The Kid's alright - Getting the last L'OL: Tanner Tessmann at Olympic Lyonnaise

Marseille won 3-2. Tessmann played the full match and scored a 6.6 on fotmob, rating him 4th highest on his team.

 

Lyon v Lens in the Coupe today.

 

Tessmann is on the bench. Lyon hosting Lens in the Coupe de France.

 

Tessmann started over the weekend, but today he is on the bench. Lyon visiting Celta Vigo in the away leg of the Europa League playoffs.

 

Came on in the 84th or so

 

Finished 1-1, so advantage Lyon. Celta Vigo led 1-0 for most of the match, but a (double-yellow =) red card at 55’ damaged their chances. Fonseca sat on his subs for too long, as usual, but Tessmann entered as part of a triple-sub at 85’, and Lyon equalized very soon thereafter.

Tessmann +1!

 

Tessmann with yet another start for Lyon…

… at Center back?!?!?!

I have no way to watch this one, so I can’t tell if that’s where he’s playing, but that’s what it looks like in the ESPN lineup.

 

I just tuned in at the half... Google had him in the midfield but in the halftime highlights it sure looked like he was playing CB. I have often thought he could be a very effective CB... especially in a 3CB set. His long range passing accuracy could really pay dividends w/ the extra space CBs often have on the ball. I'll stick around and see how he plays in the 2nd.

EDIT. Yup. Playing CB in a 2CB set. Just had a great switch from right to left.

 

Not much about Tessmann in the live match commentary (one foul noted, as far as I can tell), which is probably a good thing as a defender.

 

Pretty cool that he is trusted to play CB in a 2CB set for a club like Lyon. He coughed up the ball once and had to take a yellow to stop the counter late in the game but other than that I thought he did a good job in 45' I watched. Would save a roster spot on the WC squad if he can trusted to play CM and CB. I wouldn't mind seeing him get some more minutes at CB down the stretch. I am eager to see if he is physical enough against larger strikers.

 

Or fast enough in a one on one on a ball over the top

 

Indeed. I will say that Le Havre has a lot of fast players and he held his own.... Long-term he would need at least one supporting CB with the athleticism to make up for a misstep. That is pretty common in the modern game. At any rate, first and foremost he would need more reps at the position to get good at it.

 

He has the physicality for CB; I’m all for it!

 

The new Pablo!

 

Le Havre and half … not?

 

Yeah the thought had occurred to me that if he were French or Italian he'd probably have been groomed as a CB.

I think like many bigger guys he has reasonable top end speed once his legs get going, the issue is more the first step.

 

I see some characteristic parallels w/ Banks (E.g. passing, vision, dribbling skill). Both have good pace for a big men but their first steps are not top notch... but Banks has been developed as a CB so the reps have honed his instinct to anticipate. Banks is also younger and is already a better tackler in open-space. But I do think spending time at DM at the highest level could have potential benefits down the road for Tessmann as a CB. We shall see.

 

He’s not being shifted to CB. He’s an excellent midfielder with still growing potential. He just got shifted as emergency cover for injuries and cards. But being able to fill in at CB definitely increases his value.

 

It would be wild if he is moved to CB for the US and two FCD players from Birmingham Alabama are playing next to each other.

 

Tessmann played Cb for several games at a stretch for Lyon earlier this year. He seemed to hold his own defensively since I didn’t see him get blamed for any big mistakes, and Lyon didn’t give up many goals with him out there.
I watched at least one of those games and his passing was an asset for sure. He has great distance and accuracy with both feet. He’s also a potential threat coming forward on set pieces and with his shot from distance.
When I have watched him play in midfield, I have thought that he might make a great CB.
His ball control and agility are not amazing for a CM, but are excellent for a big defender.

 

“Tanner Tessmann is a very good player because he has one thing that is very important, brain,” Pochettino explained. “He understands soccer, he understands in every single position the way that he needs to perform and to behave and it's not new for me. I think he has the profile to play in different positions on the pitch. He's another very good player and he's playing a lot in Lyon and he is doing well. I was talking about Weston, he's another player that I, the coaches, we really appreciate that profile of players.”

Over at ASN, have a full and very detailed analysis of the #USMNT roster including gems from Poch today
- "Juventus is McKennie plus 10"
- Check out the big brains on Tanner
- the Banks saga
- Cardoso's important camp
- central defense
- Gio
- MUCH morehttps://t.co/07I6wWQMBx pic.twitter.com/z6hPw2dIax

— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) March 17, 2026

 

That was one of your best columns. Using quotes that many may not have known about interspersed with your on point opinions.

 

Tessmann is on the bench today. Smart! Lyon hosting Celta Vigo in the Europa League (R16, 1-1 on aggregate).

 

Still 0-0 but Lyon are down to ten men after a red card to Niakhate at about 20' - long way to go playing short-handed.

 

Tessmann enters for the second half - the only Lyon substitute so far.

Still 0-0 (1-1 aggregate) at 55' ...

Edit: 0-1 (now) at 70' and short-handed Lyon are heading for the exit ...