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Americans abroad

Morris & Boro to Wembley, Pulisic sharp, Yanks win Austrian double, & more

ASN's Brian Sciaretta breaks down one of the final weeks of the European season, which saw a lot of important news with goals, assists, promotion, relegation, and silverware.
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
May 19, 2026
1:00 PM

IT HAS BEEN a big week for Americans abroad as many of the top leagues in Europe are now over. But over the last few days we learned a lot. Christian Pulisic showed signs of his early-season form, Americans can thrive in Austria, Robinson is ready for the World Cup, and the USMNT is strong at forward.

But will start the column off today in England, where a “spy gate” has sunk Southampton and benefited Aidan Morris, who will get another crack at getting to the Premier League next season.

 

Morris & Boro back into playoff final

 

In a shocking twist of events, Middlesbrough will get a chance to play in the Championship playoff final against Hull after Southampton were found guilty of spying on opponents throughout the 2025/26 season. The punishment is that Southampton would lose their spot in the playoff final and it would instead go to Middlesbrough, who lost to Southampton in the semifinal. In addition, Southampton was given a four-point penalty next season in the Championship.

 

Southampton has the right to appeal, which could delay the game which is scheduled for May 23.

For Aidan Morris, he will get another crack at making it to the Premier League. The former Columbus Crew midfielder has been thriving at Boro where he has been a lock starter and a consistently good midfielder in the Championship. At one point it looked as if Boro would quality automatically but the club tumbled down the stretch and finished fifth.

 

Yank Duo wins Austrian Double

 

The first Americans to win top division silverware this European season went to Sam Adeniran and George Bello of LASK after the club defeated Austria Vienna 3-0 to secure the Austrian Bundesliga title. It was the club’s first title since 1961. In addition, two weeks ago, LASK also won the Austrian Cup with a 4-2 extratime win over Altach.

For fans of Austrian soccer, LASK winning the title was shocking as the club has never been seen as a big club within the country.

 

Adeniran, 27, was one of the league’s best players over the final two months. He finished the season with 15 goals total (10 in the Bundesliga, five in the Cup) but it was his play in the final weeks of the season that helped deliver LASK both trophies. In the Cup final, Adeniran scored two goals. He then scored goals in each of the final three Austrian Bundesliga games as LASK won out.

Bello, meanwhile, was a consistent presence at left back playing 2259 minutes in the Bundesliga and 330 minutes in the cup all season.

Both Americans have had up and down times during their careers, but now both will have the chance to participate in the Champions League playoff round for a chance to make the league phase.

 

Trusty wins Celtic title

 

Auston Trusty won his second Scottish Premiership title with Celtic after a 3-1 win over Hearts. The game was much closer than the scoreline suggested as the game was 1-1 into the 87th minute, and Hearts needed just a draw to secure the title. But Celtic scored twice late after Trusty was subbed out.

Just about every neutral fan was supporting Hearts in this game to breakup the Old Firm’s 40-year grip on the top division of Scotland. But it was not to be as Celtic was clearly the better team in this game and down the stretch, where they didn’t lose over their last seven Premiership games.

Trusty remains a bubble player for the USMNT World Cup roster but he is clearly trending up after having played over 2500 for a title-winning Celtic combined with the U.S. team being very shallow in central defense.

 

Pulisic sharp off the bench

 

Christian Pulisic’s form is the biggest story in the world of the U.S. team right now. The Hershey native has been in a slump since the end of December. Entering this weekend, he has no goals or assists in 2026.

Fortunately for both Milan and the U.S. national team, Pulisic had his best shift in months for Milan in a 2-1 away win over Genoa. He entered the game in the 76th minute and assisted on Zachary Athekame’s goal five minutes later.



The win gives Milan a two-point cushion on a Champions League spot heading into the final game of the season. On Sunday, Milan will host 16th-place Cagliari.

For the national team, the hope is that a good performance will now have Pulisic trending upwards into the World Cup. We will learn more this weekend. Regardless, it is hard to see the  U.S. team succeeding at the World Cup without Pulisic being at his best.

 

Weah returns from injury

 

Tim Weah, 26, made his first appearance since April 26 on Sunday for Marseille in a 3-1 win over Rennes. Weah played 88 minutes at right back and was sharp throughout. Unfortunately, Marseille missed out on the Champions League with a fifth-place finish but will still participate in the Europa League next season.

 

Despite the recent injury to Weah, his start on Sunday saw him surpass the 3000-minute threshold this season for the first time in his career. While he has been at Marseille on loan from Juventus, the expectation is that he will remain with Marseille on a permanent basis.

For the national team, having Weah in solid form is a huge net presence as the team needs more wide attacking players.

