Puli’s Sic! Sic! Start Continues 🇮🇹

"I think he just kind of has this sense of confidence to him now that I wouldn't say he was lacking, but maybe that he just needed help developing it. It comes with games, it comes with experiences and so I feel like every time he comes back, you see a different side of that, in a good way, of course."

—USMNT defender Chris Richards on goalkeeper Matt Turner’s development at Nottingham Forest. We are currently in Nashville speaking with Matt and additional USMNT players. Subscribe to the Men in Blazers podcast to hear our interview with Forest’s No. 1 and much more.

Puli’s Sic! Sic! Start Continues:

AC Milan’s 1-0 win over Genoa on Saturday was one of the most strangely enthralling matches of this early season across all of Europe. From both goalkeepers being red-carded, to the ensuing histrionics, bad blood and lengthy delays, to dashing French striker Olivier Giroud jumping in goal and making a terrific match-winning save, the match had all the quirky wildness of a CONCACAF match. Which is probably why Americans Christian Pulisic 🇮🇹 and Yunus Musah 🇮🇹 played so well in it.

From a footballing perspective, Puli and Musah were arguably Milan’s two top performers on the day. CP11 was a halftime sub, but scored the match-winner with a fine turn-and-shoot goal (WATCH). YM80 went the full ninety and had the assist on Pulisic’s goal, but more than that he was tireless in midfield, defending well, while also pushing the action forward at every opportunity. The hard-fought win means the Rossoneri hit the international break on top of Serie A. And hopefully means that we’ll see plenty of Christian and Yunus on the right going forward.

After the match, only “goalkeeper” Olivier Giroud received higher marks from the press than Puli and Musah — imagine how highly rated Pulisic’s performance would have been if he’d actually been allowed to play keeper, as Stefano Pioli said the American requested to do. The Puli-Leao partnership on the wings has even drawn comparisons to Mo Salah and Luis Diaz at Liverpool.

For Musah, according to Fabrizio Romano, he’s now a player that Milan brass are “very, very happy with.” The 20-year-old midfielder from London also sounds as though he’s very, very happy with life at Milan. “This is so fun, to be playing so many games and now getting game time, winning games,” Musah said to the press at this week’s U.S. camp. “Yeah, it’s been a very fun process. I’m enjoying being at the club.”

Perhaps the highest praise of all comes from the crew at Italian football TV show Diretta Stadio, who have begun screaming “Puli! Puli! Sic! Sic!” every time the 25-year-old from Hershey, Pa. scores. The fervor and intensity of the chant is borderline artistic, though admittedly closer to a twisted Pier Paolo Pasolini film than touching Italian sports tribute. Hipster football at its finest either way.

WATCH: All of Christian Pulisic’s goals for AC Milan this season

Balo-Ball Rolls On in France:

Like Pulisic, Folarin Balogun 🇫🇷 can’t stop scoring. The 22-year-old from London got his third goal of the season for Monaco (WATCH), this one coming against the club he played for last season, Reims, which is why he eschewed any celebrations. The 3-1 win was also the second-straight match that Balogun started next to club talisman Wissam Ben Yeder up top, with both of them wins. The success of their attacking partnership bodes well for Balo’s starting prospects for the rest of this season at Monaco, as Ben Yeder has 87 league goals and counting in four-plus seasons with Les Rouge et Blanc.

Camp Gregg Welcomes Gio Back Into Fold:

While he didn’t contribute to the scoring, Gio Reyna 🇩🇪 (20; Bedford, NY) made his first appearance of the season for Borussia Dortmund in their 4-2 win over Union Berlin on Saturday (Brenden Aaronson 🇩🇪 was a 55th minute sub for the visitors). It’s been a long road back for Gio, who hasn’t played since suffering an injury in this past summer’s CONCACAF Nations League.

A return to fitness also means a return to the USMNT for Reyna, as he was called up by Gregg Berhalter for upcoming friendlies against Germany (Saturday at 3 p.m. EST, TNT) and Ghana (Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. EST, TNT). While it remains to be seen if the Reyna and Berhalter families have repaired their damaged relationship, it would seem that player and coach are trying to move forward at this juncture. Which is really all that matters.

Any last vestiges of Greggate aside, the overall mood at U.S. camp back in Nashville appears to be very loose and upbeat. Which would make sense given how well everyone has been playing overseas. There have been zoo visits, Titan-ic visits, alumni visits, and even American internationals playing American football.

