THE WEEKEND FOR Americans abroad was weak and if the World Cup was approaching, it would be enormously concerning. But these days, the performances aren’t pressing with the national team. Instead, it is just players attempting to perform well for the sake of their clubs and their own careers. In a sense, it’s very refreshing to not have write about this in the perspective of the U.S. team.

It is exhausting to cover club soccer and write about it simply as a stock watch in how it affects the U.S. team. The U.S. team is important, but it’s far from everything. With the World Cup over, now it becomes following Americans to see how they are doing with the clubs, as its own end. The American soccer footprint domestically and abroad is also measure of strength. It’s not just whether the U.S. team wins or loses.

All that said, this weekend was terrible for Americans in Europe. A knee injury suffered last week will now sideline Christian Pulisic for weeks. Richard Ledezma was injured again, and we are awaiting the severity of the diagnosis (it appeared to be his ankle). Bryan Reynolds also needed to be subbed out of Westerlo’s game injured.  The FA Cup was generally a wipe out. Americans players monthly lost and no one stood out in a win. Across the continent, it was mostly lackluster stories – from Reggie Cannon getting sent off to Yunus Musah and Valencia dropping a game to a relegation-battling team.

Just by the sheer volume of players, there were some positive stories. Djordje Mihailovic made his official AZ Alkmaar debut in a start. Malik Tillman scored for Rangers. Cameron Carter-Vickers was very solid in a Celtic win. In Belgium, Mark McKenzie and first place Genk notched a convincing win over Club Brugge.

Here is a look at the top stories followed by a breakdown of players by region.

Pulisic out weeks

Christian Pulisic was subbed out of Thursday’s game in the 22^nd minute and watched as his Chelsea team lost to Manchester City 1-0. Then he was not in uniform on Saturday for a 4-0 loss, also to Manchester City.

New Chelsea manager Graham Potter gave a rough diagnosis.

"So, we're still analyzing it, but it is going to be weeks,” Potter said.

Chelsea has lost six of their last nine games, but Pulisic had been finding a spot in Chelsea’s starting XI. But with the rate things are going for Chelsea, who knows what the club will look like when he returns after the transfer window?

Good news for Ledezma

Richard Ledezma, 22, was subbed out of Friday’s game for Jong PSV in the first half. The Arizona native had to be carried off the field for Jong PSV with what looked like an ankle injury. But fortunately, on Monday we learned the injury was not serious and Ledezma would not miss much time.

Richard Ledezma est contraint de quitter la pelouse sur blessure.
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— Prospect Belgium ???????? (@ProspectBelgium) January 6, 2023

Ledezma has struggled to get going at PSV and his ACL injury in December 2020 saw him miss over a year. To date, he’s made just 14 appearances for PSV with most coming as late cameos. With this injury not as seriously as feared, a loan seems likely for Ledezma this winter to get much needed consistent minutes.

Adams misses game with Achilles injury

In a situation worth monitoring, Tyler Adams missed Saturday’s FA Cup game for Leeds United (a 2-2 draw with Cardiff) because of an Achilles problem that developed – reportedly after the World Cup.

Cooper and Koch have glute strains. Adams had an Achilless problem after the World Cup, so his exit was pre-planned. Meslier issue with kicking leg. All of them, plus Forshaw expected back in training in midweek. Bamford back in training last two days. #lufc

— Beren Cross (@BerenCross) January 8, 2023

His absence was preplanned, but how long will this keep him out? How long will this affect him?

Mihailovic makes AZ debut

AZ Alkmaar paid a near club record to FC Montreal for Djordje Mihailovic, so it is not surprising that they club really wants to use him. He impressed in a friendly two weeks ago in a friendly against Valencia before being sidelined by the flu.

But in the club’s first Eredivisie game since the World Cup break, Mihailovic got the start in central midfield against Vitesse. Mihailovic, 23, was replaced in the 61^st minute when the score was 0-0. It ended 1-1 with a late Vitesse equalizer.

Mihailovic had a 1v1 against Vitesse goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen in the 26^th minute but his shot was saved. It was the best chance of the game for the game’s first hour.

