ASN’s Brian Sciaretta breaks down the news from across the Atlantic ocean with who is performing well, who isn’t, and in some cases – how it affects the USMNT.
BY
Brian Sciaretta
Posted
October 20, 2025
10:30 AM
THE WEEKEND FOR AMERICANS abroad was relatively quiet as several of the players returning from international break saw only limited minutes. On top of that, there were ongoing injuries to players such as Christian Pulisic, Malik Tillman, and Antonee Robinson which helped make the weekend mostly a nonevent.
As always, there are bound to be exceptions with the high number of players based abroad. U.S. internationals Folarin Balogun and Sergino Dest both had good games. Among players on the fringes of the USMNT player pool, Marlon Fossey and George Campbell both turned in good outings.
As the March international window approaches, it will be an interesting time – with a few important notes.
Christian Pulisic: is injured and won’t be back until November. This likely rules him out of the March friendlies. The next time we will see him for the U.S. team is March. Of course, Milan is not happy about this.
Malik Tillman: is now out two weeks for Bayer Leverkusen following his involvement with the U.S. team this month. That timeframe should have him back for the November weekend, but timeframes are not an exact science.
Antonee Robinson: The USMNT left back did not suit up for Fulham in the 1-0 loss to Arsenal and it’s been a tough year without much clarity as to what is wrong. He underwent surgery in May after last season where he didn’t train much towards the end. But the start to this season has seen him make a few appearances, but nothing consistent. It’s not publicly known when he will be back to his former self.
Here are some more top stories
Balogun’s scores off the bench
Among the players who were on the USMNT roster in October, Balogun had the best weekend in Europe despite playing limited minutes. The Monaco forward came into the game away against Angers in the 62nd minute with the game scoreless.
10 minutes later, Balogun put Monaco up 1-0 when he did what he does best – get behind the defensive lines for a close shot.
Unfortunately for Monaco, they conceded late and settled for a 1-1 draw.
Balogun only had 11 touches and was 3/3 in his passing. But his ability to focus on getting behind defenders makes him dangerous while only seeing little of the ball. It doesn’t take much for him.
Monaco fell to seventh place with the result and is winless in three.
Dest and Pepi feature in PSV win
One good news on the injury front is that Sergino Dest looks back in form, and it was likely a wise decision to leave him off the October roster. The right back went 90 minutes for PSV on Saturday in a 2-1 win over Go Ahead Eagles. It was the club’s third win in a row to remain in second place, three points behind Feyenoord.
Dest was effective getting forward and creating chances. He was beaten a few times defensively, but he also made some stops as well. Unlike players like Tillman, Dest has been able to find his way back and looks to be settling in for a consistent run.
Ricardo Pepi came into the game in the 71st minute for PSV and played well – taking four shots. He also should be back with the USMNT in November, but his problem is that his competition, Guus Til, scored both of PSV’s goals.
Next week, PSV visits Feyenoord with the chance to pull even on points with a win.
Fossey impresses
Marlon Fossey turned in very good performance at right back for Standard Liege in a 1-0 win over Royal Antwerp. The match began on Sunday but had to be completed on Monday due to a fan who threw an object at an official.
Fossey won 5/6 of his aerials and was 5/5 of his ground duels. He also drew four fouls and made a huge goal-line clearances.
Fossey hasn’t been in the USMNT picture since March and since that time Pochettino has elected to go with Alex Freeman, who also brings first-rate athleticism. Fossey isn’t completely out of the picture, however, and if he can continue to play like this, he will only put more pressure on Freeman.
Musah’s role at Atalanta
Despite remaining in Italy with Atalanta for the October international window, Yunus Musah did not get off the bench on Sunday in a 0-0 draw with Lazio. That, of course, is not good although the more hopeful interpretation is that he is being rested for the midweek Champions League clash against Slavia Prague. But that might not be accurate.
Musah is not a lock for the U.S. national team and if he doesn’t get on the field in a meaningful way for Atalanta, he could be in a tough spot.
Reyna and Scally
Borussia Monchengladbach lost to Union Berlin 3-1 and sank to the bottom of the Bundesliga. They remain the only winless team in the league and next week they play Bayern Munich. Joe Scally went 90 minutes at right back while Gio Reyna went the last 30 minutes. Both Americans had a few positive moments but nothing much.
M’Gladbach is a poor team right now and it’s going to be tough for either Scally or Reyna. Reyna probably has the tougher path because he doesn’t fit the profile of a player that is useful in a relegation battle.
Reyna is in a bad spot. He’s not playing much, he might miss the World Cup roster, and he might get relegated. Then what?
Richards vs. Adams
On Saturday, Crystal Palace and AFC Bournemouth played to a 3-3 draw in a Premier League matchup between two teams that entered the weekend in the top six. It was an exciting ending as Bournemouth took a 3-2 lead in the 89th minute only to see Palace equalize with a late stoppage time penalty.
Tyler Adams started for Bournemouth and Chris Richards started for Crystal Palace and both played the whole game.
Richards was beaten off the dribble on the second Bournemouth goal while Adams was conservative is possession but was effective defensively.
It wasn’t a game to remember for either American but it was an entertaining game between two good teams.
Yanks in the Championship
Josh Sargent has found himself in a slump for a skidding Norwich team that lost to Bristol 1-0 and sunk to 20th place. His World Cup hopes are fading with the rising Folarin Balogun and Haji Wright.
Haji Wright and Coventry remained in first place with a 2-0 win over Blackburn. Wright came back from a successful international window with a start in this game. He didn’t score but was effective across his 62 minutes and left with his team having scored both its goals.
