SOMETIMES THERE ARE no ways to sugarcoat bad weekends for Americans abroad. And frankly, with the notable exceptions of Rokas Pukastas, Tanner Tessmann, the Fulham duo, or Auston Trusty, it was a lackluster or downright bad weekend for just about everyone else. Considering how many Americans are playing overseas, that is a lot of tough performances.

Of course, you start with injuries to top players. Christian Pulisic remains out for Chelsea. Sergino Dest is both injured and out of favor at AC Milan and is coasting towards a lost season. Huddersfield Town announced Duane Holmes is out for a month and that hurts them in the Championship relegation battle – and Huddersfield lost this weekend. Lynden Gooch is also out for Sunderland.

But two players are also injured at the worst time due to international matters.

Djordjie Mihailovic has missed three games in a row for AZ Alkmaar and he has missed out on the club reaching the top of the Eredivisie with its 5-0 win over Excelsior this weekend. Internationally, U.S. national team scout Eric Laurie was set to watch him in Friday’s match but had to withdraw. The former Chicago homegrown is missing big opportunities at the moment.

The same could be said for Chris Richards who was a late scratch for Crystal Palace’s lineup on Saturday in its 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion. It was later revealed he picked up a back injury. The problem for Richards is that he has missed so much time the past 13 months. Various injuries limited him to less than 600 club minutes in 2022 with Hoffenheim and Palace. Then it saw him miss out on the World Cup. He needs a run of consistently healthy games but that continues to be elusive for the highly talented central defender.

It just seems like far too many Americans aren’t making big enough impacts this year. Yunus Musah has no goals and two assists this season and Valencia is in the relegation zone in Spain. Tim Weah hasn’t scored yet in 2022/23 and he plays various positions these days just to fill voids. Jordan Pefok is on a great Union Berlin team but has one goal since September 18. Sergino Dest is out of the picture at Milan. Christian Pulisic is injured and his future at Chelsea isn’t promising. Chris Richards is injured. Erik Palmer-Brown and Troyes are struggling. Gianluca Busio is a nonfactor in Serie B. Leeds is sinking into the relegation zone and that affects three important Americans. Josh Sargent has cooled.

American fans can often get distracted by good news but the big picture paints a lot of concern for Americans abroad this season. For every good story this season (Mark McKenzie, Antonee Robinson, Taylor Booth) there seems to be more struggles.

Here is a detailed look of the weekend.

Pukstas nets brace for Hajduk

In Croatia’s HNL, U.S. U-20 midfielder Rokas Pukstas played a full 90 and scored a brace for second place Hajduk Split in a comfortable 4-1 away win over NK Varazdin. The Oklahoma native has been seeing more and more minutes for Hajduk in recent weeks and was rewarded with the start on Saturday.

With the score 1-1, Hajduk Split was helped in the 56^th minute when Varazdin’s Agon Elezi was sent off. Varazdin seemed to crumble down a man. After moving a head in the 77^th minute, Pukstas scored his first of the game the very next minute in the 78^th via a highlight-reel bicycle kick.

Rokas Pukstas… nice. He’ll feature at the U-20 World Cup for the U.S team (if released by Hajduk Split) pic.twitter.com/0xb2xsJHXb

— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) February 11, 2023

Then in stoppage time, Pukstas closed out the scoring on a counterattack on a cross that turned into a shot over the keeper.  

Rokas Pukstas… nice. He’ll feature at the U-20 World Cup for the U.S team (if released by Hajduk Split) pic.twitter.com/0xb2xsJHXb

— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) February 11, 2023

It woulld appear that Pukstas has the starting spot lined up for Hajduk Split and that is a nice accomplishment as Hajduk, along with Dinamo Zagreb (safely in first place), are the two biggest teams in Croatia by a huge margin. Both of these clubs have developed a long list of very good players and it is very promising for Pukstas that he is in his current position.

Pukstas, 18, a native of Oklahoma who is the son of Lithuanian parents, has played most of this cycle with the U.S. U-20 national team. The odd thing about him is his position. Normally an attacking midfielder for his club, U.S. U-20 head coach Mikey Varas has played him in deeper positions behind midfielders such as Paxten Aaronson and Jack McGlynn. He has rotated in the No. 6 with Daniel Edelman. He’s been uneven in that role where he was okay during the CONCACAF qualifiers last summer but he struggled at the 2023 Revelations Cup in September.

