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U.S. Abroad 2017-18: The good, the bad and the ugly in Germany

There were a good many positives for Americans to take away from the 2017-18 German season.

Teenagers Weston McKennie (photo, Schalke 04) and Christian Pulisic(Borussia Dortmund) finished second and fourth in the Bundesliga, respectively, sending their clubs into next season's UEFA Champions League. For much of the season, Timmy Chandler was a big contributor for Eintracht Frankfurt, which finished eighth in the Bundesliga and will meet Bayern Munich Saturday in the German Cup final in Berlin.

After a long layoff, Aron Johannsson returned to action for Werder Bremen, scoring his first goal since September 2016 with a delicate shot in the German Cup match against Bayer Leverkusen.

Alfredo Morales could return to the Bundesliga with promoted Fortuna Duesseldorf after a solid season with 2. Bundesliga club Ingolstadt.

Julian Green moved down the Bundesliga to the 2. Bundesliga for the second year in a row, but at least he helped rescue Greuther Fuerth from sure relegation.

Then there was ...

Several fixtures on the U.S. national team endured rough seasons. Bobby Wood was rated the worst of 215 players who qualified for German magazine kicker's "Topspieler" rankings. He scored just two goals for Hamburg, relegated for the first time in its history, and was red carded in the final game of the season.

But Wood still played more than Fabian Johnson and John Brooks combined. Johnson never got untracked for Borussia Moenchengladbach and played all of 10 minutes after the winter break.

Brooks became the most expensive American in history when he moved from Hertha Berlin to Wolfsburg on a $24 million transfer, but he played just nine games during an injury-riddled season. Wolfsburg will face Holstein Kiel for Bundesliga survival in the promotion/relegation series.

McKennie came into the Schalke 04 first team along with Haji Wright (photo), who was loaned out to tiny Sandhausen. Wright scored in his pro debut, but his playing time steadily declined with just three appearances in the second half of the 2. Bundesliga season. 32/4/7 Christian Pulisic (19, Bor. Dortmund), 3.48
24/2/4 Timmy Chandler (28, Eintracht Frankfurt), 3.30
24/2/0 Bobby Wood (25, Hamburg), 4.60
22/0/0 Weston McKennie (19, Schalke 04), 3.46
12/1/2 Aron Johannsson (27, Werder Bremen) 3.25
10/1/0 Fabian Johnson (30, Borussia M'Gladbach) 4.08
9/0/0 John Brooks (25, Wolfsburg), 3.44
6/0/0 Caleb Stanko (24, Freiburg), 3.75
0/0/0 Jonathan Klinsmann (21, Hertha Berlin/GER) -

2. Bundesliga:
29/7/3 Jann George (25, Jahn Regensburg), 3.46
27/4/1 Alfredo Morales (28, Ingolstadt), 3.68
24/4/2 Terrence Boyd (27, Darmstadt), 4.00
24/3/1 *Julian Green (22, Greuther Fuerth), 3.90
15/1/0 *Haji Wright (19, Sandhausen), 3.94
6/1/0 Andrew Wooten (28, Sandhausen), 3.25
3/0/1 Jerome Kiesewetter (25, Fortuna Duesseldorf), 3.75
2/0/0 *McKinze Gaines (20, Darmstadt), 4.25
0/0/0 Mael Corboz (23, Duisburg) -
*On loan.

3. Liga:
30/5/5 Joe Gyau (25, Sonnenhof Grossaspach), 2.91
28/0/1 Isaiah Young (20, Werder Bremen II) 3,71
17/0/0 Mario Rodriguez (24, Sonnenhof Großaspach), 3.50
10/0/0 Robert Kristo (24, Osnabrueck) -
6/0/0 Devann Yao (28, Meppen) 2.00
1/0/0 Aron Johannsson (27, Werder Bremen II), 3.50
Kicker ratings: 1=high; 6=low.

americans abroad, men's national team