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Americans abroad

Yanks Abroad: Pulisic, Berhalter, Dest lead the way, big goals from Campbell & Balogun

ASN's Brian Sciaretta goes deep with his weekly column on Americans abroad, breaking down all the games for Yanks in Europe
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
November 02, 2026
5:05 AM

IT WAS ANOTHER SOLID weekend in Europe for players who are key to the U.S. national team as Christian Pulisic shined in the Milan Derby, Folarin Balogun was impressive for Monaco for the first time in months, Sebastian Berhalter helped keep Middlesbrough at the top of the Championship, and both Sergino Dest and Ricardo Pepi contributed to a PSV blowout win.

But even when you dig deeper into the player pool or look to the Olympic team, there were several signs of promise. Cole Campbell scored a wonder goal, Diego Kochen was a rock for Lyngby in a win, Jack McGlynn is helping Stoke in a race for promotion – the same with George Campbell at West Brom.

Let’s cover all that and more in great detail. We’ll start in Italy.

 

Pulisic stars in Milan Derby

 

Christian Pulisic immediately sent a strong signal to Inter Milan that its unbeaten run to start the Serie A season was in trouble. 

In just the 4th minute, Pulisic headed home a cross from the right side delivered by Diego Moreira. 



The Hershey native was given freedom to Rome across the attacking line throughout his 82 minutes of action and he was routinely dangerous. He was 3/3 in his dribbles, 27/32 in his passing, and 5/7 in his ground duels.

Without question, the best American player has put his slump behind him, and he is now back in full force over the past two months. It would not be a surprise if signing the new contract with Milan has helped put him into a better place mentally.

Yunus Musah also started and played 82 minutes for Milan. Musah won a free kick that was subsequently converted but Moreira. He was also more composed than usual with the ball and made far fewer mistakes than he had been making recently. it has been an inconsistent season for. Musah, but this was one of his best games, considering the strength of the opponent.

 

McKennie injured in Juventus win

 

Juventus came away with a very impressive 2-0 win over Napoli on Sunday, but it came with a heavy price as United States international midfielder Weston McKennie was forced out of the game at halftime due to an abductor injury that was described by media as “discomfort.”



It remains to be seen if McKinnie will be forced to miss time or even the upcoming international window for the United States national team. 

McKennie had been playing well in this game before the injury, and this win lifted Juventus into seventh place. 

 

McGlynn’s big game lifts Stoke

 

Stoke City moved into third place of the English Championship on Saturday after a 2-0 win over Preston North End, that was largely made possible by Jack McGlynn who was the man of the match.

In the 29th minute, McGlynn found Ben Wilmot with a beautiful cross from the right side that was delivered by his left foot.

 

 

Then in the 59th minute, McGlynn scored Stokes second goal after he got himself open for a shot in the box.

 

 

It was a great performance from McGlynn who needs these type of outings to continue to build his case for a return to the national team. He still has arguably the best left foot in the pool and can provide great deliveries into the box as well as shots from distance.

Luca Bombino, 20, played 73 minutes at left wingback for Stoke City. Per usual, he was solid on both sides of the ball and he remains the best candidate to be the Olympic team left back.

Both Americans will see their stock continue to rise as Stoke remains in contention for promotion to the Premier League. 

Caleb Wiley was an unused substitute for Preston North End. 

 

Boro Yanks: Berhalter’s big day

 

Middlesbrough maintained its two point lead a top of the English Championship table with a convincing 3–0 went over Charlton Athletic on Saturday. 

Sebastian Berhalter, 25, had his best performance for Middlesbrough since joining the club after the World Cup. The U.S national team midfielder had a goal and an assist while also playing well in every aspect of the game for over 90 minutes.

His first big moment came in the 12th minute when he scored his third goal of the season. On the counter attack, he was able to get a shooting lane from the edge of the box that he was able to beat the goalkeeper with a shot inside the far post. 

 

 

Then in the 44th minute, Berhalter hit an absolutely sublime pass to assist Will Lankshear on a goal to make it 2–0. 



Last season, Middlesbrough came up, just short of earning promotion to the Premier league. This year, they look ready to go up and a big reason for that is the addition of Berhalter, who gives them an edge in the midfield with a lot of tools to add in the attack.