Pukstas seems like a great candidate to progress from the 2023 U-20 World Cup to the Olympics and then, if he’s good enough, enter the U.S. national team pool.

But there is the question of getting released. The HNL season goes through June 3 and the U-20 World Cup begins on May 20. If he is to participate at the U-20 World Cup, Hajduk Split will have to agree to a release where he misses three games. That’s a tough ask, but it isn’t completely unreasonable. As it stands now, Hajduk seems unlikely to ever come within reach of first place Dinamo Zagreb but is likely far beyond the rest of the pack for second place. There is a chance the last several games could be meaningless for Hajduk.

We’ll see.

USMNT scouts watch tough results

Last week, U.S. Soccer announced the scouting itinerary for interim head coach Anthony Hudson, scout Eric Laurie, and assistant coach B.J. Callaghan. The three are in Europe looking at players who are both locks and on the edge of the player pool as there is a good chance that the group will be leading the national team for the March games and likely the two summer tournaments as well – the Nations League final rounds and the Gold Cup.

Here is the upcoming #USMNT scouting itinerary for interim head coach Anthony Hudson, scout Eric Laurie, and assistant coach B.J. Callaghan pic.twitter.com/7VYCQmWfUr

— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) February 10, 2023

What they saw this weekend must have been very disappointing.

For Anthony Hudson, his first this weekend was watching Birmingham City host West Bromwich on Friday. This would allow him to see two Americans on the edge of the player pool looking for call-ups. As expected, Auston Trusty started on the left-side of a three-man backline for Birmingham City and Daryl Dike started at center forward for West Brom.

What Hudson saw was Birmingham City roll to a 2-0 win. The takeaways were obvious. Dike struggled for the third straight game for West Brom and played 68 minutes. Meanwhile, Trusty played well again for the second straight game and Trusty has played every single minute this season for Birmingham City. His left-footed passing out of the back is something that is typically of interest to scouts.

If Hudson was going to take what he learned from these games and apply it to the March roster, Dike might have a hard time getting a call-up next month. Instead, Hudson might opt to play with Brandon Vazquez who played well in January camp. On the other hand, Auston Trusty could get a call-up if Hudson wants to move beyond Aaron Long while explore younger options on the left side compared with Tim Ream.

The second game Hudson took in was on Sunday when he watched Leeds United host Manchester United. This would allow him to take in three players who are obvious first-choice locks for the U.S. team: Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, and Brenden Aaronson.

Unlike the game midweek, Manchester United found a way for 2-0 win. Leeds played well for stretches, particularly at the start of the second half, but Manchester United was just ruthless with its chances. Tyler Adams was the best Leeds player in the game. He did the usual things that Adams does well. McKennie had his moments but his sloppiness led to a turnover which Manchester United capitalized for the second goal. Aaronson didn’t offer much off the bench.

Leeds United’s next game at Everton next weekend and this will have massive implications in the relegation battle. All three Americans at Leeds United should get called up in March.

U.S. national team scout Eric Laurie was in Holland for the weekend and Djordje Mihailovic’s injury saw him miss out on the opportunity to impress. He is on the edge of the player pool and this was an opportunity to get back on the inside.

On Saturday, Laurie took in PSV Eindhoven’s 6-0 drubbing of Groningen. As is the norm, Richard Ledezma didn’t play for PSV and a loan to NYCFC seems closer as he badly needs to play. The real purpose of Laurie watching this game was to scout Ricardo Pepi who played 85 minutes. Groningen was luck to not have conceded 11 goals in this game. PSV had 13 shots on goal to Groningen’s one. PSV also had eight shots off target to Groningen’s one. PSV also had 13 shots blocked compared to Groningen’s one. PSV had 18 corners while Groningen also had just one.

Einde wedstrijd.

Stevige nederlaag uit bij PSV. #PSVGRO pic.twitter.com/QRLkWorrQK

— FC Groningen (@fcgroningen) February 11, 2023

Pepi is on a sinking ship that is likely to get relegated. There simply wasn’t much he could do in this game and this was a loss that is likely to affect team morale.

Then on Sunday, Laurie watched Vitesse defeat Utrecht 2-0. Laurie was scouting Taylor Booth who has had a great several months for Utrecht since October. Unfortunately, this was probably the toughest outing Booth has had since he broke into the starting lineup. He played 65 minutes and both of Vitesse’s goals came after Vitesse was reduced to 10 men in the 51^st.

