THE HOLIDAYS ARE approaching and the end of a 2020 is insight. It has been a difficult year for most people around the globe but it actually has been pretty good for American soccer – who has seen players make huge strides and MLS completed a pretty good season with young homegrowns impressing.

This weekend features some really good games abroad and one huge game domestically.

Here are the games I will be looking forward to following on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Los Angeles FC – Club America

CONCACAF Championship

Saturday, December 19: 10:30pm EST

In the CONCACAF Champions League, MLS teams have typically struggled against Liga MX teams – although it has been improving. MLS teams typically post a few wins every tournament over Liga MX teams, but still can’t win the tournament.

LAFC is still alive in the tournament and is trying to complete an extremely difficult path. The team has already eliminated Leon and on Wednesday it eliminated Cruz Azul with a convincing 2-1 victory. Now in the semifinals, it is trying to get past Club America for its third straight win over a Liga MX opponent.

If Bob Bradley’s team wants to get past Club America, it needs to improve on its finishing from the Cruz Azul game. LAFC was the better team in that one but it was unnecessarily close due to blowing several key chances. In this one, it is time for Carlos Vela and Diego Rossi to step up.

Tristan Blackmon has been the surprise of the tournament so far for LAFC. While the Las Vegas-born defender was up and down this year in MLS games, he has been terrific in wins over Leon and Cruz Azul.

Barcelona – Valencia

La Liga

Saturday, December 19: 10:15am EST

Last year, Sergino Dest was the huge dual national win for Gregg Berhalter who got the Dutch-born American to commit to the U.S. team while he was playing at Ajax. In 2021, Berhalter hopes to add Valencia midfielder Yunus Musah, who is now at Valencia. On Saturday, the two will have the chance to play against each other in La Liga when Dest and Barcelona welcome Musah and Valencia to the Nou Camp.

Musah, scored a late equalizer on Wednesday in a 4-2 extra time win over Terrassa in the Copa de Rey. The victory was not celebrated much as Valencia was within second of losing to a semipro team with players who have day jobs (including as an Amazon delivery driver and a dentist). Valencia is playing poorly at the moment and are winless in their last four La Liga games.

After a slow start to the season, Barcelona has picked it up lately with three wins in their last four La Liga games, including a 2-1 win over Real Sociedad midweek. Dest continues to play very well and is proving to be part of the club’s future as it will soon move on from its legendary current core.

Newcastle United – Fulham

The Premier League

Saturday, December 19: 3:00pm EST

Despite the two consecutive draws against Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion where it did not play poorly, Fulham has fallen into the relegation zone in the Premier League as Burnley has improved in recent weeks as well.

While Tim Ream has not played much for Fulham recently, Antonee Robinson has been a regular starter at left back and has been among the team’s better players, including last week when he was the MOTM in the 1-1 draw against Liverpool. The English-born American has made an effective transition into the Premier League but is once again in a relegation battle. He is quite familiar with these as every one of his four seasons with Bolton and Wigan Athletic were in tight games at the bottom of the table.

Newcastle United had been playing well but suffered a poor 5-2 midweek defeat to Leeds United.

Mainz - Werder Bremen

The Bundesliga

Saturday, December 19: 9:30pm

After a relatively strong start to the season, Werder Bremen has started a tough decent in the Bundesliga with four straight losses. It now finds itself in 14^th place and nearing yet another relegation battle. American forward Josh Sargent has been starved for service this year due to Werder’s scrappy style and he has just one goal on the season.

This game will tell us a lot about Werder Bremen. Mainz is in 17^th place in the 18-team league and has just one win on the year. If Werder Bremen cannot play offensively against Mainz, it will present the question of who can it play offensively against? This is a team Werder should be able to be on the front foot. Sargent should have his opportunities in this one. If that happens, it will be up to him to deliver.

If Werder does not win this game, it will be time to sound alarm bells and buckle up for another close call in the relegation fight.

VfL Wolfsburg – VfB Stuttgart

The Bundesliga

Sunday, December 20: 12:00pm EST

In the midweek games, Wolfsburg lost its first game of the season when it fell 2-1 to Bayern Munich. John Brooks missed that game with a sore back and it is unclear if he will be back for this one against Stuttgart. Brooks has had a strong season and is key to Wolfsburg chances to earn a European spot (possibly Champions League) next year. But Wolfsburg will not want to take any chances.

