Alex Freeman, the USMNT’s 22-year-old right back, came on at halftime in Villarreal’s 3-2 loss at Borussia Dortmund on Matchday 1 of the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League. Left winger George Bello, 24, started for Austria’s LASK in its 1-0 loss at AEK Athens. The post Americans Abroad: Freeman and Bello make UEFA Champions League debut appeared first on Soccer America.
Karetsas was seen kicking the ball back to his team-mate before sitting down on the pitch in discomfort, with Dortmund medical staff coming onto the pitch to attend to the attacker.
Borussia Dortmund released a statement addressing Konstantinos Karetsas' status after the player had to be stretchered off the field in the 26-27 UEFA Champions League debut. Konstantinos Karetsas was at the center of a concerning incident during the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League opening matchday, requiring a stretcher to leave the pitch due to a medical situation rather than a physical tackle. Following the alarming scene, Borussia Dortmund issued an official statement providing an update on the Greek international’s condition. With Dortmund hosting Villarreal at Signal Iduna Park, Karetsas was named to the starting lineup by head coach Niko Kovac before his abrupt exit in the opening half. The midfielder played a pass back toward his defense in the 23rd minute before immediately collapsing to the turf, prompting medical personnel to rush onto the field to evaluate him. Far from a structural or orthopedic issue, Karetsas motioned toward his abdominal region and was unable to walk off under his own power. After several minutes of evaluation on the pitch, the attacking midfielder was loaded onto a stretcher and removed in the 27th minute, raising immediate concern among supporters and staff regarding the underlying cause. While the match remained underway, Borussia Dortmund released a public statement addressing the player’s status: “Konstantinos Karetsas had to leave the field due to circulatory problems. Kosta is doing well under the circumstances and is on his way to the hospital for further tests.“ Konstantinos Karetsas had to leave the field due to circulatory problems. Kosta is doing well under the circumstances and is on his way to the hospital for further tests. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/WMYbxkdTEk— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) September 8, 2026 Prior to Tuesday’s scare, Karetsas had already drawn close monitoring from Dortmund’s medical staff. After starting in Saturday’s Bundesliga fixture against Hoffenheim, the 18-year-old missed Monday’s final pre-match training session leading up to the Villarreal clash due to fatigue symptoms. Despite the early disruption, Dortmund secured three points in their European opener with a 3-2 victory over Villarreal, highlighted by Serhou Guirassy converting an 85th-minute penalty before turning in a late 93rd-minute own goal. The German club will resume their Champions League schedule on October 14 against Bodo/Glimt, when medical staff hope to have Karetsas cleared for selection. Dortmund suffer setback from Greek duo Karetsas’ medical situation heightened anxiety across European soccer following recent heart-related scares across the continent, including Udinese’s Jakub Piotrowski and Napoli’s Scott McTominay undergoing cardiac ablation procedures for mild benign arrhythmia. While a full diagnosis for the midfielder remains pending, Dortmund face losing both members of their newly acquired Greek tandem in under a month. Back on August 29, during Dortmund’s Bundesliga opener against Hamburg, fellow Greek international Giannis Konstantelias suffered a major injury setback. The winger sustained an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear that will keep him sidelined for the majority of the 2026-27 campaign, leaving both of BVB’s marquee summer additions unavailable for the foreseeable future.
Borussia Dortmund fans packed out the Westfalenstadion on Tuesday evening as Die Schwarzgelben kicked off their UEFA Champions League campaign with a repeat of one of last season’s league phase matc...
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