 
Minor injuries to Aaronson & Richards

 

Brenden Aaronson and Leeds United extended their Premiership unbeaten run to eight games with a 1-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion with a late stoppage time winner from Dominic Alvert-Lewin. That has lifted Leeds into 13th place heading into the final game of the season.

Aaronson started but hobbled off in the 60th minute. Fortunately, the injury does not seem to be major as Daniel Farke suggested it was a dead-leg that should have him ready for the finale, which will be against relegation-threatened West Ham.

Chris Richards hobbled off the field after the final whistle when his Crystal Palace team played Brentford to a 2-2 draw. Richards entered the game in the 61st minute and was quite during his time on the field. Fortunately, Richards is expected back for the finale against Arsenal.

While it is a minor injury, it was a nervy moment for the USMNT who cannot afford to lose Richards for the World Cup. He is by far the team’s best central defender at the moment.

 

Robinson scores from the spot

 

Fulham’s chances of qualifying for Europe are almost entirely dead after being held to a 1-1 draw against last-place Wolves.

The good news, for the U.S. team, is that Antonee Robinson scored his first Premier League goal just before halftime when he stepped up to convert a penalty inside the left post after a teammate drew the foul.

 

Even more importantly for Robinson, he went a full 90 minutes and looked healthy. He has been touch and go all season but looks ready for the World Cup.

 

Pepi & Balogun finish at 19

 

Ligue 1 and the Eredivisie concluded their seasons over the weekend and Ricardo Pepi and Folarin Balogun both had seasons to remember.

Ricardo Pepi played all 90 minutes for PSV and scored the final goal from the spot in a 5-1 pounding of Twente. With PSV having secured the title, Pepi was dominant down the stretch having scored six goals in his last five games (including goals in his last five games). He finished with 19 goals across all competitions (16 in the Eredivisie, 3 in the Champions League).

Meanwhile, Taylor Booth did not get off the bench for Twente in what was a very disappointing season.

Folarin Balogun, meanwhile, was robbed of a goal when a 55th minute goal for Monaco was ruled an own goal instead of a goal from the American. It seemed like a harsh ruling. But it did not affect the result, which as a 5-4 Monaco loss to Strasbourg.  

Balogun played 76 minutes in the game and finished the season with 13 goals in Ligue 1, 5 goals in the Champions League, and 1 in the Coupe de France for 19 across all competitions.

Regardless, Mauricio Pochettino will have two in-form strikers to select at the World Cup.

 

Paredes vs Castaneda

 

The German promotion/relegation game for a spot in the Bundesliga will pit Paderborn against Wolfsburg. Both teams have an American player.

Santiago Castaneda, 21, played his third straight 2000+ minute season for Paderborn and went 90 minutes in a huge 2-0 win over Darmstadt on Sunday. That result lifted Paderborn into a third-place finish in the 2.Bundesliga. The Tampa-native has been a consistent presence in defensive midfield for Paderborn all season.

The Bundesliga would be a massive opportunity for Castaneda and one he deserves. He has been developing his craft in the 2.Bundesliga for three seasons and has shown he is ready for a bigger challenge.

 

Kevin Paredes, meanwhile, did not get off the bench for Wolfsburg in a 3-1 win over St. Pauli. That came just one week after he was suspended by the club for an internal disciplinary matter.

It has been another brutal season for Paredes with injuries and a lack of playing time. He should be fit for the playoffs, but whether he plays is a separate question. He is a free agent after this season and it goes without saying that it doesn’t matter what team or what league he is with next season. He just needs to play.

 

Relegation Updates

 

Prior to this weekend, we already knew about relegations involving a few American players.

Andrija Novakovich and Reggiana were relegated out of Serie B. Steve Pittmann and Livingston were relegated out of the Scottish Premiership. Also, Jonathan Amon and Vejle Boldklub were already set to go down out of the Superliga in Denmark.

Over the weekend we learned more.

James Sands saw his season end in March due to an ankle injury but on Sunday, St. Pauli lost to Wolfsburg and were relegated out of the Bundesliga. This makes it more unlikely that St. Pauli will exercise the option to buy on its loan from New York City.

Jordan Pefok and Tondela were relegated out of Portugal’s top tier after a 3-1 loss to Arouca, where Pefok did not get off the bench. Pefok ended the season with 1 goal in 22 appearances (14 starts) across 1236 minutes.

Obviously, there is no realistic chance Tondela exercise an option to buy on his loan from Reims. He has one more year left on his contract with Reims and it remains anyone's guess what Reims, who will remain in Ligue 2 next season, will do with Pefok. But the likelihood is that he could be bought for very little.

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