The U(S)EFA Champions League is Back 🏆

"Everyone thinks that I'm always, always jokes. Which off the field, I am. I enjoy myself off the field. But I feel like not many people realize that when it comes to work and training or games, I'm always dialed in."

—Weston McKennie, on the biggest misconception he faces as a player, to Tim Ream and Steve Schlanger on The American Dream podcast. Subscribe and listen here!

U(S)EFA Champions League:

It’s something we’ve grown accustomed to over the last few years, yet should never lose sight of how truly fortunate we are to be living it as fans. The chance to watch numerous American Expats take the pitch in the Champions League for some of the top sides in Europe should never get old for USMNT supporters. And this season is no different, as a number of our top players are playing under the bright lights on European nights.

AC Milan faced Newcastle on Tuesday, meaning a chance for Christian Pulisic 🇮🇹 (25; Hershey, PA) and Yunus Musah 🇮🇹 (20; London, ENG) to see some action. After starting against Inter in the Milan Derby, Pulisic was a 61st minute sub against the Magpies, but struggled to make a real impact on the game. Get ready for Hellas Verona on Saturday, CP11. Musah subbed on in the 72nd minute for his Champions League debut, and supplied energy and skill going forward, as well as tough defending. Overall a solid performance in limited minutes, with Pioli telling Sky afterwards that “(Musah’s) time will come soon.” 💪

Elsewhere on Tuesday, Gio Reyna 🇩🇪 (20; Bedford, NY) was an unused sub for Dortmund. But the fact that he was in the squad and made the trip to Paris seems to mean that he’s recovered from injury and could take the pitch this weekend against Wolfsburg. Sam Vines 🇧🇪 (24; Colorado Springs, CO), meanwhile, was not a part of the Royal Antwerp side due to a clerical error, as the club forgot to include his name on their Champions League roster. Antwerp wound up losing to Barca, 5-0. Hopefully the Belgian club looks out for Vines better than Twitter did going forward.

As of this writing on Wednesday, Brenden Aaronson 🇩🇪 (22; Medford, NJ) subbed on in the 66th minute for Union Berlin in their first-ever Champions League match, which saw the Iron Ones fall in the 94th minute at Real Madrid. An impressive debut by Union to come that close to escaping the Bernabeu with a point. In North London, Run-D.P.T. (Dest, Pepi, Tillman) are at the Emirates to face Arsenal, with Ricardo Pepi 🇳🇱 (20; El Paso, TX) coming in hot off his first Eredivisie goal, and Sergino Dest 🇳🇱 (22; Almere, NED) destroying Dutch defenses with some Reed Richards-esque Wizard Filth. 🙌

Attackers Abroad:

These are incredible days we're living in. Not only are our gents popping up on Champions League pitches, but we have strikers banging in goals in some of the best leagues in Europe, sharpening their skills against the best.

Coming out of a pair of friendlies in which Folarin Balogun 🇫🇷 (22; London, ENG) and Ricardo Pepi seemed to be playing a game of nine-shirt one-upsmanship against Uzbekistan and Oman, both scored their first league goals with their new clubs over the weekend — Pepi’s a penalty (WATCH), and Balo’s a close-range howitzer (WATCH). Meanwhile in Germany, Jordan Pefok 🇩🇪 (27; Washington, DC) has suddenly inserted himself back into the American Striker conversation with a goal for Borussia Monchengladbach that sparked a wild three-goal comeback at Darmstadt. After finding playing time difficult to come by with Union Berlin, Pefok looks to have the starting striker spot on lock for Gladbach. Go Go USA!

News and Notes:

• Weston McKennie 🇮🇹 (25; Little Elm, TX) has turned things around in Turin. Had an assist and pretty much balled out on his 100th appearance for Juventus, and has put together a string of performances that has Max Allegri calling him “reliable.” There’s even talk of a contract extension. Such a far cry from the uncertainty of this summer. Well done, Wes. (More: Listen to McKennie’s interview with Tim Ream on The American Dream podcast.)

• Tim Ream 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (35; St. Louis, MO) continues to amaze. These numbers against Luton Town are absurd. And this trackback? Mound City Mustang. Can’t believe he’s turning 36 in two weeks. Must be doing keg stands at the fountain of youth.

• Matt Turner 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (29; Park Ridge, NJ) was vital in helping Forest earn a 1-1 draw against Burnley. From Lil Jon-esque Get Low saves, to Matty Mahomes style distribution, it was another solid outing for the proud new papa of two.

• Despite suffering a loss against Villa, reviews were quite positive for Palace defender Chris Richards 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (23; Birmingham, AL) in his first start of the season. 🦅

• Auston Trusty 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (25; Media, PA) came off the bench for Sheffield United against Spurs for the first Premier League appearance of his career. 🙌

• Phallon Tullis-Joyce 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (26; New York, NY) has completed the move from NWSL side OL Reign to WSL’s Manchester United. The University of Miami alum is expected to start out as back-up to England international Mary Earps. 🧤

• Reggie Cannon 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (25; Grapevine, TX) is reportedly set to join Championship side QPR, which feels like a great landing spot for the USMNT defender who left Portuguese side Boavista over unpaid wages.

• Elsewhere across Europe … Alex Mighten 🇧🇪 (21; Hartford, CT) made his debut for KV Kortrijk … Duane Holmes 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (28; Columbus, GA) was named Man of the Match in Preston North End’s win over Birmingham City Monday … USMNT-eligible winger Luca Kolesho 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (19; Norwalk, CT) continues to be an absolute handful for Premier League defenses. Any chance we can get Coach Prime to help us out with recruitment efforts on the quad-national?

Parting Shots:

Tyler Adams 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (24; Wappingers Falls, NY) has yet to hit the pitch for Bournemouth, but the USMNT star midfielder is already winning plaudits from English media. Former Arsenal and England star Theo Walcott had truly wonderful things to say about Tyler Adams, even mentioning him as a player he would’ve liked to have as a captain. Adams also donned a life jacket and hopped on a boat to do an interview with Sky, in which he talked about what made him decide to sign with the Cherries.

MORE: We spoke with Bournemouth owner Bill Foley for a podcast coming out Monday. Be sure to check back then!