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Heading into the weekend, more and more Americans are getting consistent playing time for rosters around the world. Folarin Balogun has ended his goalless drought, but he will still have some work to do to catch the in-form Christian Pulisic. While there may not be the most exciting set of matches this weekend, here are the Americans to keep an eye on:
Christian Pulisic & Yunus Musah: Milan vs. Lecce
Friday, September 27 (2:45 PM ET Biggest+)
On the one hand, I don’t want to label Christian Pulisic as an American to watch every week, but when he’s in this form, how can he not? All things considered, Pulisic could go down in history as the best American to ever play in Europe as he looks to follow up his best season abroad with an even better one. Pulisic has scored in three consecutive games and now has four goals and two assists for Milan in just five games played. He can hold up against Lecce as Milan look to make it three straight wins in Serie A after being winless in their opening three games.
Chris Richards: Everton vs Crystal Palace
Saturday, September 28 (10 a.m. ET Peacock)
In an unlikely match near the relegation zone, Crystal Palace will aim for their first win of the season against an ever-developing Everton team. Defensively, Palace have been quite average, scoring seven goals, but they have been unable to find the back of the net with just four goals this season. That means Chris Richards and the defense will have to be close to perfect to secure wins. Palace could also do well to focus more on Richards as anything will help at this stage.
Tim Weah and Weston McKennie: Genoa vs Juventus
Saturday, September 28 (12:00 PM ET Biggest+)
After filling a nine for Thiago Motta against Napoli, this match against Genoa will be one where we start to see if striker Time Weah is a new trend or just a blip for Juventus. It is clear that he is an important player under Motta, despite being injured in the first game of the season. So seeing what happens here will reveal what we can expect in the future. For McKennie, he has now returned to the XI and has scored, so it is a new situation where we will see what his role is under Motta.
Folarin Balogun: Monaco vs Montpellier
Saturday, September 28 (3:00 PM ET beIN Sports en Fubo TV)
Folarin Balogun has scored his first goal for Monaco and now he will have to push to stay in the starting line-up. With Champions League play on the horizon, Breel Embolo can be rested, giving Balogun another chance to show what he can do. Facing a poor Montpellier defense it would be disappointing if he couldn’t score. Once a striker can string goals together in consecutive games, confidence starts to return, giving Balogun the chance to get back to his best.
Johnny Cardoso: Real Betis vs Espanyol
Sunday, September 29 (12:30 PM ET ESPN+)
Facing a recently promoted team is a good time for Johnny Cardoso to find his feet. From Betis’s last match he was solid in midfield, but still not in the form that saw him become a mainstay in the middle of the park to end last season. For young players, development has ups and downs, so it is not time to worry as Cardoso has the tools to succeed, but he needs consistent playing time.