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Americans abroad

McKennie surging, Tillman & Balogun struggle, Yank trio thriving in Championship, Trusty scores, & more

ASN's Brian Sciaretta is here with his weekly column on Americans abroad - with the good and bad from Europe
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
January 23, 2026
9:00 AM

IT HAS BEEN A MIXED start to 2026 for Americans abroad with plenty of good news and bad news to go around. For those who want to see good news, the Championship contingent and Weston McKennie have you covered. For those who need to see the bad news as well, a few notable Americans are in the middle of ruts this month.

For now, let’s look back on where we are and look ahead to the weekend.

 

McKennie in great form

 

Weston McKennie isn’t always a dominant player over the course of an entire game, but he knows how to seize moments. Lately, he has been doing that at an increasing rate.

This past week, McKennie scored in the 64th minute to seal Juventus’ 2-0 win over Benfica. The Texan has now scored in three straight Champions League games and has scored twice in his last four Serie A games.

 

Of course, McKennie is in the final year of his contract with Juventus, and he is 27 years old. His next contract will certainly be his last chance at a lucrative deal as it will likely take him until he is 31-32. He is very good player but is always at the heart of endless drama with how he is rated by Juventus. He takes a lot of effort to manage and he seemed to be at the end of his Juventus run three or four different times.

For McKennie, the key is to get Juventus back to the Champions League next year, be in good form heading into the World Cup and then sign the most lucrative deal he can. For the U.S. team, they will have gotten two World Cups out of him. Anything else is a bonus.

Meanwhile, McKennie and Co. face Napoli on Sunday.

 

Struggles for Tillman and Balogun

 

Two American players (and potential U.S. national team starters) who have hit a bit of a rut in January are Malik Tillman and Folarin Balogun. Both players featured midweek in the Champions League and neither had great games.

For Balogun, there wasn’t much he could do in his 73 minutes for Monaco in a 6-1 loss to Real Madrid. He was swarmed by Madrid defenders every time he touched the ball and he drew five fouls.

But Monaco is playing poor soccer overall right now and that doesn’t help Balogun with his momentum. Monaco have lost five of their last seven Ligue 1 matches, conceding 16 goals. Their current four game losing streak in the league has seen them sink to ninth place. Balogun has just four goals this season in 937 Ligue 1 minutes.

Malik Tillman is also not playing very good soccer. In his three games since the start of 2026, he hasn’t been productive. First in a 4-1 loss to Stuttgart at home, then in a 1-0 loss away to Hoffenheim. Midweek, he was benched against Olympiacos in the Champions League but subbed into the game in the 58th minute of what was a 2-0 loss.

Both players are not in jeopardy of missing out on making the World Cup team, but success in the tournament could be dictated by their performances.

 

Championship positives: Wright, Morris, Agyemang

 

The Championship in England is very competitive right now as Haji Wright, Aidan Morris, and Patrick Agyemang are all in very good form in promotion races.

Wright hadn’t scored since October fourth but now has goals in Coventry’s last two games, which were both wins. Coventry has a six-point cushion atop the table. Wright is not a lock for the World Cup team, but he is more than likely to make the final squad with his versatility to play on the wing and as a No. 9. But he cannot go on another long scoreless drought again.

Another topic for Wright is what happens if Coventry goes up? Does Wright then keep his starting job? Are his minutes slashed? For Wright, it will be the start of another cycle with the U.S. team and it is the perfect time for him to take career risks.

Aidan Morris is back in really good form for Middlesbrough. He has impressed in each of the club’s past three games (which were all wins). He is firmly on the bubble of the U.S. World Cup roster because central midfield is crowded. He is likely to make the March roster given Tyler Adams is dealing with an injury. But the competition he faces from Tanner Tessmann, Adams, and Johnny Cardoso is not easy.

But getting Boro back to the Premier League would be massive for Morris. The club would make upgrades but there would be minutes for Morris in the midfield rotation.

Patrick Agyemang has been great for Derby County since recovering from his double hernia surgery immediately after his move from Charlotte FC. He now has seven goals on the season but is trending upward. His rise has coincided with Derby’s improvement and the club is only two points out of the promotional playoffs.

As for the World Cup team, don’t count Agyemang out. He is putting pressure on the other players. With Balogun struggling, Pepi injured, and Josh Sargent in career limbo, Agyemang is scoring goals.

As for the rest of the Championship, it isn’t as good for Americans.

