Weston McKennie and Tim Weah’s Juventus design, Johnny Cardoso’s return to form, Malik Tilleman’s best position revealed – welcome to this week’s USMNT Player Tracker.
Throughout the season, we’ll be bringing you updates on American players plying their trade in various leagues across Europe. With the World Cup on home soil looming and new national team coach Mauricio Pochettino watching from afar, we’ve been monitoring the team’s performance each weekend.
Weekend issue
“Fino alla is fine (until the end).”
That was Weston McKennie’s defiant message after he played his part in Juventus’ thrilling 4-4 draw with Inter Milan on Sunday.
It is also the spirit that has supported the USMNT midfielder over the past two summers as he endured months of uncertainty over his future to remain a Juventus player. He has withstood doubt about his worth and proven it once again.
McKinney is nothing if not resilient.
His assists during the high-scoring game at San Siro meant Thiago Motta’s side remain in the early title race and reminded everyone what he brings to the midfield.
McKennie and teammate Weah may have been overshadowed by their Milan compatriots recently (hello Christian, hello Younes), but they both helped Juventus reach their goal at the weekend.
Assists to Dusan Vlahovic and Kenan Yildiz were important moments from McKennie, as was Weah’s goal in the 26th minute.
Juventus snatched a dramatic equalizer despite trailing 4-2 thanks to a Yildiz brace (the second pass provided by McKennie was for Yildiz’s first goal). That left Motta relieved and perhaps happy that the club decided to extend McKennie’s contract until 2026 in August, rather than let his contract expire and risk seeing him agree to a free transfer to another club in January.
Go deeper
Inter 4 Juventus 4 – Imperfect football
“We were always dangerous in a match that was always open with many chances for both teams,” Motta told the Juventus website after the match, where his team is third in Serie A, one point behind second-placed Inter and five behind leaders Napoli. .
“We have players in good form, like the left wing with (Francisco) Conceição and (Andrea) Cambiasso, but also McKennie who performed well today.”
It was an exciting afternoon for Americans both collectively and personally. McKennie’s first assist of the season was important, and Weah was smiling broadly after the final whistle too. The 24-year-old has endured a difficult summer. His red card in the USMNT’s Copa America defeat to Panama set the tone for the team’s early exit and he has missed four of Juventus’ nine league matches so far this season due to injuries.
They both hope that playing their part in Sunday’s game will provide a platform for better days to come.
Weah celebrates his goal against Inter with McKennie (sportinfoto/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)Player of the Weekend
Johnny Cardoso picked a good time to have his best game of the season so far.
The USMNT midfielder was excellent as Real Betis beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 on Sunday, extending their unbeaten run to three games.
Betis are fifth in La Liga, just two points behind Diego Simeone’s side, and Cardoso made a massive change to help them win.
No player on the pitch made more defensive movements (15) than the midfielder, who was a whirlwind of play. Not only was he resolute defensively, the 23-year-old from New Jersey was also close to an assist when his brilliant pass that cut through the defense sent teammate Abdel Azouli on a one-on-one, but the Moroccan put the ball into the net. Wide shot.
Jonny celebrates a remarkable win over Atletico (Cristina Cristina Coeckler/AFP via Getty Images)Quote from Weekend
“I think his best position is number 10, but because he is an athlete and an intelligent footballer, he can also play on the left or as a dominant midfielder. Although these are not his preferred positions, take note.”
Speaking to the club’s website, PSV Eindhoven coach Peter Bosz heaped praise on AFL midfielder Malik Tillman, in response to a question about the American’s decisive recovery of the ball in his own half before setting up a goal during the 6-0 thrashing. . From PEC Zwolle.
Tillman also scored his team’s third goal of the match, which was good.
Tilleman scores PSV Eindhoven’s third goal in their 6-0 win (Photo Prestige/Soccrates/Getty Images)How did the other American players fare?
Name: Ricardo Pepe
Club: PSV Eindhoven
Position: Striker
Games (in all competitions): 13
Objectives: 6
Pepe made a rare start against Luuk de Jong by scoring two skillful goals in PSV Eindhoven’s 6-0 win, with Bosch also noting his impressive form afterwards.
“His performance is impressive, but he only has one problem,” the PSV Eindhoven coach said in the post-match press conference. “There is someone in front of him who is also showing impressive numbers. I see improvement with him in terms of keeping the ball and defending. But scoring can do that. There should be no doubt about that.”
Name: Hajj Wright
Club: Coventry City
Position: Striker
Games: 14
Objectives: 5
Wright scored a 91st-minute winner for Coventry City on Saturday as they beat Luton Town 3-2 in dramatic fashion, having been 2-0 down at half-time. It was the Californian’s fifth goal of the season and ended a run of three successive matches without a win in the FA Cup semi-finals last season.
Name: Tyler Adams
Club: Bournemouth
Position: Midfielder
Games: 1
Adams was a symbolic substitute appearance, as he returned to the field for Bournemouth after a long spell out following back surgery in the summer.
The midfielder was introduced in the 81st minute and was on the field as the Cherries scored a 96th-minute equalizer through Evanilson to secure a point against Aston Villa. “It’s been a long time coming. I’m excited to be back with the boys,” he later wrote on Instagram.
Name: Tanner Tessman
Club: Lyon
Position: Midfielder
Games: 7
The former Venezia midfielder made only his second start since joining Lyon in the summer. He completed the entire match alongside former Chelsea and Manchester United player Nemanja Matic in the engine room as Lyon drew 2-2 with Auxerre.
Name: Gabriel Slonina
Club: Barnsley
Position: Goalkeeper
Games: 14
Slonina is supposed to be at the Championship club playing regularly as part of his season-long loan from Chelsea, but he was named on the bench during the team’s 2-0 win over Shrewsbury Town on Saturday.
After conceding seven goals in their last four league games, coach Daryl Clarke opted for Ben Killip in goal.
Name: Cole Campbell
Club: Borussia Dortmund
Center: Pavilion
Games: 1
A special moment for the 18-year-old, as he made his Bundesliga debut for Dortmund, coming on as a late substitute in the 2-1 defeat to Augsburg.
The Texan had already previously been on the bench for Nuri Sahin’s side, but has now taken the symbolic step further. He may have only touched the ball four times, but it will be a memorable moment for the player who chose to represent the United States over Iceland – a dual citizen – earlier this year.
Weekend chart
So let’s take a look at where Campbell enjoyed those four touches…
What’s next?
(All times are Eastern Time)
After their match was postponed over the weekend due to floods in Bologna, you can see Milan duo Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musa take on Napoli on Tuesday (3:45pm, Paramount+).
It will also be interesting to see if Campbell gets another chance for Dortmund when they face Wolfsburg in the DFB-Pokal on the same day (3:45 p.m., ESPN+).
On Wednesday, Gianluca Bosio should feature for Venezia in Serie A as they take on Udinese (1:30pm, Paramount+). Later that day, see if McKennie and Weah can build on their performances against Inter as Juventus take on Parma (3:45pm, Paramount+).
Then, on Thursday, Jony can try to shine again for Betis, who will face Gevora in the Copa del Rey (4 p.m., ESPN+).
Go deeper
Tim Weah: Play with my words
(Top images: Getty Images)
