When Paxten Aaronson reflects on his young career, a consistent theme emerges: family. More specifically? His older brother, Brenden.
“I lucked out, in a sense, having the older brother that's kind of been on a different journey, but the same in different aspects,” Aaronson told Backheeled after a Colorado Rapids training session. “Growing up and signing a homegrown deal for the [Philadelphia] Union, I looked at his pathway, I said, ‘Why can't that be me?’”
The Aaronson brothers’ journeys have mirrored each other in many ways. Brenden signed a homegrown deal with the Union at age 17 in 2018. Paxten signed his homegrown deal at 16. Brenden moved to Europe at 20, signing with Red Bull Salzburg before eventually landing at Leeds United, where he remains today. Paxten went across the pond to join Eintracht Frankfurt at 19. Both have played for the U.S. men’s national team – and for both of them, leaning on each other throughout it all has been crucial.
