This weekend could have been defined by which U.S. men’s national team stars weren’t playing. PSV’s American quartet was sidelined. Brenden Aaronson and Antonee Robinson didn’t feature. Neither did Celtic’s center-back duo of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty. Folarin Balogun and Haji Wright remained out.
Instead, the story was all about goals and assists. Despite the injuries, USMNT stars abroad flipped the narrative, making it far more positive than negative.
Right at the center of it all was Josh Sargent, who is finding his form at the perfect time. He scored again for Norwich, continuing a hot streak that has him in line to finally be the guy to lead the line in this March’s CONCACAF Nations League. With Balogun and Ricardo Pepi out, the responsibility is likely to fall to Sargent whether in good or bad form. Thankfully for U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino, Sargent is playing very well at the moment.
So, too, is Christian Pulisic, who shined again for Milan. The USMNT star provided two assists, including one to a new teammate, Mexico international Santi Gimenez. Rivals on the international level, and perhaps on the field in March, Pulisic and Gimenez showed early signs of chemistry to help Milan pick up three big points.
There were plenty of other players to step up during an eventful weekend, too. GOAL looks at the major takeaways from this weekend’s Americans Abroad.