Overall, Mihailovic was decent but not spectacular. It was a performance for him to build from. He remains a very interesting player this year because while MLS teams have sold a lot of American players in recent years, Mihailovic is no longer a young player. He is a prime-age player expected to help AZ quickly.

AZ remained fifth in the Eredivisie after the draw.

McKenzie and Genk post big win

Last week, Genk was upset by Kortrijk 1-0. It was the club’s first loss of the season and it snapped a run of 15 wins and one draw over 16 games. But on Sunday, McKenzie and company hosted perennial Belgian contenders Club Brugge.

Genk ended up posting a 3-1 defining win that erased any doubt that the Kortrijk loss would have any lingering effects.

McKenzie, 24, went the distance and completed 10/12 long balls, and had four clearances to go along with three interceptions in a big defensive performance. Genk is back on track and is coasting towards a league title (currently a seven point lead on second-place Union SG) and McKenzie is in a great spot to see his career reach new heights. Missing the World Cup was a huge disappointment for McKenzie, but he should have some big additions to his resume in 2023.  

Carter-Vickers and Celtic coast

For the Old Firm teams, winning a league title demands that either Celtic or Rangers consistently beat up on the other Scottish teams. The gap between the Old Firm and everyone is extremely wide. On Saturday, Celtic got two first half goals en route to a comfortable 2-0 win over Kilmarnock.

Carter-Vickers, 25, had a mistake-free game featuring 78/82 passing and 4/6 long balls. Celtic now has a nine-point lead over the second-place Rangers.

Tillman scores for Rangers

It continues to be a very good season for U.S. national team attacking midfielder Malik Tillman – on loan at Rangers from Bayern Munich. It seems like only a matter of time before Rangers exercises its option to buy Tillman.

Tillman, 20, has cemented his spot in the club’s starting XI. On Saturday, he scored a 57^th minute goal to put Rangers up 2-0 on Dundee United. Tillman didn’t have a particularly good game outside of the goal, but in every game, he seems to still give his team a few chances – even when he’s not playing well.

Ian Harkes played 90 minutes for Dundee United – which is second from the bottom of the table. Things have been tougher for him this season after being named the club’s player of the season last year. It’s also a tougher situation for James Sands who has seen his minutes evaporate lately and it seems increasingly likely that Rangers declines is option to buy him from NYCFC (by the end of the season).

Tough loss for Musah

For Valencia, 2023 has gotten off to a tough start with the club dropping a 1-0 decision at home to relegation-sitting Cadiz. For a club like Valencia, this was a game they should dominate.

Musah, 20, played on the right side of Valencia’s midfield and wasn’t one of his team’s problems – but he wasn’t the solution either. Defensively, his game is far improved, and he won his duels and tackles. His only shot, in the third minute, was blocked from close range. But he, along with everyone else on Valencia, didn’t create all that much. As he matures, these are the games where he should find a way to make a bigger impact.

McKennie starts in Juve win

Weston McKennie, 24, went the distance on Saturday for Juventus in a 1-0 win over Udinese. The big takeaway is that McKennie played on the right side of the midfield – almost as a right winger. McKennie played relatively well and sent in some dangerous crosses but was uninvolved with the goal.

There is the ongoing debate within Juve media about whether McKennie is on the transfer market but my take is that we see some serious rumors heating up as January progresses.

Booth & Pepi feature in the Eredivisie

Aside from the Mihailovic debut, there were two other Americans who got the start in the Eredivisie restart on Sunday.

Ricardo Pepi played the full 90 minutes for Gronginen in a 1-0 loss to Excelsior. He had two shots, one via a header and one at his feet, but both were missed from close range. Overall, it was a disappointing game.

Taylor Booth played 82 minutes for Utrecht on the left wing but was unable to get anything going as his team played Feyenoord to a 1-1 draw. Booth ended the first part of the Eredivisie season with a tremendous boost of momentum as he was the league’s player of the month. While he didn’t have a big impact in this game, Utrecht remains in seventh place.

Both Booth and Pepi are eligible for the United States 2024 Olympic team and could feature heavily in Paris.

