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Yanks Abroad

Yanks Abroad: Freeman, McKennie, Pulisic, and Weah score in banner weekend

In a weekend that will not soon be forgotten, American players turned in a banner weekend in Europe throughout all of Europe's top leagues. ASN's Brian Sciaretta breaks it all down in detail
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
October 25, 2026
7:50 PM

IT WAS AN AMAZING weekend for Americans in Europe as key U.S. national team players Tim Weah, Weston McKennie, Christian Pulisic, and Alex Freeman all scored goal inside of Europe’s top five leagues.

But even digging deeper there are more impressive stories. Aidan Morris scored to lead Middlesbrough to the top of the Championship table. Joe Scally scored and assisted in one of the best games of his career for Borussia Monchengladbach. Sam Adeniran scored to add to his amazing 2026 calendar year in Austria.

While not on the scoresheet, Tyler Adams, Santiago Castaneda, Sergino Dest, and Mark McKenzie also turned in impressive outings in top European leagues.

There is a lot to break down, and we will start in Spain.

 

Freeman scores, leads Villarreal to win

 

Alex Freeman was one of the stars of the game in a full 90 shift for Villarreal in a thrilling 2-1 away win over Valencia on Saturday. In a twist, Freeman was tasked with playing at left back as opposed to his normal right back spot. 

With Villarreal down 1-0, Freeman found the equalizer in the 69th minutes when he headed home a cross from Sergi Cardona from the left wing.



But even beyond the goal, Freeman was excellent on both sides of the ball. He was very good in possession and in winning loose balls.

There was a 10 minute gap when Villarreal was down a man before Valencia also had a player sent off just before stoppage time. It was then when Villarreal found a winner just before the final whistle. Villarreal rose to eighth place with the result.

Freeman, meanwhile, is simply one of the best American players in the game and ceiling could be special. 


McKennie scores in Juventus win

Weston McKennie scored the opening goal for Juventus in a 2-0 away win over Lecce on Sunday. The goal was a bit lucy for McKennie as he got on the end of a free kick delivered by Douglas Luiz straight out from goal and only appeared to minimally touch it. The goalkeeper was anticipating a much cleaner shot and a touch from McKennie likely wasn’t even necessary for the ball to find the back of the net.



But McKennie played 89 minute minutes mostly as an attacking midfielder but this game highlighted his versatility and usefulness as he was everywhere. He drifted back to play defense and break up plays and he also pressed. He tired in the second half but was one of the better players on the field.

Juventus moved into seventh place with the win.

 

Pulisic MOTM in Milan win

 

AC Milan posted a solid 2-0 away win over Udinese on Sunday that was largely made possible by Christian Pulisic who set the tone with an early goal in the sixth minute. After a scoring slump for Milan that began in December and lasted until the end of September, Pulisic is finding his scoring touch again.

On the play, Milan’s Luca Modric quickly took a free kick that caught Udinese off guard. The long ball found Pulisic beyond the defenders. With a first-class touch, Pulisic collected the long ball and set himself up for a shot alone on Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye. He did not miss. It was his first of four shots in this game.



Pulisic was a total nightmare for Udinese in this game. In the 60th minute he forced a big save from Okoye. Just before halftime, Pulisic set up Davide Bartesaghi for a golden chance.

Much will be said of Pulisic’s year in 2026 between his scoring slump, the World Cup, his relationship with USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino, and his injury at the World Cup. But Pulisic is starting to turn things around in Milan and it comes at a time when his contract is nearing its end.

Will we see him back in good form with the USMNT? Will he remain with Milan? His rise in form is making it very interesting.

 

Improving Weah scores for Marseille

 

It has taken until October, but Tim Weah is finally turning around what has been a difficult 2026 calendar year. Last weekend, he delivered two assists for Marseille in a 5-2 away win over Angers. On Sunday, the New York native scored in a 4-3 win over Le Havre. Marseille was winning 4-0 at one point but was very sloppy in the second half to let Le Havre back into the game.

Weah’s outing overall was a mixed bag. His 33rd minute goal was a spectacular individual effort when he collected the ball in the midfield, dribbled through defenders in the box, and slipped a well-placed shot past the keeper.



But Le Havre’s comeback began in the 75th minute through a penalty that was conceded by Weah.

Because Marseille ended up winning, Weah’s performance was a net positive. He was consistently involved and used his skill to create danger. He’s definitely on the upswing and is nearing a return to peak form.