For Stuttgart, the club remains one of the most surprising in Germany and American manager Pellegrino Matarazzo deserves tons of credit. Not only did he earn promotion last season, this season the club has come into the top flight in seventh place with 18 points after 12 games. Its 26 goals is the third highest in the league.

Stuttgart likes to attack while Wolfsburg is solid defensively. It will be interesting to see which side prevails.

RB Leipzig - Koln

The Bundesliga

Saturday, December 19: 9:30am EST

It has been tough recently for Tyler Adams, 21, who has not started the last two weeks for RB Leipzig. Instead, the U.S. international has come off the bench – while the club has won impressive games against Manchester United in the Champions League followed by Werder Bremen and Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga. As a result, it has been hard for manager Julian Nagelsmann to make a change.

Adams will get another change once the hot streak subsides but for now, he must make the most of whatever minutes come his way. If he starts against Koln, it will be a huge opportunity for him to step up – which he must. If he comes off the bench, he will still need to play well.

Prior to its midweek drubbing in a 4-0 loss to red hot Bayer Leverkusen, Koln had pulled away from the relegation zone with wins over Mainz and Borussia Dortmund along with a draw to Wolfsburg. Over the past month, Koln has played well so third place Leipzig will need to be careful.

With league leaders Bayer Leverkusen hosting second place Bayern Munich on Saturday, Leipzig will move up with a win (possibly into first, if Leverkusen draw).

Parma – Juventus

Serie A

Saturday, December 19: 2:45pm EST

Weston McKennie is clearly in the groove right now and is turning in first-rate performances for Juventus every game. He’s now had four straight solid games in a row – starting with a huge equalizer in the 1-1 draw with Torino followed by a goal against Barcelona that made headlines across Europe. Since then, he has played big roles in a win over Genoa and a draw with Atalanta.

McKennie brings an elite level of athleticism to Juventus where he can easily handle the physical side of the game while also get forward and create chances – sometimes out of nothing. After getting out of a bad situation at Schalke, he is becoming a big time player with a big time club.

He is fun to watch and it is always fun to see what he is going to do next. For this, it is of little surprise that he was named the 2020 U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year.

Parma is a midtable club this year and comes into this game with three straight draws following a win over Genoa. Juventus is favored to win this game and Mckennie should once again start.

Lille – PSG

Ligue 1

Sunday, December 20: 3:00pm EST

Tim Weah, 20, might not be a starter at the moment for Lille and the club might not want to take chances on giving him 90 minutes, yet. But Weah is playing very well for the first time in over 18 months. Last week, he scored a goal in a Europa league loss to Celtic and midweek, he scored a stunner in extra time to round out a 2-0 win over last-place Dijon.

This will be interesting as there might be temptation to start Weah because he is playing well. If not, Weah should get minutes.

But this is a huge game and one of the biggest games of the Ligue 1 season so far as Lille sit atop the table with 32 points from 15 games and Paris St. Germain is in second with 31 points from 15 games.

For Weah, if he sees the field, he will have a chance to take on his former club and the place where he developed and made his debut as professional player. But this also comes into the backdrop of reports of Lille’s dire financial situation where it will likely have to sell players to stay afloat. If that happens, Weah might have to carry a lot of the responsibility offensively in the weeks, months, and years ahead.

Pacos de Ferreira - Boavista

Primeira Liga

Sunday, December 20: 10:00am EST

Like Lille, Boavista’s finances are also in question but unlike Lille, the club is not playing well. In fact, while it is in 15^th place in the 18-team league, it is only one point better than celler-dwellers Maritimo. Reggie Cannon is  playing pretty well for his first season in Europe, but the problems with Boavista are offensive at the moment. In fact, it has scored just once in its last three league games. Last weekend, it needed an extra-time winner to sneak by second-tier Estoril.

It Boavista wants to stay alive, it needs offense but a visit to sixth-place Pacos de Ferreira will be tough, as it has succeeded this year based on its defense (11 goals scored, 10 conceded over nine games).

Cannon will need to be strong defensively but also push into the attack more than he has if he wants to help Boavista reverse its fortunes.

