We’ve previously shared the story of the Aaronson family’s youngest son, and now it’s time for the oldest. This well-known footballer, along with his younger brother, took their first steps in football in the city of Brotherly Love. At a young age, our compatriots established themselves in the United States and then pursued a sporting career in Europe. Brenden, on the other hand, has moved to the world’s best leagues earlier than Paxten. Find out more about the significantly different story of a member of the Aaronson soccer family at iphiladelphia.
The start and development of a football player’s career
Brenden Russell Aaronson was born in the tenth month of the new millennium near the City of Brotherly Love. In 2007, he graduated from the local high school and then went on to the Philadelphia Union’s YSC Academy to get his football training.
As a student, he signed his first amateur contract with the legendary Philadelphia club Bethlehem Steel. In total, during his career in this club, he played twenty-one matches, scoring only one goal.
The young man decided to improve his performance by joining the team of his native academy, FC Philadelphia Union. His debut transfer was a success since already in his first professional match, he scored a goal. Part of his success was due to chance, as his opponents for the position were injured or disqualified, and Brenden was given the opportunity to show himself on the football field. The young football player grabbed possibilities with both hands and was not afraid to play different positions. Over time, he honed his abilities to play both as a center midfielder and a left-sided attacking midfielder.
At the end of the season, our fellow countryman was ranked second in the 2019 MLS Rookie of the Year standings, with three goals and two assists in over 1,640 minutes played.
Aaronson made his breakthrough in the 2020 season, appearing in thirty-one matches across all competitions and scoring four goals. Aaronson’s achievements this season have garnered him a number of honors, including nomination to the 2020 MLS Best XI for the regular season and the MLS is Back Tournament. The Philadelphia team, in particular, won the Supporters’ Shield award for the first time in the club’s history, thanks to the great performance of the talented midfielder.
Following his most successful season at the time, the Austrian Red Bull Salzburg became interested in the American player. The club was the most persistent, therefore they paid a record fee for an MLS player. A player for the Philadelphia Union football club cost them more than $6 million. Aaronson made his debut for Salzburg in the winter of 2021 during a friendly match against Rheindorf Altach. His first goal for Salzburg was scored a month later, which led Austria Wien to defeat. In total, during that successful season for Red Bull Salzburg, Brenden scored 5 goals.
International and club career in the present day
In the spring of 2022, Leeds United, an ambitious English club, became interested in the Austrian club’s midfielder. Actually, already in May, a transfer took place with a purchase amount of more than twenty-four million pounds sterling.
Aaronson appeared on the football field in the opening round of the world’s most popular football league against Wolverhampton, who then lost. A month later, the most expensive player in both American and Philadelphia football scored his debut goal in the Premier League. Brenden was part of the team’s victory over London Chelsea in that match, which marked the first triumph over them in 20 years.
When Leeds dropped out of class at the end of the 2022-23 season, the Philadelphian did not want to spend a year in a non-profitable tournament. As a result, in the next summer transfer window, he was loaned to German Union Berlin. By the way, his younger brother Paxten Aaronson was already playing in the Bundesliga for Eintracht Frankfurt at the time.
Brenden’s experience throughout the aforementioned season was quite contrasting. Despite the dismal performance of the English club, the American was named one of twenty-six players of the national team that represented the country at the 2022 World Cup. In Qatar, the Americans advanced to the playoff round, where they were defeated by the Netherlands. As for Aaronson, the tournament turned out to be rather successful. During the group stages, he played in all matches, breaking a record as the first football player from Philadelphia to be selected and play for the US men’s national team at the World Cup in the last 16 years.
Awards and admission to the national team
An interesting story happened when he found out that he was being called up to the ranks of the first team in the country. Brenden received a text message from Gregg Berhalter, the national team’s coach. The Philadelphia resident immediately recognized what was going on, and later in an interview with American media, he stated that this was the most important message he had ever received.
Berhalter then wrote to him, saying wanted to talk to Aaronson on the phone. The athlete met the specialist and then heard the phrase that every local football player dreams of as a child: “I want to see you on the national team of the United States of America.”
By 2023, our fellow countryman succeeded in winning the Austrian Cup and Austrian Bundesliga twice. He also got gold awards for the CONCACAF Nations League. In 2020, the player was named one of the 11 best players in the MLS is Back Tournament.