The managerial change at West Bromwich Albion has seen George Campbell join Daryl Dike on the bench. The club’s ongoing struggles might change that. For Dike, he seems like a player who could move on in 2026.

Charlie Kelman hasn’t done much since his brace against Blackburn on January 4 but the former U.S. youth international continues to play.

Congratulations to Blackburn winger Brandon Powell, 20, who assisted in a 3-1 loss to Derby County. It was his first start with the first team. Powell was born in England but holds US citizenship. He would be eligible to play for the U.S. U-23 Olympic team if he receives the call. But Blackburn needs him or anyone to step up soon as the club has fallen into the Championship relegation zone.

Most of the Championship strugglers from this season have moved on. Ethan Horvath has left Sheffield Wednesday, Damion Downs is out at Southampton and has returned to his native Germany. Caleb Wiley is also out at Watford where he was recalled by Chelsea.

Then there is Josh Sargent who is in limbo after his relationship with Norwich has completely deteriorated. He wants to transfer to Toronto. Norwich is furious at Sargent after he withdrew from a recent FA Cup game. Sargent is now training with the club’s youth teams. Ultimately, a deal should get done - regardless of what anyone else says. Norwich needs money and Sargent is a marketable asset. Why let his value depreciate further?

That being said, Norwich have climbed out of the relegation zone thanks to good form that has been aided by Canadian national team winger Ali Ahmend who joined from Vancouver this window.

Recent transfers from MLS to the Championship have all gone well with players making near immediate impacts.

 

Trusty scores in the Europa

 

Auston Trusty has also been in good form since Celtic fired Wilfried Nancy and on Thursday he scored a rare goal off a corner kick in what was a 2-2 draw with Bologna. Trusty’s goal gave Celtic a 2-0 lead and it came at a time when Celtic was playing with 10 men. But the Italian team rallied to force a point.

Celtic now has a chance to advance with a win against an already eliminated Utrecht team in the stage finale.  



As for Trusty, he is another bubble player for the U.S. World Cup team. It comes down to form, injuries, and how many central defenders Mauricio Pochettino will take this summer. Chris Richards, Tim Ream, Mark McKenzie, Miles Robinson, and Noahkai Banks are his main competitors. For Trusty, it’s a coin flip if he makes the team. All he can do is play well.

This weekend is a huge test for Trusty when Celtic take on first place Hearts.

 

Johnny in the mix at Atletico

 

Johnny Cardoso’s minutes for Atletico are on the increase and he has already made five appearances for the club since the start of January. In his two starts, Atletico has won a pair of 1-0 results – against Deportivo La Coruna in the Copa del Rey and then against Deportivo Alaves at home. On Wednesday, Cardoso played 34 minutes in a 1-1 draw with Galatasaray in the Champions League.

What does this mean?

Obviously, it’s big for Cardoso. He’s fighting for minutes at one of the best clubs in the world. It is great for his career and it is great for his national team prospects.

It does not, however, make him a lock for the World Cup team. Cardoso’s problem is that he still has not put in a convincing performance with the national team over his 22 caps. His club resume keeps him in the mix and gets him repeated locks, but roster spots in big international tournaments are earned by eventually playing well for the national team.

I predict Cardoso will be there in March. If he plays well, he makes the World Cup team. If he does not, he won’t.

 

Other player notes

 

Gio Reyna is back on the bench for Borussia Monchengladbach and head coach Eugen Polanski has said Reyna is training well but is used based on tactics or opponents. That’s not encouraging and that approach never applies to top players.

A problem for Reyna is that he seems to have lost foot speed and he doesn’t cover a lot of ground when he’s on the field. Gladbach hosts Stuttgart this weekend.

Tim Weah scored for Marseille in a 5-2 romp over Angers last weekend. He continues to have a good season in Ligue 1 where he plays on both the left and right sides. Marseille is up to third place. This weekend will see them face a Lens team that opens the weekend in first place.

Brenden Aaronson has thrived playing as a dual center forward for Leeds United recently, including last weekend’s win over Fulham. While he has been deployed there, the team’s offense chance-creation has increased. This weekend Leeds visit Everton in an opportunity to continue to build separation from the bottom three (where it has a seven point cushion now).  

Milan visits Roma this weekend in a huge game for Christian Pulisic that pits the second and fourth teams in Serie A against eatch other. Pulisic has thrived in games like this and this should be one of the best American-themed games of the weekend. 

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