Both Vitesse goals scored after Vitesse went down to 10 men in the 51^st – 63^rd and 90^th min goals. No one on Utrecht had a positive performance, including Booth. He is still having a successful season, and this won’t set him back. The balance of his work should still see him getting called up although his priority should be with the Olympic team through next year.

Musah & Valencia sink into relegation zone

On Sunday, Yunus Musah played 69 minutes for Valencia in a 2-1 loss at home to Athletic Bilbao. Valencia had a 1-0 lead early and saw a gradual collapse en route to the loss. With that loss – it’s fourth in a row – Valencia ended the weekend in La Liga’s relegation zone.

Musah, 20, is earning a lot of minutes this year, which is good. But he is still struggling to make positive impacts in games. In 18 La Liga appearances including 17 starts over 1397 minutes, Musah has no goals and two assists. While most Valencia players are not living up to expectations, Musah needs to be producing more in terms of creating chances and finishing chances. Yes, he is young, but he needs to be delivering more.

Tessmann huge in Venezia win

It’s been a tough season for Venezia. After relegation out of Serie A last season, they came into this weekend in the relegation zone in Serie B. But they are now out of the relegation zone thanks to a 2-1 win over SPAL including a massive performance from Tanner Tessmann – who has been playing with heart and is one of the team’s most determined players.

Birmingham, Alabama-born Tanner Tessmann on the scoresheet for Venezia in Italy’s second-tier. The 21-year-old @FCDallas product doing the hard yards in Serie B and showing his mettle. ???????? ???? pic.twitter.com/3DkVIMjcr5

— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) February 11, 2023

Tessmann, 21, plays with a lot of grit and raw determination it takes to win relegation battles. It reflects well on him. It is why he likely will move up from Venezia after this season. In this game, he had six shots, won duels, and was constantly attacking. His goal was the definitive moment in the game.

Tanner Tessmann: raw # for Venezia in 2-1 win vs SPAL
81 mins
54 touches
22/33 passing
6 shots, 4 on target
1 goal
1 off post
6 passes into the final third
3/6 ground duels won
4/6 aerials

— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) February 11, 2023

More concerning, however, is Gianluca Busio who played just six minutes and Andrija Novakovich who played just nine minutes.

Tessmann is another player who should be looked at for the U.S. U-23 Olympic team as a potentially important player. Serie B isn’t a high level, but you can learn a lot of lessons about grinding out results and desperation there.

Hoffenheim struggles in Matarazzo debut

Hoffenheim’s first game under American manager Pellegrino Matarazzo saw the club’s struggles continue. Hoffenheim lost at home 3-1 to Bayer Leverkusen with John Brooks going a full 90 in central defense while U.S. U-20 defender Justin Che was not in the matchday squad.

Matarazzo has his work cut out for him. Hoffenheim’s defense continues to be a mess and this loss meant Hoffenheim has two draws and eight losses in its past 10 Bundesliga games. The club has 26 goals conceded in its last eight Bundesliga games.

Matarazzo only had a two training sessions with his team before this game, so he hasn’t been able to implement anything yet but this is going to take serious rethinking to its defensive side of the ball. The club is now only two points from the relegation playoff spot and is trending in the wrong way.

Brooks has been poor. Yes, the club struggled before he arrived but Brooks has been part of the problem since he arrived. Matarazzo will likely continue to use him because of his experience but Brooks needs to be better and Matarazzo has to think of ways to get him in the best position.

Yank duo strong again for Fulham

On Saturday, Fulham defeated Nottingham Forest 2-0 at Craven Cottage with Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson each going a full 90 on the left side of the defense in the win. With the three points, Fulham ended the weekend in seventh place in the Premier League.

Robinson, 25, is far more polished this season compared with his last in the Premier League. He isn’t talked about much, but he has been a big part of the team’s success and was good in this one despite a few off crosses.

Doesn’t get much better than a win and clean sheet at home ???? Great shift from the lads, thanks as always to the fans for the great support! ???? pic.twitter.com/buowiqAj63

— Antonee Robinson (@Antonee_Jedi) February 11, 2023

Ream, 25, on the other hand, was top notch and it raises a few questions. How far off being named to the Premier League team of the season is Ream? He’s been that good. Also, if he was 25, what type of clubs would be after him?