Heerenveen - Heracles

The Eredivisie

Sunday, December 20, 8:30am EST

Two American players will be on the matchday roster in this one has Ulysees Llanez and Heerenveen host Luca de la Torre and Heracles on Sunday.

Llanez, 19, has not played much for Heerenveen this season on loan from Wolfsburg. He has made just three appearances, although two weeks ago he was sharp in a draw against PSV. But following a three-game winning streak, Heerenveen has not won in its last five games. It comes into Sunday with four straight draws. Manager Johnny Jansen might have to make changes to his lineup, and that should benefit Llanez.

Like Heerenveen, Heracles comes into this game in poor form. It has just one point from its last five games and is just a point clear of the relegation spot. San Diego’s Luca de la Torre, 22, has played pretty well where he has featured both as a left-winger and in central midfield. The U.S. U-23 hopeful is going to have to deliver some goals and assists soon for Heracles to move safely back to midtable.

Austria Vienna – LASK

The Austrian Bundesliga

Sunday, December 20: 11:00am EST

United States U-23 central defender Erik Palmer-Brown and Autria Vienna have lost their last two games and are winless in five. That skid has seen the club fall all the way to ninth-place in the 12 team Austrian Bundesliga. Palmer-Brown is a good player but needs change of scenery. For him to get that, he needs to play well so that his loan from Manchester City can be recalled and he can find another destination in Europe.

These games are about Palmer-Brown performing well individually to improve his career, because he is better than the team he is on. On Sunday, Austria Vienna will host a solid LASK team that sits in second place. This is a opportunity where it will be important for Palmer-Brown to play well and help his team earn a result.

Sporting Charleroi – Anderlecht

Belgian Pro League

Friday, December 18: 2:45pm EST

After missing Anderlecht’s midweek 2-1 win over KV Oostende, U.S. national team central defender Matt Miazga will look to return for Anderlecht on Friday when it visits third-place Sporting Charleroi. Miazga is coming off his best outing of 2020 last weekend in a 1-0 victory over then-leading Genk. Miazga was the best player on the field as they posted a shutout against the country’s best offensive team.

If Miazga is ready for this one, he will have to be in sharp form as Sporting Charleroi has been very good this season and has won its last two games – scoring six goals in the process.

Dunkerque – SM Caen

Ligue 2

Friday, December 18: 2:00pm EST

Nicholas Gioacchini, 20, and SM Caen will hope to get their promotion hopes back on track after having gone winless in their last four games (three draws and a loss). That skid has seen the club fade to eighth place in Ligue 2 but still within three points of fourth place. U.S. national team forward Gioacchini has played well but hasn’t been on the scoresheet since the November international window – albeit he has played mostly right wing and has drawn two critical penalties.

11^th place Dunkerque will be a tough opponent for SM Caen but still a game Caen needs to win if it wants to contend for promotion.

Union Berlin - Borussia Dortmund

The Bundesliga

Friday, December 18: 2:30pm

Gio Reyna, 18, has had a great season where he has played consistently at a high level without the typical fluctuation you find in young players. He has also been the team’s best player since Erling Haaland went down injury.

But now he will need to continue to play well as Borussia Dortmund will operate under interim manager Edin Terzic. Terzic won his first game in charge midweek against Werder Bremen and Reyna performed well. A visit to Union Berlin, however, will be a tougher task.

South American Update

In the Copa Diego Maradonna (in place of the Primera), Joel Sonora and Talleres de Cordoba will host Atletico Tucuman on Saturday at 7:30pm EST. Sonora, 24, who a veteran of the 2015 United States U-20 World Cup team has been effective off the bench for Talleres so far in the Copa.

Alan Sonora, 22, the younger brother to Joel, has fared better where he is now earning occasional starts for Independiente – one of Argentina’s biggest clubs. On Sunday, Independiente hosts Boca Juniors in a very high-profile matchup in Argentina. Unlike his brother, Sonora has never represented the U.S. at any level but is eligible for the U.S. U-23 team in 2021.

In Brazil, Internacional hosts Palmeiras on Saturday (7:00pm EST) but it is unclear if U.S. international Johnny Cardoso will be healthy in time to play.

Elsewhere in Europe

In the Premier League, Manchester City and its American back-up goalkeeper Zack Steffen visit Southampton on Saturday.