Meanwhile, Aidan Morris continues to be the engine of the team. Once again, he had over 100 touches in the game to lead all players. He dictated the pace and he controlled the midfield battles.

Morris is on the edge of the national team fire pool but looks more ready now than ever to be able to compete for a regular spot on the national team. 

Berhalter and Morris look as if they are easily the best center midfield combination in the Championship.

Also, in this game, Max Arfsten played to the last 13 minutes in the wind, although the game was essentially out of reach when he entered. The left back/winger only managed three touches.

Charlie Kelman, 25, play the entire game at Ford for Charlton, although did not stand out.

All four Americans who played in this game were born in 2001 and the three who featured for Middlesborough all came up through the Columbus Crew organization.

 

Balogun scores for Monaco in loss

 

Folarin Balogun made a strong case to return to AS Monaco’s starting lineup when he scored his team’s only goal in a 3-1 loss to Paris FC on Sunday.



The USMNT striker was subbed into the game to begin the second half with Monaco trailing 2-0. He scored in the 65th minute with a blazing run up the middle of the box to get onto the end of a low ball played by Vanderson from the right wing. Balogun had four shots, two of which were on target and he brought some much needed life to Monaco’s stagnant offense.

Balogun had been playing limited substitute minutes recently and his relationship with the club since the botched transfer in August seems strained. But Monaco might need to play him simply to give themselves the best chance to win. The club fell to seventh place with the loss.

 

Campbell scores wondergoal

 

Texas-born winger Cole Campbell only played the final 13 minutes for Elversberg in a 4-1 win over Mainz on Friday, but the U.S Olympic hopeful stole the show with an amazing scissor kick goal in stoppage time to make the score 4-0. 

 

Campbell did not do much else besides the goal as he only had enough touches but perhaps this will get him back into the starting lineup for Elversberg, which is playing well fresh after promotion. 

Also for Campbell, he recently made his U.S. national team debut in the win over Canada but is expected to push for a spot on the Olympic team which is loaded with wingers - Mathis Albert, Peyton Miller, Cavan Sullivan, and Zavier Gozo are some of the other players pushing for spots on the teams. 

For Mainz, American defensive midfielder Lennard Maloney came into the game in the 63rd minute but had an uneventful shift, which was his longest this season in the Bundesliga.

 

Anderson & Kochen lead Lyngby

 

In the Danish Superliga, Lyngby got a much needed win on Friday in a season where avoiding relegation is the only goal. 

American players Markus Anderson, 22, and Diego Kochen, 20, both played crucial roles in the 2-1 victory over Randers. 

Kochen made four saves, including two that were likely goals to keep Randers off the board. He has done well this season on his loan to Lyngby to give the team an edge in a relegation battle. 

Anderson came off the bench in the 63rd minute to boost Lyngby’s attack with the score 1-1. The American ended up scoring the winning goal in the 69th minute on a counterattack. It was his second goal for Lyngby since joining the club in the summer window.

 

 

Anderson is at the club on loan from the Philadelphia Union. He was previously on a loan with Brooklyn FC in USL. Philadelphia has a partnership agreement with Lyngby to send them players on loan to help with their development. With Anderson, it remains to be seen if he’s in the plans for Philadelphia or if this is just to get him into the shop window for a potential sale. 

For Kochen, he is on loan from Barcelona. A positive loan this year in Denmark could see him either get sold or get another loan to an even bigger club. Meanwhile, there are questions whether he will be part of the plans for the United States, Olympic team or the full national team.

 

Deziel helps Legia draw

 

In Poland’s Ekstraklasa, Robert Deziel Jr. played on 90 minutes for Legia Warsaw in a scoreless draw on the road against a Gornik Zabrze team that entered the day in first place but fell to second on goal differential with the result. 

Deziel Jr., 21, plays on the left side of Legia’s three-man backline. In this game, he did well to keep Gornik Zabrze off the board - with five clearances, two tackles, and winning 3/3 of his ground duels. 

Legia ends the weekend in third place. 

The Florida native should be a contender for a spot on the Olympic team in central defense.

 

Scally & Castaneda feature in draw

 

On Saturday, Borussia Monchengladbach and Paderborn played to a 0-0 draw in a game that could likely have relegation implications in the Bundesliga. In the first half, Joe Scally had a goal called back by VAR for a foul in the build-up. Scally has been in terrific form and this was a bit of bad luck that does not change that. His 90-minute shift was otherwise uneventful but he should be attracting plenty of interest in the final year of his contract and his refusal to sign a new one with Monchengladbach.