Tim Ream: raw # for Fulham in 2-0 win vs N. Forest
90 mins
75 touches
57/62 passing
8/11 long balls
5 passes into final third
4 clearances
3 interceptions
13 recoveries
4/4 ground duels won
? Fulham into 7th

— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) February 11, 2023

One more question to ask about Ream. Can he hang on another 18 months and still be part of the U.S. team for the Copa America?

Yanks Across the Globe

Yanks in Germany

Wolfsburg played to a disappointing 0-0 draw with last-place Schalke. After a great stretch, Wolfsburg now has just one point from their last three games to fall to seventh place in the Bundesliga. U.S. U-20 winger Kevin Paredes came into the game in the 53^rd minute. He had one really nice dribbling sequence midway through the second half but wasn’t as effective as he has been in recent weeks. But Wolfsburg, as a team, was off on the day.

Union Berlin posted an impressive 2-1 win over Leipzig on Saturday. Jordan Pefok entered the game in the 62^nd minute with the score 1-1. While Union Berlin won and remains just one point behind Bayern Munich, Pefok didn’t have much of an impact in this game. Still, he has a chance in the weeks and months ahead to be part of an effort to dethrone Bayern.

Gio Reyna, 20, made his first start of 2023 for Borussia Dortmund and he played 66 minutes in a 2-0 away win over Werder Bremen. It was important to see him start and perhaps some of it was due to rotation ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League game against Chelsea, but Reyna needs to build up his stamina. While Reyna didn’t have the impact he has had off the bench recently and left with the game 0-0, seeing him start is just as important.

On a very important and interesting note, Anthony Hudson will be in attendance on Wednesday to attend Dortmund’s game against Chelsea. This will be interesting to see how the two connect in light of the ugly situation which has devolved between the Reyna and Berhalter families. The investigation is still ongoing.

Also in the Bundesliga, Joe Scally played 89 minutes for Borussia Monchengladbach in an ugly 4-1 loss to relegation battling Hertha BSC. Meanwhile, Timothy Chandler was an unused substitute for Eintracht Frankfurt in a 3-0 away loss to Cologne.

In the 2.Bundesliga, St. Pauli is now three wins in three games under new manager Fabian Hurzeler. The Houston-born Hurzeler, only 29, has now moved the club away from the relegation zone and into midtable following Sunday’s 1-0 win over Terrence Boyd and Kaiserslautern. Boyd had scored match-winners in his last two game and is still the fourth leading scorer in the league.

Hansa Rostock defeated Arminia Bielefeld 1-0 away on Sunday. Ryan Malone, 31, started in central defense for 10^th place Hansa Rostock while George Bello started and played 68 minutes for Arminia Bielefeld, which fell back into the relegation playoff position.

Julian Green played a full 90 minutes for Greuther Furth in a brutal 2-1 loss to Karlsuher. Karlsruher was reduced to 10 men in the 24^th minute with Furth winning 1-0. Karlsruher mounted the shorthanded comeback for a 2-1 win.

Lennard Maloney played 90 minutes for promotion contending Heidenheim in a 3-3 draw at home to second place Hamburg SV. Maloney struggled to start his professional career but the 2018 U.S. U-20 defender has moved from central defense and into the defensive midfield where he is a regular starter.

Yanks in England

Matt Turner was an unused substitute as usual for Arsenal in a 1-1 draw with Brentford in London.

In the Championship, Josh Sargent didn’t offer much for Norwich in his 61 minutes of a 1-0 loss to Bristol on Saturday. Meanwhile, USMNT goalkeeper Zack Steffen and third-place Middlesbrough are coasting to the promotional playoffs after a 3-1 away win over Cardiff City in Wales. Fellow goalkeeper Ethan Horvath is also likely to be in the promotional playoffs with fourth-place Luton Town who posted a 1-1 away draw with Coventry City on Saturday.

Yanks in France

Stade de Reims easily defeated Troyes 4-0 on Sunday with English youth international but American-born Folarin Balogun scoring again to lead Ligue 1 in scoring. The odds of him switching anytime soon seem slim as he is putting up numbers that will put him within reach of an English call-up. Erik Palmer-Brown went 90 minutes from Troyes which has been playing very poor soccer lately and has just 19 points from 23 games. It is only clear of the relegation zone by one point but is trending in the wrong direction.

Meanwhile, Tim Weah played 90 minutes filling in at left back for Lille in a 2-0 win over Strasbourg. Weah is a good player but the unfortunate thing this season is that he is being used to simply plug holes. Weah is still yet to score this season but Lille is in fifth place in Ligue 1.