 

Scally leads M’Gladbach to first win

 

After losing their first six games of the Bundesliga season, Borussia Monchengladbach won its first game of the season with a surprising 3-2 upset away over VfB Stuttgart. 

The win was made possible by Joe Scally, who had one of the best games of his career. 

Playing as an advanced right wingback, Scally pushed regularly into the attack and picked up both a goal and an assist. But that only tells part of the story. The bigger picture is that both or of very impressive quality.

His goal in the 38th minute evened the game at 1-1. On the play, Scally backheeled what was like a hard shot from Zento Uno into the goal with remarkable precision. 



Scally’s assist in the 66th minute made the score 3-1. It came on a broken play from close range when Scally chipped the ball across the goal for Wael Mohya for an open header. 



Scally was excellent in this game and it could not have come at a better time for his club, country, or future ambitions. 

For Monchengladbach, the club remains in last place but can climb out with another win next week. 

For the U.S national team, Scally is facing a ton of competition at right back. Alex Freeman and Sergino Dest are already top options (although Dest plays a lot of wing for Mauricio Pochettino). Now there is also Bryan Reynolds playing very well for Rennes in France. Then there is Tim Weah who is a winger by trade for the USMNT but a right back at Marseille. Frankie Westfield is likely on the Olympic team but a future option as well. 

Scally needed this outing to keep pace with a group of right backs who are all playing well. 

 

Adams excellent in win over Man U

 

On Sunday, Bournemouth was terrific and Manchester United was awful. The result was a comfortable three – nothing win for the Cherries away at Old Trafford. Between the Premier League and the Europa League, Bournemouth has now won four games in a row and are playing great soccer. Midweek was a 3-0 win over AC Milan, now a win by the same score against Manchester United.

Tyler Adams has been excellent in defensive midfield for this run. His performance against Manchester United might have been the best of the bunch. The United States national team captain, covered the most ground of any player in the game - 7.5 miles over 90 minutes. More importantly, it is what he did in covering that much ground that was so effective. He controlled the middle of the field defensively and did not allow Manchester United time or space to move into the attack. He was a disruptive force, and a big reason for the lopsided win. 



After a slow start to the season, Bournemouth is now climbing into mid table and should only continue to rise if Adams continues to play well.

 

Castaneda’s best performance, so far

 

Santiago Castaneda, 21, has been doing very well in his first Bundesliga season for Paderborn, but his 90 minute performance in defensive midfield on Saturday in a 1–0 win over Hamburg was his best outing to date.

The key reason is that in addition to playing well on the defensive side, he was also able to add more offensively in the win over HSV.

The Tampa native was effective getting the ball into the attacking third, as well as drawing fouls for dangerous free kicks. This win helped Paderborn push towards midtable, which is a huge accomplishment given that most predicted they would be in a relegation battle after just earning promotion in May.



Castaneda has played for the United States before at the U-21 level last year, but he should be pushing for a USMNT call up soon. Central midfield is very deep right now and the competition is difficult for Castaneda. Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Johnny Cardoso, Tanner Tessmann, Sebastian Berhalter, Aidan Morris, Yunus Musah, Gianluca Busio (who is currently injured), and Brooklyn Raines & Adri Mehmeti (who will both likely focus on the Olympic team for the time being) are all in competition for being called up. There is simply not enough room for all of these players, but Castaneda has made a strong case for at least one look in a camp. Then it will be up to him.

 

McKenzie strong in Toulouse draw

 

Mark McKenzie’s time with Toulouse nears its end as he will rejoin the Philadelphia Union in January. But he is ending his time in France playing well and Philadelphia is getting a solid defender that is improved from the one that left them after the 2020 season.

In a 0-0 draw with Troyes on Sunday, McKenzie had an unusually high 123 touches. He completed 101 passes, with 11 of those passes played into the attacking third. He also had five clearances.

The result was disappointing as Toulouse, a solid midtable Ligue 1 team, should be expected to beat a relegation battling Troyes while playing at home. The Toulouse attack let the team down. McKenzie and the defense did its job.

 

Adeniran scores in loss to Salzburg

 

Another American player who is one to watch this January is Samuel Adeniran who has had a great year. Dating back to the last game of 2025, Adeniran now has 18 goals in 29 appearances in all competitions.

Adeniran has been the driving force behind LASK winning the Austrian Bundesliga, the Austrian Cup, defeating Celtic in the Champions League playoff, and defeating Sporting CP in the Champions League for its first ever win in the tournament.