Aidan Morris and Middlesbrough ended the weekend in second place with a 2-1 win over Ipswich. Normally a starter, Morris came off the bench in the 71st minute to see out the win.
Charlie Kelman is still goalless on the season but he started in a 2-1 win over a woeful Sheffield Wednesday to move into ninth place. Ethan Horvath started for Wednesday but was sent off at the final whistle and will now be suspended. Wednesday sits in last place but is only two points from climbing out of the bottom three.
Patrick Agyemang played the last 29 minutes for Derby County in a 1-0 loss to Oxford United. Derby looks like it is heading for a relegation battle and getting Agyemang going would be huge.
George Campbell continues to be the most surprising American in the Championship as he went 90 minutes for West Brom in a 2-1 win over Preston North End. The American defender plays as a deep-sitting right back and has been solid defensively all season. West Brom sits fifth.
Caleb Wiley played 60 minutes for Watford in a 1-0 loss to Sheffield United. The former Atlanta United left back was never able to get going for a struggling Watford team that sits 15th.
Damion Downs is yet to get going after his move to Southampton and he was an unused sub in a 0-0 draw with Swansea City. Southampton sits 16th in a bad start to the season after relegation from the Premier League.
Bundesliga
James Sands and St. Pauli are now struggling after a 3-0 loss at home to Hoffenheim. It was the fourth loss in a row for the Hamburg-based club which now sits in 14th place in the 18-team league. Sands won 8//8 of his ground duels and was fouled six times in the loss, where he played 90 minutes. The NYCFC homegrown was the least of St. Pauli’s problems on the day.
Noahkai Banks likely did enough to keep his starting job for Augsburg in a 1-1 away draw with FC Koln. The teenage central defender from Hawaii has impressed in his two consecutive starts. Meanwhile, Kristoffer Lund went 74 minutes at left back for FC Koln.
Mauricio Pochettino did not seem to show much interest in Lund when he took over in 2024, but maybe Lund’s start to 2025 gets him another look given the health issues to Antonee Robinson.
2.Bundesliga
Johann Gomez played the final 17 minutes for 12th place Eintracht Braunschweig in a 2-1 away win over Fortuna Dusseldorf.
Greuther Furth fell to 14th place after an embarrassing 6-0 loss to Elversberg. Max Dietz went 67 minutes in defensive midfield while Julian Green entered the game in the 67th minute.
John Tolkin was injured for Holstein Kiel in its 1-1 draw at Nurnberg.
Paderborn moved into third place after a 4-3 win over Arminia Bielefeld. Young American defensive midfielder Santiago Castaneda played 90 minutes in the win. Mael Corboz went 90 minutes in the midfield as Arminia Bielefeld’s captain but didn’t play well. Isaiah Young came into the game for Bielefeld in the 66th minute looking to spark the attack but came up short.
Castaneda remains one to watch given his success on a promotion contender in Germany.
Ligue 1
Marseille moved atop the table with a 6-2 win over Le Havre. Tim Weah played the final 18 minutes. He didn’t that much but he was on the field for the final three Marseille goals, which helps his case moving forward. Weah will continue to be important for Marseille and has a lot of big games ahead this season.
Tanner Tessman was not to blame in Lyon’s 3-2 loss to Nice. After just returning from international duty, the Alabaman native subbed into the game in the 77th minute with Lyon down 3-1 and played well in limited time. But Lyon has lost three of five (and two straight) to fall to fifth place.
Mark McKenzie played the final 26 minutes for Toulouse in a 4-0 win over last-place Metz, who were reduced to 10 men just before halftime. McKenzie was not tested much and Toulouse moved to eighth place.
Yanks in Italy
Christian Pulisic will miss the next month and watched his AC Milan team remain in first with a 2-1 win over Fiorentina.
Juventus saw its winless skid extend to four with a 2-0 loss at Como. Weston McKennie played the last 13 minutes after returning from the international break.
Benja Cremaschi is still waiting for his Serie A debut after going unused for Parma in a 0-0 draw at Genoa. Cremaschi ended up winning the Golden Boot at the U-20 World Cup.
In Serie B, Gianluca Busio played a strong 90 minutes for sixth-place Venezia in a 1-1 draw away at Empoli.
Jonathan Klinsmann made four saves for fourth-place Cesena in a 2-1 win over Spezia.
Andrija Novakovich played the final 30 minutes for eighth place Reggiana in a 3-1 win over Bari.
Yanks Elsewhere
Cameron Carter-Vickers went 90 minutes for Celtic in a stunning 2-0 upset by Dundee FC. They now sit five points behind Hearts in second place.
Also in Scotland, Dante Polvara played the last 19 minutes for Aberdeen in a 2-1 win over St. Mirren. Scott Pittman started but was pulled at halftime for Livingston in a 4-0 loss to Hibs.
In the Eredivisie, Taylor Booth played the final 13 minutes for seventh-place Twente in a 3-3 draw at NEC Nijmegen.
In Belgium, Westerlo played RAA La Louviere to a 0-0 draw Bryan Reynolds played the whole 90 minutes while Griffin Yow played the last 13 minutes.
In Austria’s Bundesliga, LASK defeated Rapid Vienna with George Bello going 90 minutes at left back in a strong shift and Samuel Adeniran scoring the team’s second goal. WSG Tirol dropped a 3-2 loss at home to Austria Vienna but Quincy Butler picked up an assist on the first WSG goal.
