The Bundesliga’s top four picture is a lot clearer on a day that Americans danced through many of the matches on the penultimate match day of the season.
[ MORE: Brighton-Arsenal recap | Spurs-Man Utd recap ]
USMNT teen prospect Giovanni Reyna made his first start and got his first assist, 20-year-old Chris Richards saw his first Bayern Munich league minutes, and several other American mainstays logged minutes across Germany.
RB Leipzig 0-2 Borussia Dortmund
Giovanni Reyna’s first Bundesliga start was a good one, the 17-year-old American setting up Erling Haaland for the first of 2 goals that sealed BVB’s second-place standing this season.
Haaland’s second goal came off a Julian Brandt feed, as Dortmund’s team is loaded with youth even with Jadon Sancho seemingly set for a summer sale. Haaland had no mercy on his former Red Bull family and now has 13 Bundesliga goals in 14 appearances since arriving from Salzburg in January.
Leipzig will finish top four with a point at Augsburg next week or dropped points from Borussia Monchengladbach or Bayer Leverkusen.
Reyna went 81 minutes, completing 86 percent of his passes including his only long ball. He converted four of five dribbles, won 10 of 17 duels, drew three fouls, and was credited with three tackles (SofaScore).
American midfielder Tyler Adams was a halftime sub for Leipzig, entering with the score 1-0. He won 2-of-3 duels, connected on 3-of-4 distance passes, made two interceptions and two tackles.
Supreme calmness and smarts on the assist, as Reyna darts into the box and knows where to find Haaland with his first touch.
First @Bundesliga_EN start, first assist for Gio Reyna ✨🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/lW7iYkIp39
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 20, 2020
Paderborn 1-3 Borussia Monchengladbach
Gladbach continues to control its top four destiny following a straight-forward win over already-relegated Paderborn, who took a red card with less than a half hour to play.
The visitors led 2-1 at that point on goals from Patrick Herrmann and Lars Stindl, the latter adding another on a Ramy Bensebaini assist with 17 minutes remaining on the clock.
Hertha Berlin 2-0 Bayer Leverkusen
Dodi Lukebakio had a goal and an assist as Bruno Labbadia’s Hertha continued its fine post-pause play and limited Bayer’s top four hopes to just that with one week to play.
Bayern Munich 3-1 Freiburg
The champions indoctrinated some new blood after building a 3-1 halftime lead on two goals and an assist from Robert Lewandowski.
American center back Chris Richards, 20, made his Bundesliga debut in the 84th minute of the win, completing all four of his passes and losing his only duel. Ex-Southampton and Chelsea man Jamal Musiala, 17, also made his Bundesliga debut.
Joshua Kimmich scored Bayern’s other goal.
Here’s what Richards told CBS’ Roger Gonzalez after the game:
“I was very excited when I heard my name to come over to the bench. Once I got the instructions from the coach then the nerves started to kick in, but after my first action I felt right at home.”
32 @Bundesliga_EN goals. ⚽️⚽️
Robert Lewandowski makes more history, becoming the highest-scoring non-German in a single season. pic.twitter.com/2XZIkrpF0G
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 20, 2020
Hoffenheim 4-0 Union Berlin
Four different players scored as Hoffenheim clinched a place in the Europa League. Union is guaranteed a bottom-half finish but won’t care: There will be a second season in the top flight.
Mainz 3-1 Werder Bremen
Bremen now needs help from Union Berlin to avoid its first season in the second tier since 1980 after three different Mainz players scored to key a 3-1 win.
In-form Davy Klaassen set up Bremen’s lone goal from Yuya Osako, and American forward Josh Sargent’s good day up top wasn’t enough to produce a result. Sargent took two shots, completed two of three dribbles, and won five of nine duels as center forward.
Fortuna Dusseldorf 1-1 Augsburg
Fortuna’s point coupled with Werder Bremen’s loss means the hosts need to match or better Bremen’s final week result to avoid automatic relegation and contest the playoff against 2.Bundesliga’s third-place finisher. USMNT midfielder Alfredo Morales was an unused sub in the draw, and Rouwen Hennings was again Fortuna’s scorer.
Schalke 1-4 Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg is headed back to the Europa League after clobbering woeful Schalke. Wout Weghorst scored two more goals to pace the visitors.
USMNT center back John Brooks made his 12th-straight start in the win, helping to limit Schalke to zero big chances (SofaScore). International teammate Weston McKennie went 90 minutes in the loss, picking up a yellow card, a blocked shot, an interception, and two tackles. He won 10 of 20 duels, drew two fouls, and fouled three times himself.
Koln 1-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht had the better of play but needed a 72nd-minute Bas Dost goal to take a point after Florina Kainz gave the hosts a lead before halftime. Neither team is going to Europe nor the second tier.
STANDINGS
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Home | Away | PTS |
| Bayern Munich | 33 | 25 | 4 | 4 | 96 | 32 | 64 | 13-2-2 | 12-2-2 | 79 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 33 | 21 | 6 | 6 | 84 | 37 | 47 | 11-3-2 | 10-3-4 | 69 |
| RB Leipzig | 33 | 17 | 12 | 4 | 79 | 36 | 43 | 7-8-2 | 10-4-2 | 63 |
| Mönchengladbach | 33 | 19 | 5 | 9 | 64 | 39 | 25 | 11-2-3 | 8-3-6 | 62 |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 33 | 18 | 6 | 9 | 60 | 44 | 16 | 8-4-4 | 10-2-5 | 60 |
| VfL Wolfsburg | 33 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 48 | 42 | 6 | 4-7-5 | 9-3-5 | 49 |
| 1899 Hoffenheim | 33 | 14 | 7 | 12 | 49 | 53 | -4 | 7-1-9 | 7-6-3 | 49 |
| SC Freiburg | 33 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 44 | 47 | -3 | 8-2-6 | 4-7-6 | 45 |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 33 | 12 | 6 | 15 | 56 | 58 | -2 | 7-4-5 | 5-2-10 | 42 |
| Hertha BSC Berlin | 33 | 11 | 8 | 14 | 47 | 57 | -10 | 6-3-8 | 5-5-6 | 41 |
| FC Schalke 04 | 33 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 38 | 54 | -16 | 5-7-5 | 4-5-7 | 39 |
| 1. FC Union Berlin | 33 | 11 | 5 | 17 | 38 | 58 | -20 | 7-3-6 | 4-2-11 | 38 |
| FSV Mainz 05 | 33 | 11 | 4 | 18 | 44 | 64 | -20 | 5-2-10 | 6-2-8 | 37 |
| 1. FC Köln | 33 | 10 | 6 | 17 | 50 | 63 | -13 | 6-4-7 | 4-2-10 | 36 |
| FC Augsburg | 33 | 9 | 9 | 15 | 44 | 61 | -17 | 5-5-6 | 4-4-9 | 36 |
| Fortuna Düsseldorf | 33 | 6 | 12 | 15 | 36 | 64 | -28 | 4-6-7 | 2-6-8 | 30 |
| Werder Bremen | 33 | 7 | 7 | 19 | 36 | 68 | -32 | 1-3-12 | 6-4-7 | 28 |
| SC Paderborn | 33 | 4 | 8 | 21 | 35 | 71 | -36 | 2-2-13 | 2-6-8 | 20 |