Santiago Castaneda played 90 minutes for Paderborn and did a nice job, yet again. He had two good chances to score in the first half, but was unable to convert. he was solid and winning his aerials and duels, and his passing was typically safe and conservative - although he did not make any noticeable mistakes. The big question for Castaneda is whether he will receive his first call up to the senior men’s national team soon. It is a very competitive area of the field and many other central midfielders are playing very well. But Mauricio Pochettino might simply want to give him a look because he has yet to evaluate him in person.

 

Adams & Bournemouth into 7th

 

Tyler Adams and AFC Bournemouth defeated Leeds United to move into seventh place in the Premier League with a 2-0 win over Leeds United on Saturday. 

Adams was involved in his usual defensive pressing in the midfield but Bournemouth was in control from the start and leads was never much of a threat. Adams had more time on the ball than he usually does in possession and he showed more of a passing range than he usually does for Bournemouth. He was effective getting the ball into the attack and create chances.

Bournemouth moved into seventh place with the win. 

Brenden Aaronson played only the final six minutes for Leeds.  He added some energy to his team’s attack when they were trailing by just one goal. But ultimately, he did not have enough time and Bournemouth scored four minutes into stoppage time to seal the result. 

 

Pepi returns for PSV, scores

 

Ricardo Pepi scored and assisted in his return from injury as PSV posted a 7-0 blowout win over a Willem II team that is in last place and is winless through 11 games. Sergino Dest also got in on the scoresheet with an PSV’s third goal. 

This game was non-competitive as PSV was in complete control over all 90 minutes with 70% possession. What was most impressive is that PSV had seven different goal scorers in the win.

Dest played 71 minutes and was 36/37 in his passing. His highlight came in the 50th minute when he found Sven Mijnans in the box for a goal. It was a lovely play as Dest lobbed a ball into the box from the right side and Mijnans volleyed it home. It was Dest’s third Eredivisie goal of the season. 



For Pepi, it was a great opportunity to return from an injury against an overmatched opponent. He came into the game in the 60th minute and scored in the 73rd minute when he headed home a left-footed cross that was delivered on the right side by former New England Revolution winger Esmir Bajraktarevic to make it 5-0. 

Four minutes later, Pepi then assisted Kodai Sano’s goal with a short pass inside the box on a quick interchange. 

Given the U.S. team’s injury problems with strikers, Pepi might be in line to return to the team in November.

With the result, PSV remained in third place in the Eredivisie. They are one point behind Ajax and two points beyond Feyenoord. 

 

Yanks feature in big Scottish upset

 

In the Scottish Premiership, Falkirk won its fourth game in a row on Saturday in a stunning 2-0 upset over perennial champions Celtic. Falkirk climbed to fourth in the table with the win.

Jacob Murrell, 22, is Falkirk’s leading scorer but the former DC United and Georgetown University forward did not get on the board in the game. In the first half, it appeared he scored his sixth of the season but it was called back by VAR due to a handball.



But Murell was dangerous in his 90-minute shift and continues to be a major reason for the club’s success over the past month.

Meanwhile, CJ Fodrey played the last 17 minutes for Falkirk to help preserve the lead. Fodrey is at the club on loan form Austin.

Cameron Carter-Vickers played the entire game in central defense for Celtic and made a mistake on one of Falkirk’s goals. He was not seriously tested otherwise as Celtic had 70% possession and outshot Falkirk 24-6. Auston Trusty continued to be away from the club for personal reasons.

Carter-Vickers is an interesting player regarding the U.S. national team. He has been out of the picture for a long time – most of it coming when he was injured with a ruptured Achilles. We don’t have a clear sense if Mauricio Pochettino rates him.

 

In Ligue 1: Tessman, Weah, and Reyna feature in wins

 

In France’s Ligue 1, Bryan Reynolds played the entire second half for Rennes in an ugly 5-3 loss to Nice on Friday. The former FC Dallas homegrown right back/winger came into the game with Rennes trailing 3–1. He had a decent performance and created a few chances and got forward into the attack, although it was nothing too significant. He was not one of the team’s problems in an otherwise bad day. But that might be enough to keep him in contention to start in games moving forward.