FA Cup wipeout

It was a terrible weekend for American players in the FA Cup due to limited minutes, losses, poor performances, and injuries.

The lone win went to Antonee Robinson who played just the final 16 minutes for Fulham in a 2-0 win over Hull City. Tim Ream was an unused sub for the Cottagers.

Chris Richards was an unused sub for Crystal Palace in a 2-1 loss to Southampton at home.

Goalkeeper Zack Steffen was on the wrong end of Middlesbrough’s 5-1 drubbing at home at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion. Matthew Hoppe’s bad season saw him not get off the bench in the loss.

Daryl Dike played the final 35 minutes for West Bromwich Albion in a 3-3 draw at Chesterfield. Dike did not feature in any of West Brom’s goals.

Lynden Gooch was an unused sub for Sunderland in a 2-1 win over Shrewsbury.

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Watch David Wagner's first press conference as Norwich City head coach, ???????????? ???????? ???????????????????????????????? ???????? ????#NCFC

— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) January 9, 2023

Josh Sargent did not dress for Norwich in a 1-0 loss at home to Blackburn. U.S. U-23 hopeful defender Jonathan Tomkinson was an unused sub in the loss. It was the managerial debut for former U.S. national team forward David Wagner who took over for Dean Smith at Norwich.

Brenden Aaronson started for Jesse Marsch’s Leeds United in a 2-2 draw at Cardiff. It was generally a disappointing performance from Leeds. As mentioned earlier, Tyler Adams was out with an Achilles injury.

Ethan Horvath made a huge save for Luton Town that helped manage a 1-1 draw with Wigan.

Duane Holmes played the second half for Huddersfield in a 3-1 loss at Portsmouth. Huddersfield’s priority remains with the Championship games where they are sitting in the relegation zone.

Yanks elsewhere

Caleb Stanko has had his contract with Greek Super League club Asteras Tripolis terminated by mutual consent.

It was a terrible weekend for Americans in Portugal. Reggie Cannon picked up his second yellow card and was sent off in the 75^th minute for Boavista which defeated Gil Vicente 1-0. Cannon continues to play central defense for Boavista and has had mixed performances adjusting to the role. Eventually, he will need to move on and return to right back.

John Brooks was out of the squad for Benfica’s 1-0 win over Portimonense.  Playing time now seems very unlikely as Silva, Morato, Otamendi, & Verissimo are healthy. Brooks was brought into the squad for emergency cover at a time when there were injuries. But everyone is now healthy. There are rumors Brooks might be released in January.

Alex Mendez played the final 15 minutes for Vizela in a 2-1 loss away to Famalicao. He came into the game when it was 1-1. U.S. U-20 midfielder Alejandro Alvarado was not in the squad for Vizela and his U.S. U-20 spot might be in jeopardy as we move into 2023.

In Scotland, Christian Ramirez played the final three minutes for Aberdeen in a 2-0 win over St. Johnstone while Dante Polvara was not in the squad. Scott Pittman was suspended for Livingston’s 2-0 win over last-place Ross County. Joe Efford remained injured for Motherwell and it’s 3-2 loss to Hibs.

In Italy, Sergino Dest did not get off the bench for AC Milan, which allowed two late goals and settled for a 2-2 draw at home to Roma.

Andrija Novakovich scored for Venezia in a 2-1 friendly win over Bayern Leverkusen. The Wisconsin native took advantage of a comical turnover from the German team to finish from close range.

When Bayer Leverkusen heard they were playing Venezia, they thought they were playing a game of Marco Polo.. the historic Venetian merchant is also the name of a pool game where kids close their eyes to find others. This #WPIOOTBGW looks like Marco Polo pic.twitter.com/vQ5bjVsVzu

— When Playing It Out of the Back Goes Wrong (@wpiootbgw) January 8, 2023

In the Belgian First Division, Marlon Fossey played the final 24 minutes as his Standard Liege scored a stoppage time equalizer to help earn a 1-1 result vs. St. Truiden. Bryan Reynolds started for Westerlo but was subbed out at halftime due to injury and Westerlo defeated Cercle Brugge 1-0 away.