bit of danger.

“I play the winger like a No. 10 if I’m being honest with you,” Aaronson said. “I think at [Leeds] my coach talks to me about having the freedom to go and get involved with the game. Of course, he wants the formation and, of course, he wants me to stay in the positions, but I just kind of go out there and play like I would in the midfield. I don’t really change too much about it.

“I’m not a winger that’s going one-v-one or stuff like that. I want to be in between the lines; I want to be driving with the ball. I want to be playing the final pass and shooting the final shot.”

Despite that versatility, this season has been a difficult one for Aaronson on the USMNT front. He was left out of the USMNT's March CONCACAF Nations League roster, although hindsight does say that may have been a blessing in disguise given how that camp went. Then, after returning to the Gold Cup, Aaronson was largely a substitute, starting just one game: a largely meaningless game against Haiti to close the group stage after two wins to start the tournament. It wasn't a surprise when he was then left out of the September squad as Pochettino looked elsewhere.

Aaronson returned in October and, despite playing just 26 minutes, he made an impression. In that cameo against Australia, he looked extremely dangerous. That performance, along with his recent run with Leeds, led to him being called back in for this November camp.

"Brenden is an experienced player who has already brought a lot to the national team," Pochettino said this summer. "He’s a player who has a total commitment to the national team. His character, whichever position he's in, he’s always helping, always being positive in all moments. He’s a very dynamic player. We're very familiar with his characteristics and he’s a player who brings a lot of positives to the group."

With Malik Tillman, Christian Pulisic, and Weston McKennie all sidelined, the U.S. are short on attacking midfield options. That gives Aaronson a chance to step into the spotlight in the place where he spent six years developing before moving to Europe.

Even now, five years after he left the club, Aaronson remains one of the Philadelphia Union's top success stories. He burst onto the scene in 2020 as a Best XI player. He's since played in Europe at the highest level. This week, Aaronson is one of four Union academy alumni in the USMNT group alongside Matt Freese, Mark McKenzie and Auston Trusty. All four are fighting for World Cup places. All four's next chance to do so comes in a stadium that they, at least for a time, called home.

On Saturday, the USMNT will host Paraguay at Subaru Park in their penultimate friendly of 2025. Aaronson, along with Gio Reyna, Diego Luna and Timothy Tillman, will be looking to show he deserves a larger role as one of the team’s No. 10s. The 25-year-old Leeds star will hope for that opportunity as he returns to where it all began.

“I think the best thing about the Philly development is we have the mentality from a young age, this winning mentality,” Aaronson said. “I think from when we both went to the school, there was always Champions League on TV, football all the time, and that was the beauty of it. I think you were just kind of just surrounded by all these guys who wanted to be the best player they could be.

"It’s not cutthroat, but it is competitive. So I think everybody wanted to reach the highest level. And that’s what the beauty was.”

There isn't always beauty in Aaronson's game. He hopes that the outside world will notice more of it than they have in the past, though, and, as long as he keeps providing those types of moments, Aaronson's fight will continue as he pushes for more with club and country.