Yanks in Spain & Italy

Luca de la Torre was okay on Sunday when he made his third straight start for Celta Vigo. He played 86 minutes in a 1-0 loss to Atletico Madrid at home. Atletico’s winner came in the 89^th minute after de la Torre was subbed out but Atletico was down to 10 players starting in the 70^th minute. De la Torre was efficient in possession but wasn’t threatening and didn’t create much.

Sergino Dest was again not in the squad for AC Milan in a 1-0 win over Torino. He has been injured and has been out of favor with the Italian giants. It will be a very interesting summer for Dest who will likely not have is loan option exercised by Milan and he is not wanted by Barcelona. He will likely have to find a new club. A French publication linked him to Marseille last week but we are still months from finding out anything concrete.

Yanks in Belgium

Mark McKenzie went 90 minutes for Belgian leaders KRC Genk on Sunday but his team was stunned by Antwerp at home 1-0. It was just the second loss of the season for Genk. McKenzie will likely return to the U.S. team soon by virtue of his season where he is a lock starter for the likely champions. But the pressure will be on him to perform.

Meanwhile, Bryan Reynolds went 88 minutes for Westerlo in a 3-3 wild draw with Gent. Reynolds had mixed reviews for his performance in this game but he has had a nice season, regardless. Meanwhile, Marlon Fossey has also had a nice season for Standard Liege but Saturday’s 0-2 loss at home to Kortrijk was not a good moment.

Yanks in Portugal

Alex Mendez was unexpectedly subbed into Vizela’s 0-0 draw with Chaves in the 38^th minute on Saturday. Mendez has had an uneven season where he has played well at times but has not been able to lock down a starting position. That is better than the club’s U.S. U-20 midfielder Alejandro Alvarado who hasn’t made the matchday squad for ninth-place Vizela in months.

Seventh-place Arouca defeated Santa Clare 1-0 on Sunday with Benji Michel played the final 26 minutes in the win. Michel managed just one shot in his appearance.

On Monday, Reggie Cannon returned to the starting lineup for Boavista played 90 minutes for Boavista in a 0-0 draw at Casa Pia FC.

Yanks in the Scottish Cup

This weekend saw the Scottish Cup fifth-round played and four Americans featured.

First, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Celtic had no problems in a 5-1 win over St. Mirren. Carter-Vickers went the distance in the win. Second, Scott Pittman played 58 minutes for Livingston in a 3-0 loss at home to Inveress.

But the true highlights came for Rangers in a 3-2 win over second-tier Partick Thistle. Both Americans James Sands and Malik Tillman went 90 minutes in the win and both scored. Tillman even drew a penalty in the second half that was saved.

But the game was loaded with controversy. With the game 1-1, Partick Thistle was going to give the ball back to Rangers after Rangers kicked the ball out of bounds due to an injury to Tillman. Tillman promptly stole the ball and moved in for a go-ahead goal. Partick Thistle was livid at the sportsmanship but Rangers then let Partick Thistle score.

But then it was Sands who headed home a corner for a winner in the 86^th.

For Sands, he has had a tough few months and Rangers might not buy him from his loan. But this one felt good and it shapes him up for a summer where he might have to find a new club.

Overall, it wasn’t a good game for Rangers. Partick Thistle is a team Rangers should comfortably beat and this game shouldn’t have been close – but it was. Still, it was good to see Sands get an opportunity to contribute.

Yanks Elsewhere

In the Serbian Super League, Romain Gall scored the opening goal for FK Mladost in a big 4-0 win on the road at Partizan Belgrade – who was jeered by its own supporters.

For his efforts, Gall was named to the Serbian Super League’s Team of the Week.

Romain Gall uttagen i omgångens lag i den Serbiska ligan. ???????? pic.twitter.com/QL2oUdUXk2

— MFF - Proffskollen (@MFFProffskoll) February 13, 2023

In Hungary, Eduvie Ikoba went 90 minutes for ZTE in a 1-0 loss to Pukas Academy. Ikoba is the second leading scorer in the NB I with 10 goals. Also on Saturday in Hungary, leaders Ferencvaros played Kisvarda to a 0-0 draw and American fullback Henry Wingo played the final 14 minutes for Ferencvaros.

In Austria, Sebastian Soto played final 33 for seventh-place Austria Klagenfurt in 3-1 loss away to Austria Vienna.