AMSTERDAM – Hamburg loan winger Julian Green may have made a grand splash in his World Cup debut this summer, but he had an entirely different first taste of Bundesliga action in Sunday's dreary 2-0 loss away to Hannover 96.
Green started on the right flank, but was pulled at the break after spending much of the first half watching the Reds swarm his side's box. And while dominant Hannover hit twice in the opening 23 minutes, the young American only had rare chances on the ball over 45, accumulating just 19 non-defensive touches.
Shortly after Hannover opened on 13 minutes, Green's cross found the head of Hamburg striker Pierre-Michel Lasogga, who nudged the ball just wide of goal.
Green would switch to the left side midway through the period and experience his only scoring chance from there. Eight minutes before intermission, a cross from the right bounced just out of the reach of Lasogga to the US international, but his one-time shot attempt was blocked by a recovering defender.
Overall, Green connected on seven of his eight passes, but went down in the ledger for being dispossessed a game-high six times. He also notched a pair of pocket-picks for himself and earned one free kick.
Green's next chance to get a game arrives when Bundesliga cellar dwellers HSV host Green's parent club, champs Bayern Munich, on Saturday.
Greg Seltzer covers Americans based in Europe for MLSsoccer.com.
