Others might appear on the Mount Rushmore of current US men’s national team icons before Antonee Robinson. Indeed, Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah might all get a mention for their European exploits ahead of Robinson, but the Fulham left back is out-performing them all right now.
Mohamed Salah knows how well Robinson is currently playing. Callum Hudson-Odoi and Jarrod Bowen too. They have all come up against the American for a resurgent Fulham team recently and struggled to make an impact. Robinson – nicknamed ‘Jedi’ from childhood – stopped them. The force is strong with him at this moment in time.
Three wins in four games have pushed Fulham into the top half of the table and Robinson’s form is a big reason behind this dramatic uptick in form. Nobody is playing better for the Cottagers. Furthermore, Robinson is playing the best soccer of his career to date. He’s emerging as a genuine difference-maker at Premier League level.
For all that Robinson has helped Fulham to some emphatic wins recently, it was in the 4-3 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield where he shone brightest, giving the Premier League table-toppers a constant problem with his relentless running down the wing. “His game was top level,” said Fulham manager Marco Silva afterwards. “He was almost always in the right position for the 100 minutes we played.”
By setting up Harry Wilson for an equalizing goal at Anfield, Robinson also became the first American to register an assist in three successive Premier League matches. Against one of the strongest teams in England - and Europe - the Fulham left back was one of the best players on the pitch, to such an extent that his individual display was paid particular attention in a segment on Match of the Day.
Robinson has become an integral part of the way Fulham play. His speed and direct running makes him a useful funnel into the attacking third. His overlapping and underlapping runs give Fulham forward thrust with Robinson and Alex Iwobi natural in the way they combine to unsettle opposition defenses.
The 26-year-old’s crossing ability is also used by Silva to get service into Raul Jimenez who comes alive when attacking a ball inside the opposition penalty box. Robinson gives him that (Andreas Pereira is the only Fulham player averaging more crosses per 90 minutes) just as he gave Aleksandar Mitrovic the same – it’s no coincidence the Serbian was renowned as one of the Premier League’s best headers of the ball when he had Robinson setting him up.
In build-up play, Robinson has a similarly important role to play for the Cottagers, frequently forming passing triangles with Pereira and Willian to progress possession down the left. He is in the 70th percentile for touches per 90 minutes among players in his position, highlighting how Silva trusts Robinson to handle the ball under pressure.
Defensively, Robinson is also improving. Liverpool might have scored four goals against Fulham earlier this month, but Salah was prevented time and time again from finding the net or even posing a threat to Bernd Leno’s goal. This was largely due to Robinson who made more interceptions (13) than any player in a Premier League match since the start of the 2009/10 season.
Statistically, Robinson excels in several areas – progressive carries, successful take-ons, interceptions, long passes, crosses, ball recoveries and even aerial duels. Some attacking full backs are overly reliant on their physical attributes, but Robinson isn’t one of them. As an all-rounder defender, there are few better than him at the moment.
Of course, Robinson’s potential as an elite level full back has been clear for some time. Before signing for Fulham in 2020, he came close to joining AC Milan instead – the $13m transfer from Wigan Athletic fell through after an irregular heart rhythm was detected during his medical. Later that same year, Robinson made the move to Craven Cottage.
USMNT fans are also well aware of Robinson’s quality. There have been few players more dependable for the national team in the Gregg Berhalter era than the left back who started all four matches the USA played at the 2022 World Cup. Robinson is almost always one of the first names on the team sheet for his country.
Other USMNT full backs haven’t fared so well recently. Not so long ago, Sergino Dest would have been on the USMNT Mount Rushmore. He was considered the best American full back in Europe. Now, though, Dest is struggling to get his career back on track on loan at PSV after failing to make the grade at Barcelona. His international performances have suffered too – see his meltdown in last month’s defeat to Trinidad and Tobago.
There’s something to be said for the way Robinson has quietly grown season-on-season. In retrospect, Fulham might have been a better place for the left back to develop his game than AC Milan where the pressure could have crushed him like it seemingly crushed Dest at Barcelona. Craven Cottage has been a healthy environment for Robinson.
With Robinson in such sparkling form, it’s reasonable to ponder his future. At 26, the left back is entering the best years of his career, so could he have one more step up the transfer market ladder left in him? Might Robinson’s recent performances alert bigger clubs willing to give him an even higher platform?
Fulham has long been something of a USMNT outpost – it’s why the club is dubbed ‘Fulhamerica’. Clint Dempsey and Brian McBride (who had a bar named after him at Craven Cottage) are both club legends while Tim Ream is similarly revered having spent eight years there. Right now, though, Robinson is flying the American flag higher than anyone else at Fulham – and possibly higher than anyone else in European soccer too.
