‘It will be weird sharing the pitch’: Paxten Aaronson on playing against his brother

Everything is moving fast for Paxten Aaronson.

The 20-year-old American is a go-anywhere attacking midfielder, a player who thinks and acts quickly, who thrives in tight spaces or amid the organized chaos of transition football. He is as quick of mind as he is of foot. And so far, his career trajectory has mimicked his super-charged playing style.

Aaronson was just 17 when he made his senior MLS debut for Philadelphia Union, following a path from academy to first team forged by his older brother, US international Brenden Aaronson. He quickly became a regular in Subaru Park’s senior team before securing a move to Eintracht Frankfurt in the German Bundesliga in November last year, just 18 months after his first Union appearance.

“It was always a goal of mine to play in Europe,” Aaronson said. “When I saw Philadelphia Union guys like my brother, Mark McKenzie and Auston Trusty make the move, I realized that if I had a few good seasons in Philadelphia, I could also get a move to a top club in Europe. They paved the way for me and gave me foresight into the future of what could happen for me.

“There was always interest and clubs contacted Ernst (Tanner, the Philadelphia Union general manager) about (my) availability. But nothing was ever set in stone. It was just interest.”

The number of clubs inquiring about Aaronson’s availability multiplied in the summer of 2022 after he led the US to victory in the Concacaf Under-20 Championship. With eight goals he was the highest scorer of the tournament and was named the best player. His reputation grew and a wealth of possible future destinations opened up. In assessing his options, he looked to the example of the young American players who have recently flourished in Germany’s top league. He also recognized a high-octane style of play that mirrored his own playing.

“I’ve seen a lot of success here,” he says. “Christian (Pulisic) when he was at Dortmund clearly excelled and got that big move to Chelsea. Looking at the competition and the playing style, it just suited me. It is a very attacking competition, where you are at the forefront and in your face. When you think about the games there are a lot of transition moments, three-on-twos, four-on-threes to goal – who can be more clinical and who can win those transition moments? I’ve always thrived in that high-attack, high-transition game. A lot of teams in the Bundesliga play that way, so I thought it would be a good fit.

“I thought if I could make the leap now and settle in as quickly as possible, it would only benefit me in the long run. There was talk about staying in Philly a little longer, maybe waiting six months to make the jump, but in the end everyone was on the same page, including myself, in thinking that the sooner I could get here, the better for my development.

“The language is difficult to speak. But I think I did well on the field, and at least understood a little bit of it. For me it’s easiest when you talk and joke – that’s how you learn best. And of course I take German lessons.”

If Aaronson needs a study partner, he has one in his family. Brenden, two years older than Paxten, joined Red Bull Salzburg in 2021 at the age of 20. The elder Aaronson impressed so much in his season and a half in Austria that Leeds United paid $30.4 million to bring him to the Premier League last year. Having an older brother who is already a mainstay of the USMNT places expectations on the shoulders of the younger sibling, but Paxten ignores the inevitable comparisons.

“He paved that path for me and showed me what it was like,” Aaronson says. “Of course people will always make comparisons and say: one is like this, the other is like that. I’ve never really read into that. Firstly because we are different players, but also because we are so close to the pitch, so I never really felt that. I just knew that we were two completely separate people on the field and I never really felt that pressure.

“When the offer first came from Eintracht and we talked about it, he said it was a step and an opportunity for me that I had to take, because it doesn’t come to many people and doesn’t happen often. He said: ‘You just have to do what’s best for your career and think a little selfishly. For such a top club you shouldn’t look back, but just go for it.”

Since moving to Frankfurt, Aaronson’s trajectory has not slowed down. His first-team debut came in March this year, when he replaced World Cup winner Mario Götze in a 2-0 defeat to Union Berlin.

“To be honest, myself and even the staff here last year would say it was earlier than expected,” he says. “When I first came to Eintracht, the first six months would just be developing and sorting things out. We had some injuries and I trained very well. It just happened. This way many children get their chance. I just stayed ready and trained hard every day. When that opportunity comes, you have to take it, because you never know how many you’ll get.

At that point, he had already made his first senior appearance for the United States, playing a friendly against Colombia in January. That performance made the Aaronson brothers the eighth set of siblings to represent the USMNT, although they have yet to share a pitch at the international level.

“Playing together for the national team is the most important thing,” Aaronson said. “That would be – I don’t even know how to describe it. It would be funny but also just crazy to think about sharing the field for the national team in big moments. That’s something we’ve talked about and dreamed of since we were kids.”

The brothers’ childhood ambition did not extend to the thought that they could one day play opposite each other in one of Europe’s most prestigious competitions. That will be the reality on November 4, when Eintracht travel to the German capital to take on Union Berlin, where Brenden is on loan this season. Their parents and sister will watch from the stands, making it an all-Aaronson affair.

“That will be an exciting moment,” says Paxten. “It will certainly be strange at first. As a child I was so used to playing with him. We played each other one-on-one and all that, but it’ll be weird sharing the court on the big stage. It will be a very cool moment.”

After seven substitute appearances in the Bundesliga last season, Aaronson is even more involved in the new season. He registered his first assists for Eintracht in September’s 1–1 draw against Cologne, setting up Niels Nkounkou to score a late equalizer. His first start for the club also came in a Uafa Conference League win over Aberdeen later that month. It is reasonable to expect that by the time Eintracht face Union and his brother for the second time this season in March, Aaronson’s role in the team will have grown further. But like thoughts of a deep run in European competition or a World Cup on home soil in 2026, he sees the tournament as too distant a horizon to contemplate.

“I still have to prove myself every day in training,” he says. “Nothing is given. I just have to keep pushing and keep striving for more.

“I’m not the kind of guy who sets goals too far ahead. For me it’s day after day, match after match. If I just focus on the here and now, the next games coming up and just being present in the moment, I’ve found that works best for me.”

So far, it’s a philosophy that has produced rapid progress.