After such a bright start to the season, things have taken a turn for Americans in Europe – and not for the better. Christian Pulisic has dealt with injuries, and is in and out of form while also in Serie A, Tim Weah and Weston McKennie are performing, but Juventus are playing well below their potential – and were summarily beaten in the Champions League.
Ricardo Pepi is done for the season after picking up a knee injury. Malik Tillman, too, is unlikely to return before May. There are two ways of looking at this. The first is to dive into pessimism and snobbery. Checkmate, Americans, the Europeans were right. The second is the more sensible and, frankly, factual.
It has, in reality, been a good season for Americans abroad. The players around them at some of the European clubs simply haven’t been up to it. But look a little deeper, further down the tables and out of Serie A, and there remain reasons for excitement.
Josh Sargent has found form since returning from a muscle injury for Norwich. Brenden Aaronson has chugged along for Leeds. He will be crucial if his side are to grab three points against Sheffield in a top of the table clash on Monday.
The Celtic duo of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty performed admirably in Europe. Piece it all together, and there’s still a lot to play for here, with plenty of storylines to keep an eye on – especially with an international window less than a month away.
GOAL looks ahead at some of the biggest storylines to follow among Americans Abroad this weekend.