On Sunday, Adeniran scored his ninth goal of the season in all competitions in a 3-1 loss to Salzburg. It was a nice goal to open the scoring when he dribbled into the defense and sent a low shot off the far post and into the goal.



Adeniran is now 28 years old, he likely has one more chance to make a big move up the club ladder and maximize his value. He will want to see LASK’s Champions League campaign to the end, but if LASK does not look as if it will advance, he might want to make a big move up – if possible. LASK might also want to cash in on its relatively small investment in Adeniran.

 

Morris & Yanks impress for Boro

 

Middlesbrough move to the top of the championship table on Friday with a convincing 5-1  win over Bolton. Both Aidan Morris and Sebastian Berhalter started in central midfield, as is the norm. Both were very good, but Morris was excellent and arguably the best player on the field in the game.

 In fact, it was Morris who opened the scoring with his second goal of the season when he made a trailing run into the box to slam home a low pass from the wing delivered by Amario Cozier-Duberry. 



In the 39th minute Berhault turkey contributed to a goal when his corner kick found the head of former Charlotte FC defender Adilson Melanda for a 3-0 lead. 

The final goal came in the 79th minute, after former Columbus Crew winger/fullback Max Arfsten was subbed into the game. Arfsten broke the play open with some clever dribbling to set up a play that was eventually finished by Will Lankshear. 

While everyone on Boro played well, Morris ran the show with a dominant display on both sides of the ball. He covered a ton of ground, created chances, won turnovers, and scored a goal. 

The more Middlesbrough looks like a strong contender for promotion, the more likely Morris is to return to the national team sooner than later.

 

Reyna starts in Strasbourg loss

 

Strasbourg lost its fourth straight game in Ligue 1 on Sunday with a 3-0 away loss to Rennes. Gio Reyna started and played for 84 minutes. He was one of his team’s better players, and the loss came against a very good Rennes team that is now top of the table after eight games. Reyna had success with his dribbling to open the game and his passing helped create a few chances.

The bad news is that Strasbourg fell into the bottom three of the table and a relegation battle is coming. The good news, however, is that Strasbourg has had a tough schedule thus far and more winnable games are on the near horizion.

 

Murrell continues to star in Scotland

 

After leaving DC United over the summer to sign for Falkirk, former Georgetown University forward Jacob Murrell has excelled at the start of his journey in Scotland. 

Murrell, 22, was Falkirk’s MOTM for the second straight game on Saturday in a 3-0 win over Kilmarnock when he forced an own goal for the opener and then scored the team’s second. 

In the 30th minute, a ball towards the back post was headed to goal by Murrell, only for Cathal McCarthy to divert into his own net.

Then in the 38th minute, Murrell rose to head home Ryan Strain’s corner for a 2-0 lead. 



Murrell now has five goals in his first eight games in the Scottish Premiership for Falkirk. He only scored three goals in 59 MLS games for DC United across two and a half seasons. 

Falkirk has now pushed into seventh place and Murrell is a big reason why.

 

Dest plays well in PSV draw

 

In a matchup between two of the best teams in the Eredivisie, current leaders Feyenoord played reigning champions PSV to a 1-1 draw in Eindhoven. Sergino Dest started and played all 90 minutes for PSV at right back while Ricardo Pepi is still out injured. 

Dest was very good, as he almost always is in Eredivisie games. His passing was on point, his crossing was effective, and his defending was strong.4

In the 28th minute, Dest set up Esmir Bajraktarevic for a good chance. In the 39th minute, his corner found Armando Obispo for another good chance. 

Dest’s most impressive attribute right now is his consistency. That is also what makes him one of the best American players in the game right now.

Still, it was a disappointing result for PSV not to make up any ground on Feyenoord in the table while playing at home.

 

Kelman scores in Charlton loss

 

Charlie Kelman, 24, did everything he could to give Charlton a chance to get a result against Norwich, but ultimately it was not enough in a 3-1 loss. 

The English-born American forward opened the scoring in the 10th minute on a play that begin with a Norwich turnover in its own half. The ball made its way to Kelman and he rounded the keeper for a nice finish from about 15 yards.



Norwich eventually took a 2-1 lead and Kelman thought he found an equalizer for his second of the game, but it was eventually overturned for being offside. 

Charlton now sits 17th in the championship table, but Kelman made a huge statement to be in the starting lineup moving forward, he was outstanding throughout the whole game and was constantly dangerous. It was a performance he needed to have two raise his case for important minutes.