On Sunday in Ligue 1, Strasbourg pounded Auxerre 5-1 to climb out of the league’s bottom three. Prior to this game Strasbourg had a very difficult schedule and finally had an opponent in the bottom half of the table in Auxerre. Gio Reyna started for Strasbourg and played 66 minutes. The U.S. national team playmaker did not factor into any of his team’s goals but did not make any mistakes either.

Staying in France’s top tier, Tanner Tessmann had arguably his best performance of the season for Lyon in a 2-0 win over Angers. The Alabama native was very steady in a 90-minute shift where he completed 79/83 passes, including 13 balls into the attacking third.

Tessmann, 25, was controversially cut from the World Cup team but performances such as this will get him back into the squad sooner than later. Lyon, now in third place, is one of France’s biggest teams and Tessmann has a role with that.

Finally in Ligue 1, Marseille defeated Toulouse 2-0 on Sunday in a game where each team started a U.S. international from New York City. Marseille captain and Brooklyn native Tim Weah played 90 minutes at right back and while he wasn’t part of anything dangerous for Marseille, he was competent in possession and defense to preserve the win. Bronx native Mark McKenzie was not responsible for either Marseille goal and was also decent.

Neither player was involved with the U.S. national team in the September/October camp and both played only limited minutes at the World Cup over the summer. But both could be in line for a return in November as depth will be required as the U-23 team gets underway and many top prospects will play here.

 

Yanks in Germany: Tillman looks for minutes

 

In the Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen dropped a 4–2 decision at home to Stuttgart. Malik Tillman continued to only see limited minutes in Bundesliga games and played just the last 15 minutes in the loss. While Leverkusen scored a goal with him on the field, his shift was not noteworthy. The good news is that the team struggled without him on the field, and maybe he will be seen as a potential solution. His appearances in the Europa League have been mostly positive. But it continues to be a disappointing season for one of the US national team’s key players.

Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund played to a 2–2 draw in a matchup between two Bundesliga heavyweights. Mathis Albert was not in the squad for BVB and the teenager has been dealing with a muscle problem recently. 

Timmy Chandler was an unused substitute for Eintracht Frankfurt in a 3-1 win over Hamburg SV on Sunday. 

In the 2.Bundesliga, Isaiah Young did not get off the bench for Arminia Bielefeld in a 3-1 win over Eintracht Braunschweig on Friday. 

On Saturday, VfL Osnabrück lost to Wolfsburg 2-0. Jonathan Gomez played 75 minutes at left wingback in the loss while defensive midfielder Leon Flach subbed into the game for Osnabrück in the 63rd minute. Osnabrück fell to ninth place and neither American made a noticeable impact in this game.

On Sunday, Greuther Furth defeated Holstein Kiel 1-0. John Tolkin’s playing time might be increasing and he came off the bench at halftime to play the second half at left back. Jordan Pefok played the last 18 minutes for Greuther Fürth. Holstein Kiel fell to 17th place in the 18-team league. Furth meanwhile sits ninth. 

 

Yanks in England: Campbell impresses in win

 

In the Premier League, Fulham and Aston Villa played to a 1-1 draw in Birmingham. Antonee Robinson played all 90 minutes at left back for Fulham. His best moment came in the 49th minute when he nearly scored on a combination with Alex Iwobi. Aside from that, the United States national team veteran covered a lot of crown, but his crossing let him down too many times. Fulham now sits in 15th Pl., two points ahead of the relegation line.

Crystal Palace fell into the bottom three on Saturday after 2–0 away loss to Tottenham in a London Derby. This game was essentially over early when Palace forward Jean-Philippe Mateta was sent off in the 13th minute after a VAR review. U.S national team central defender Chris Richards played all 90 minutes for Palace and did reasonably well under the circumstances with 4 tackles, 7 clearances, and 4/5 ground duels won. But ultimately, the game was unwinnable for palace, which now sits in the relegation zone due to gold differential. But there should be concerned for the south – London club after a poor month of October. 

American teenage attacker Zavier Gozo continues to not be in the lineup for palace and is instead playing for the U-21 team. 

