American Hustle

Let’s be honest, the American ‘phase’ at Elland Road was a disaster. Jesse Marsch spoke too much but did too little. Weston McKennie ate too much and ran too little. The 49ers were present but barely visible and in the midst of it all a baby-faced cherub from a small town called Medford was flailing around on the turf desperate to make a good impression. Spoiler alert: he did not.

In typical US style it promised so much. The new wave of American talent on UK soil, a hyped up coach with buzz words by the thousand, and sports investment from one of the world’s biggest brands. But it ended up like a bottle of Budweiser. It might look cool, feel cool, and they’ll even make sure to tell you that it is cool. But really, it’s weak, doesn’t taste of a whole lot, and in the end you feel like you’ve been cheated out of something better.

After the ‘Orta Street Crash’ our stock tumbled, but our investors doubled down. A second chance to make it right, now as owners. The jury is still out following a wild summer transfer window, after being assured that all was calm and that everything was within our control. And yet while we lost some big names and a host of attacking talent, our American boy decided he wanted to reinvest in the cause.

Brenden Russell Aaronson is a New Jersey boy to be exact. Soaring through the ranks of Bethlehem Steel FC, Philadelphia Union and Red Bull Salzburg before arriving in Beeston. But this isn’t about then. This is about leaving and coming back. This is about abandoning ship when all those around you are drowning, and asking whether he’s brought enough life jackets to save us all now he’s swam back. Is Brenden here to save us? Or was he simply not strong enough to swim ashore?

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