 

Yanks in England

 

Chris Richards played on the right side of a three-man back line for Cystal Palace in an disappointing 2-0 loss to Newcastle United at home in London. Richards was decent and was far from the reason why Palace lost, but his club is in bad shape as we head towards November. In the Europa League, Crystal Palace has just one win from three games. In the Premier League, it has lost its last two games by a combined score of 7-0 and now just sits a point clear of the bottom three. It also has the worst goal differential in England’s top flight. The club has a lot of work to do to right the ship.

On another note, Zavier Gozo did not even make the matchday squad for Palace and might need to consider a loan in January to get minutes. It is hard to see him breaking through in a relegation battle.

Also in the Premier League, Brenden Aaronson returned to the starting lineup for Leeds United and played 66 minutes in a 0-0 away draw with Sunderland. Aaronson was among the Leeds players who had half chances in this game but Sunderland had the better opportunities over the course of the game.

In the 60th minute, Leeds had a chance that stemmed from Aaronson winning the ball back from a poor Sunderland clearances. In the 55th minute, Aaronson acrobatically fired a shot towards goal after getting on the end of a cross. But otherwise Aaronson was limited to just 21 touches in his outing.

Antonee Robinson played all 90 minutes for Fulham in a 1–0 away when over Coventry on Saturday. As usual, Robinson covered a ton of ground and was over 7 miles in this game. He also made some gut – busting sprints to contribute on both sides of the wall. Ultimately, he didn’t make a significant impact, but there are few left bags who can do what he does when he is in good form. Fulham, meanwhile, when it’s second game in a row to move clear out out of the bottom three and into 12th place. 

In the Championship, Jack McGlynn played all 90 minutes at right wing while Luca Bombino also played the entire game in his usual left back role for Stoke City in a 0-0 draw with Bristol City on Saturday. McGlynn was busy but did not create much. The hope was that moving to the right side would allow him to cut centrally and get him onto his left foot. He didn’t have a single shot over 90 minutes and was only rarely dangerous. Bombino had a little more success on the left side but no one stood out for either team offensively.  With the result, Stoke fell to ninth in the Championship table. 

United States international George Campbell played well in central defense as he captained West Brom to a 1-1 away draw over Preston North End. It was an otherwise disappointing result for promotion contending West Brom against the last place team in the Championship but Campbell handled the defensive side of the game well, winning his duels and providing six clearances. West Brom remained in fifth place with the result. 

Caleb Wiley returned from injury to make the bench for Preston North End, although he did not play. 

Krisoffer Lund’s situation at Birmingham City is not good at all right now. The 2024 USMNT Copa America left back was not even named to the match day roster on Saturday at Cardiff City for the second consecutive game. He does not seem to be in the plans at all, after the club acquired him this summer. up to this point, it has been a weird career for the Danish-born American. He has typically found places to play, although he has not been able to stick with any of them long-term, first it was Palermo, then it was on loan at Koln in the Bundesliga. He played a lot of minutes in Germany last year, but the club ultimately declined its purchase option on the loan. Unless things change, he could be looking for a new club in 2027.

 

Yanks in Germany

 

Malik Tillman started the game on the bench for Bayer Leverkusen away against Hoffenheim, but came into the game in the 41st minute due to an injury to Moussa Diaby. Unfortunately, for Tillman, he made little impact in the game and Leverkusen lost 3–0. It remains to be seen if the injury to Diaby will open the door for Tillman to start regularly. Tillman has not started a Bundesliga game since early September, he has been limited to only starting in Europa League games, where he has done well recently. Leverkusen fell to fourth place with this result, and the door might be open for Tillman to have more minutes. But it’s critical that he does well in Bundesliga games moving forward if the chances come his way.

Lennard Maloney was an unused substitute for Mainz in a 3-2 loss at home to Werder Bremen. 

Cole Campbell played the final eight minutes for Elversberg in a 4-0 loss to RB Leipzig. He was limited to just eight touches and 2/4 in passing without any significant offensive contributions. 

Mathis Albert did not suit up for Borussia Dortmund in its 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt due to a recent injury. Timmy Chandler was also not in the squad for Eintracht. 

In the 2.Bundesliga on Sunday, Osnabrück defeated Greuther Furth 3-0. Jonathan Gomez played 90 minutes at left wingback for Osnabrück and was very dangerous - earning positive reviews from the attending local media. Jordan Pefok played 67 minutes for Greuther Furth but was ineffective. 