News and Notes:

• Joe Scally 🇩🇪 (20; Lake Grove, NY), take a bow. Long Island’s Finest absolutely leathered one (WATCH AT :06) in Gladbach’s 2-2 draw with Mainz on Friday.

• Malik Tillman 🇳🇱 (21; Nürnberg, GER) was also in the goals this past weekend, scoring his third of the season (WATCH) in PSV’s 4-0 win at Sparta Rotterdam. PSV hits the international break on top of the Eredivisie with a perfect eight wins in eight matches. Only bad news is Tillman is out of US camp with an injury, with Alex Zendejas in as his replacement.

• More Goals! Tanner Tessmann 🇮🇹 (WATCH) and Gianluca Busio 🇮🇹 (WATCH) both scored in Venezia’s 3-2 win over Parma. The win moved Venezia up to third in Serie B, just two points behind first-place Parma.

• Weston McKennie 🇮🇹 (25; Little Elm, TX) and Tim Weah 🇮🇹 (23; Rosedale, NY) started together for the first time all season, in Juventus’ 2-0 win over Torino, McKennie in midfield and Weah at right wing back. Both played the full 90, with Juve climbing to third with the victory.

• Massive congrats to Tim Ream 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (36; St. Louis, MO) for making his 300th appearance for Fulham. Another massive achievement for the ex-Billiken. The match against Sheffield United took a scary turn, however, as Blades defender Chris Basham suffered a horrific leg injury in the first half. Ream rushed to Basham’s side after the injury, and consoled him as medics rushed onto the pitch. Basham later thanked Ream for “being there and putting football aside.” ❤️

• In that same match, Auston Trusty 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (25; Media, PA) made his first-ever Premier League start. The Blades defender shared a lovely tweet after the match. “As a kid I always dreamed of starting in the Premier League. Laying on my bed, closing my eyes and envisioning myself walking out of the tunnel and onto the pitch. To live out that dream on Saturday means more to me than I could put into words.” ❤️

• Luca de la Torre 🇪🇸 (25; San Diego, CA) had an assist — his second of the season — for Celta Vigo (WATCH) in their 2-2 draw with Getafe on Sunday.

• Bryan Reynolds 🇧🇪 (22; Fort Worth, TX) also got in the assists (WATCH) in Westerlo’s 1-0 win over Kortrijk. The 22-year-old from Fort Worth, Texas was reportedly excellent in the win, with “some members of the attending media saying he was the best player on the field,” according to Brian Sciaretta. Next up for Reynolds: U.S. U23 camp and matches against Mexico and Japan.

• Good read from The Athletic on Ethan Horvath’s 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (28; Highlands Ranch, CO) situation at Nottingham Forest. Things aren’t ideal, as Horvath isn’t on the club’s Premier League roster, but he’s making the best of the situation either way. Forest boss Steve Cooper: "Ethan is still very much part of the day-to-day group. He is a good part of what we do in training, he is really positive around the place.”

• Cameron Carter-Vickers 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 (25; Southend-on-Sea, ENG) started for Celtic in their 3-1 win over Kilmarnock Saturday, his first league appearance since August 13. Great to have CCV fit once more.

• Eden, Utah brothers Zachary Booth 🇳🇱 and Taylor Booth 🇳🇱 were on opposite sides of the pitch for Friday’s match between FC Volendam and FC Utrecht. Zach, on loan at Volendam from Leicester City, made an 87’ substitute appearance, while Taylor did not play. Made for a terrific photo opp either way.

Parting Shots:

American outfield players aren’t the only ones getting it done in Europe, as a handful of U.S. managers are also thriving abroad. After they flirted with relegation last season, Columbia University’s own Pellegrino Matarazzo has Hoffenheim up to a wildly impressive fifth place in the Bundesliga. One tier down in Germany, Houston-born Fabian Hürzeler — who’s just 30 years old — has FC St. Pauli in first place of the 2. Bundesliga. Former USMNT player David Wagner has Norwich City up to seventh place in the English Championship. And after taking over on Sept. 10, former USMNT manager Bob Bradley has pulled off back-to-back wins at Stabaek in Norway’s top flight, to drag them out of the relegation zone with six matches to play.

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