In the English Championship, George Campbell captained West Brom to an impressive 3-1 away win over West Ham United. The former Montreal central defender did not have to do much, but whenever called into duty handled himself well. West Brom moved into fourth place with the win, and Campbell looks ready and deserving of another national team call up in November.

Elsewhere in England’s second tier, Kristoffer Lund was again not included in Birmingham City’s match day squad, and again he was not missed as Birmingham City defeated Lincoln City to move into fourth place.

 

Yanks in Spain: Slow weekend for Freeman & Co.


In La Liga on Friday, Alex Freeman played just the last 10 minutes for Villarreal in a 1-0 loss at home to Espanyol. Freeman was active during his shift, got on the ball, and pushed into the attack, although he was not able to help his team find an equalizer. His minutes have been uneven, but gradually he should be doing enough to push and compete for a role in the starting lineup.

Staying in La Liga, Johnny Cardoso is back to training individually for Atlético Madrid, but is still unable to play. On Saturday he missed his teams 2–0 win over Levante. A return to the USMNT in November also seems as if it will come too soon for Cardoso.

On Sunday, New Jersey head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo was issued a yellow card for dissent as his Real Sociedad fell to Athletic Club 2-1 in Bilbao. 

 

Yanks Elsewhere

 

In Serie A, Gianluca Busio returned to the starting lineup for Venezia for this first time since his injury in September. The former Sporting Kansas City midfielder and current Venezia captain played 55 minutes in a 1-0 loss to fourth-place Como. The good news is that Busio played well and gave his team a chance to compete. The bad news is that with the loss, Venezia remained in last place with just three points from 10 games (one win, nine losses). Venezia remains just two points from safety and perhaps the return of Busio will give the team a better chance to win games against the middle to lower table opponents.

In the Austrian Bundesliga, Donovan Pines played the second half for Grazer in an ugly 4-0 loss at home to TSV Hartberg. The former DC United central defender scored an own goal in the 66th minute.

Then on Sunday in Austria, third place LASK defeated WSG Tirol. Sam Adeniran started for LASK at the No. 9 position while Drew Murray, 20, started at right back for WSG and played all 90 minutes. George Bello remains out injured for LASK.

Adeniran assisted on LASK’s second goal in the 48th minute on a counterattack when he set up Robert Ljubicic for a goal. The former St. Louis city striker is now back into good form after his September surgery to repair a facial bone. It will be interesting to see if he will be sold this January after his fantastic 2026, which saw him lead LASK to a Austrian Bundesliga title, an Austrian Cup title, and a spot in the Champions League.

In Poland’s Ekstraklasa, Kahveh Zahiroleslam, 24, played the final 24 minutes for Cracovia in a 2-1 loss Motor Lublin on Friday. The forward managed just six touches during his time on the field. 

In the final weekend of the Irish Premier Division season, Drogheda United defeated Galway United 2-0 with American left back Leo Burney going 2-0 in the win as Drogheda finished ninth but will still have to play in the relegation playoff series. Patrick Hickey also played 90 minutes in the wind. Now playing central defense, he also had an assist in this game.Bohemian FC defeated rivals St. Patrick 3-2 on the road in a Dublin derby. Paul Walter, on loan from Cincinnati in MLS, made 3 saves in the win. Bohemian finished second in the table and will play in Europa League qualifiers next year. 

In Norway’s Eliteserien, U.S U-20 winger Gabriel Wessah, 18, played the last 35 minutes for Fredrikstad in a 3-0 loss at home to Rosenborg. Wessah is reportedly attracting interest from big clubs, given his youth and his dribbling ability.

In Belgium’s top division, team captain Marlon Fossey played all 90 minutes for 9th place Standard Liege in a 1-1 draw with Kortrijk. 

In the Swiss Super League, left back John Hilton, 25, made his third appearance of the season for Grasshopper Club Zurich in a 2-2 draw with FC Vaduz. Hilton entered the game in the 71st minute as Grasshopper ended the weekend in 11th place in the 12-te league.  

In Hungary’s NB I, Aiden Harangi, 20, started and played 67 minutes for Zalaegerszegi TE in a 3-0 win over MTK Budapest. ZTE now sits eighth in the table.

In the Greek Super League, Erik Palmer-Brown was an unused substitute for Panathinaikos in an impressive 2-0 win over AEK Athens in an Athens Derby.  

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