Isaiah Young remained on the bench for Arminia Bielefeld in a 1-0 loss to Hertha BSC. Bielefeld remained in eighth place in the 2.Bundesliga.

John Tolkin again went as an unused substitute for Holstein Kiel in a surprising 3-0 win over Dynamo Dresden. He is not in a good situation and it would be very surprising if he doesn’t leave the club in January. 

 

Yanks in Poland

 

In Poland, Olympic hopeful Robert Deziel, Jr. went the distance on the left side of a three-man back line for Legia Warsaw in a 2-1 loss at home to Ekstraklasa leaders Lech Poznan. Legia fell to fourth place with the loss. 

2024 U.S Olympic team defender/midfielder Max Dietz was an unused sub for Gornik Zabrze in a 1-1 draw with Widzew Lodz.  Gornik Zabrze entered the weekend atop the Ekstraklasa table. 

Kahveh Zahiroleslam played the last 12 minutes but managed just one touch for Cracovia in a 3-1 loss to Piast Giliwise. Cracovia fell to 13th place in the loss. 

Kellyn Acosta played the last 26 minutes for Pogon Szczecin in a 4-3 win over Radomiak Radom to move into third place of the Ekstraklasa. 

 

Yanks Elsewhere

 

Folarin Balogun was limited to just a late cameo for Monaco in a 1–1 draw with Lille. Monaco fell to third place in Ligue 1 with the result.

Also in France, Tanner Tessmann and Lyon visit Paris St. Germain in a important game in France.

In what continues to be a very disappointing sign, Benjamin Cremaschi again went as an unused substitute for Parma in a 2-1 loss to Lazio on Saturday in Rome. The Olympic hopeful (and 2025 U-20 World Cup Golden Boot winner) hasn’t played since August 29. Over the summer, Parma exercised its purchase option on its loan for Cremaschi from Inter Miami, but hasn’t shown much interest in playing him this season. Cremaschi might have trouble making the Olympic team if things do not change. 

Also in Serie A, Gianluca Busio returned from injury to make the bench for Venezia, but he went as an unused substitute in a 1–0 loss to Genoa and remains in last place in Serie A.

Head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo and Real Sociedad moved into 5th place of La Liga with a 2-1 win over Levante on Sunday. It was the club’s fourth win in a row in Spain’s top league. 

Johnny Cardoso was injured for Atletico Madrid’s 1-0 win over Deportivo A Coruna. 

In Austria, Drew Murray, 20, played the entire second half for WSG Tirol in a 1-1 draw with Grazer. WSG was trailing 1-0 when the Bay Area native entered the game to play central defense (he typically plays right back). WSG Tirol remained in seventh place with the result. Murray is hoping his consistent minutes in the Austrian Bundesliga can get him a call-up to the U.S U-23 team for a camp. 

In Scotland, leaders Celtic defeated Hibernian 2-1 away on Sunday. Auston Trusty remained out after returning to the United States following the death of his father. But central defender Cameron Carter-Vickers returned from injury to play the last 17 minutes plus stoppage time in the win. He made two important clearances to help preserve the win. It was his first game since September 20.

In Belgium’s top tier, Standard Liege continued with a poor start to the season with a 2-1 loss to Genk. Team captain Marlon Fossey played 90 minutes at right wingback for Standard. 

In Switzerland, left back John Hilton did not get off the bench for Grasshopper in a 0-0 draw with Basel.

In Greece, Erik Palmer-Brown was an unused substitute for Panathinaikos in a 1-0 win over NFC Volos.

In Sweden’s Allsvenskan, Ian Hoffmann played the last 13 minutes for Mjaellby in a 2-0 loss at home to second-place Hammarby. Mjaellby now sits 13th in the 16-team league.

In Norway’s Eliteserien, U.S. U-20 hopeful Gabriel Wessah started and played 67 minutes for Fredrikstad in an ugly 5-1 loss away to Molde. Wessah was still very aggressive with his dribbling in this game, and he pulled off a few impressive moments. But Fredrikstad was drastically outplayed in this game. But it is easy to see Wessah earning a transfer this January.

In the A-League, Bryce Duke played 84 minutes at right midfield for the Wellington Phoenix in a 2-0 win over Central Coast Mariners. Wellington is one of two New Zealand-based clubs in Australia’s league and is off to a strong start this season with six points from two games. 

 

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