Brenden Aaronson wasted no time introducing himself to Bayern Munich and the UEFA Champions League knockout stage.
The U.S. men's national team and Salzburg winger enjoyed an active start in the first leg of the round of 16 on Wednesday, punctuated by an assist on a surprising 21st-minute opener for the Austrian champions in their 1-1 draw against the German powerhouse. With Salzburg springing on the counter, the 21-year-old Aaronson slowed a cross down just enough with a deft touch, letting the ball fall to Chukwubuike Adamu in an advantageous spot for him to fire home the opener.
After having an earlier chance blocked, Aaronson then tested Bayern goalkeeper Sven Ulreich (Manuel Neuer was out injured after knee surgery), displaying his patience in the Bayern box before firing on target. Aaronson, who scored in his most recent league match for Salzburg, scored twice in the Champions League play-in round vs. Brøndby but has yet to score in the competition proper in his brief foray abroad.
Salzburg ultimately couldn't hold off Bayern from pulling level, with Kingsley Coman breaking through in the 90th minute to send the series back to Munich for the second leg all level.
Earlier in the day, Aaronson drew praise from the great Thierry Henry on CBS's prematch show, with the former French star recalling how well Aaronson, the former Philadelphia Union standout, performed against Montreal during Henry's coaching stint in MLS.
"I like him a lot, Brenden Aaronson," Henry said. "I came across him when I was a coach with Montreal, and he killed us with Philadelphia Union. His activity, the way he sees the game. I've always been a big fan of him and I'm not surprised to see what he's doing right now with Salzburg."
Aaronson, the only USMNT player to appear in all 11 World Cup qualifying matches so far, was the subject of intense January transfer interest from Leeds United, only for Salzburg to rebuff those advances in an effort to keep its squad together for the Champions League knockout rounds. The early returns show why.
