By the weekend, more Americans are getting consistent playing time for squads around the world. Folarin Balogun has ended his goalscoring drought, but he will have some work to do to catch the in-form Christian Pulisic. While it may not be the most exciting slate 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 Most important+)
While on the one hand, I don’t want to label Christian Pulisic as a must-watch American every week when he’s in this kind of form, how can I not? When all is said and done, Pulisic could be the best American to ever play in Europe as he looks to follow up his best season abroad with an even better one. Scoring in three consecutive matches, Pulisic now has four goals and two assists for Milan in just five matches played. Facing Lecce, he can continue as Milan look to string together three consecutive wins in Serie A after going winless in their first three matches.
Chris Richards: Everton v Crystal Palace
Saturday, September 28 (10 am ET Peacock)
In an unlikely clash near the relegation zone, Crystal Palace look for their first win of the season when facing a spiraling Everton side. Defensively Palace have been pretty average allowing seven goals but they can’t find the back of the net only scoring four goals this season. That means Chris Richards and the defense have to be near perfect to secure wins. Palace may also do well to try and target Richards more in set pieces as anything will help at this stage.
Tim Weah and Weston McKennie: Genoa vs Juventus
Saturday, September 28 (12 pm ET Most important+)
After filling in as nine for Thiago Motta against Napoli, this match to Genoa will be one where we will start to see if Time Weah the striker is a new trend or just a clip for Juventus. It’s clear he’s a key player under Motta despite getting injured in the first game of the season, so seeing what happens here will show what to expect going forward. For McKennie, he’s now back in the XI and scored so it’s another situation where we’ll start to see what his role is under Motta.
Folarin Balogun: Monaco vs Montpellier
Saturday, September 28 (3 p.m. ET beIN Sports and fubo television)
Folarin Balogun scored his first goal for Monaco and now he will have to push to stay in the starting line-up. With the Champions League game coming up, Breel Embolo could be rested giving Balogun a chance to show what he can do again. Facing a poor Montpellier defence, it would be disappointing if he couldn’t score. Once a striker can string together goals in back-to-back matches, then confidence starts to return allowing an opportunity for Balogun to return to his best.
Johnny Cardoso: Real Betis against Espanyol
Sunday, September 29 (12:30 pm ET ESPN+)
Facing a newly promoted team is a good time for Johnny Cardoso to find his feet. Starting Betis’ last match, he was solid in midfield, but still out of the form that saw him become a mainstay in the center of the park to close last season. For young players, development has ups and downs so there is no time to worry as Cardoso has the tools to succeed but he needs consistent playing time.
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