It was a battle of USMNT defenders as John Brooks took on Tim Ream in a London friendly at Craven Cottage, with the former coming out on top as Wolfsburg won 3-0. The US defender opened the scoring, while Mario Gomez put on the finishing touches with a brace late in the second half.
[ MORE: Miazga loaned to Vitesse for another season ]
Brooks took the early advantage as his looping header gave Wolfsburg the lead midway through the first half. The chance came on a set-piece as Daniel Davidi picked up the assist from his free-kick.
Ream started and was paired with Chelsea loanee Tomas Kalas for much of the match, until being substituted off with 79 minutes to go. Brooks also started, alongside 25-year-old Wolfsburg youth product Robin Knoche, and went the full 90 minutes.
Brooks joined Wolfsburg this summer for a $20 million fee, which is more than Fulham has ever spent on a player. The German club has looked good in preseason, with the club’s typical goalscoring flair looking to have returned, a season after narrowly avoiding relegation after losing its attacking touch.
Fulham’s defense, meanwhile, has been quite leaky all preseason, although Ream has not been in the lineup for much of it as manager Slavisa Jokanovic has looked to test out his other defensive options. They conceded a massive eight-goal total to Chelsea in a training session at Cobham, and then allowed a pair of goals in games against West Ham, Darmstadt, and now Wolfsburg.