On Monday, Owen Otasowie, fresh off a great Premier League debut in a win over Chelsea, visit Burnley on Monday. Likewise on Monday, Christian Pulisic and Chelsea host West Ham United in a London Derby.

In the Championship, Cameron Carter-Vickers is still injured for AFC Bournemouth when it visits Luton Town on Saturday. Team captain Geoff Cameron should start and U.S. U-20 forward Charlie Kelman should be on the bench for Queens Park Rangers when they visit Wycombe Wanders on Saturday. Two Americans should feature when Matthew Olosunde and Rotherham United hosts Duane Holmes and Derby County on Saturday.

In League One, Indian Vassilev and struggling Burton Albion host Doncaster on Saturday. Lynden Gooch and Sunderland had their match against Shrewsburg Town on Saturday. postponed.

In the Bundesliga, U.S. U-20 forward Matthew Hoppe will look to make his fourth appearance for Schalke when it hosts Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday. Timothy Chandler and Eintracht Frankfurt visit Augusburg on Saturday.

The two best teams in Germany will meet on Saturday (12:30pm EST) when league leaders Bayer Leverkusen host Bayern Munich. U.S. national team central defender Chris Richards should be on the bench for Bayern. If he plays, it will be the biggest match in his young career.

In the 2.Bundesliga, Jan George and Jahn Regensburg host Hannover on Friday. Julian Green and Greuther Furth visit Eintracht Braunschweig on Saturday. Leon Flach, Kevin Lankford and St. Paul host Alfredo Morales on Sunday. On Monday, Karlsruher host Bobby Wood and Hamburg SV.

In the 3.Liga, Terrence Boyd and Hallescher host Waldorf Mannehim on Saturday while manager Joe Enochs and FSV Zwickau host Hansa Rostock on Sunday.

In Serie B, Andrija Novakovich is still likely out for Frosinone after reportedly testing positive for COVID-19. On Friday Frosinone will host Salernitana where former Long Island University midfielder Giuseppe Barone has been making the bench recently but still awaits his professional debut.

In Spain’s Segunda, American fullback Shaq Moore and Tenerife host Girona on Monday.

In France’s Ligue 2, Clermont hosts Paris FC on Saturday where U.S. U-20 hopeful Patrick Koffi is hoping to make the bench for Paris FC.

In the Eredivisie on Friday, 2015 U.S. U-20 right back Desevio Payne is out injured for FC Emmen when it visits PEC Zwolle.

In Turkey, Eric Lichaj is injured for Fatih Karagumruk as it hosts Galatasaray on Friday.

In the Scottish Premiership, Hibernian hosts Dundee United on Saturday at 10am EST. Ian Harkes is likely to start for Dundee United with Dillon Powers on the bench.

In Belgium’s top flight, Chris Durkin and last-place St. Truiden visit Zlute Waregem on Saturday. Brenden Hines-Ike has started Kortrijk’s last two games and they visit Genk on Saturday at 2:45pm EST. Ethan Horvath will likely be the backup goalkeeper for Club Brugge when it hosts Gent on Sunday. Georgia winger Joe Efford will hope to return from injury for Waasland-Beveren when it hosts Antwerp on Sunday at 2:45pm EST.

In the Danish Superliga, Haji Wright scored his eighth in all competitions midweek for SonderjyskE in a win over Lyngby in the Danish Cup. Now in the Superliga, he will hope to lift SonderjyskE when it hosts Randers on Sunday. Meanwhile, Emmanuel Sabbi and OB Odense visit Copenhagen on Sunday at 12:00pm EST.

In the Austrian Bundesliga, Wisconsin manager Jesse Marsch and Salzburg reclaimed the league lead last weekend and they will look to tighten their grip when they host Wolfsberger on Sunday at 8:30am EST.

In the Swiss Super League, Jordan Siebatcheu has seen his minutes increase for league leading Young Boys recently. They host Lugano at on Saturday at 12:15pm EST.

In Poland’s top flight, Kenny Saief and Lechia Gdansk visit Cracovia Krakow on Saturday at 11:30am EST.

In Norway’s Eliteserien on Saturday, Henry Wingo and Molde host Sarpsborg at 9:30am EST.

In Greece’s Super League, 2015 U.S U-23 attacking midfielder Gboly Ariyibi and Panaitolikos host Apollon Smirnis FC on Saturday at 10:15am EST