USMNT ASSEMBLE 🦅🇺🇸

“Let them know they’re invited to US national team games too 🤣”

--Christian Pulisic on Instagram, in response to video of Selena Gomez and Tyga watching Lionel Messi play at LAFC. Last year Pulisic confessed that Gomez was his celebrity crush during his teenage years.

Matt Turner Hits USMNT Duties on Shutout High:

It would be beyond foolish to call it a Pulisic Revenge Game. Almost certainly the last thing on Matt Turner’s 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 mind when he took the pitch for Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge on Saturday was getting back at the Chelsea fans who booed Christian Pulisic onto the field a few months ago during what most knew was going to be his final appearance for the Blues. But there was still something poetic about Pulisic’s USMNT teammate helping lead Forest to a 1-0 shutout win at Chelsea — the Tricky Trees’ first victory at the Bridge since 1995 — thereby spinning the Blues into early-season disarray. The loss knocked Chelsea to a highly disappointing 12th place in the table, three spots below Forest.

A few days after the historic win, Turner spoke to the press in St. Louis from USMNT camp, where the U.S. is preparing for upcoming friendlies against Uzbekistan (Saturday, 5:30 p.m. EST on TNT) and Oman (Tuesday, 8:30 p.m. EST on TNT). During the media session, the 29-year-old from Park Ridge, N.J. spoke quite candidly about why he made the move from Arsenal to Forest.

🗣 “Towards the end of the season, I felt like there were games that I could have been playing that I wasn't even getting really a sniff of them. I was training really well, doing everything in my power to get myself minutes on the team and that just wasn't happening for me.”

Turner went on to share his thoughts about being a non-English goalkeeper in the Premier League, as well as how much respect he has for former teammate Aaron Ramsdale. You can read the full transcript here. But either way, Turner deserves credit for taking the initiative to change things up, when he could have continued to get paid from the bench for Arsenal.

Elsewhere in England: Tim Ream 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (35; St. Louis, MO) did his best American Haaland impersonation and scored a goal for Fulham in their 5-1 loss to Man City (WATCH) … Haji Wright 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (25; Los Angeles, CA) started in Coventry City’s 3-3 draw with Watford … And Duane Holmes 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (28; Columbus, GA) continues to next-level it in Lancashire, as he had an assist off the bench in Preston North End’s 2-0 win at Stoke (WATCH). PNE enters the international break in first place in the Championship, with Holmes contributing two goals and three assists in all competitions. 🙌

An August to Remember in Italy:

Life in Italy continues to be on the up for Christian Pulisic 🇮🇹 (24; Hershey, PA). After helping guide AC Milan to a 2-1 win at Roma on Friday — a match that nearly saw him notch his third goal of the season (WATCH) — Pulisic was once again grabbing headlines in Italian newspapers before being named club MVP for the month of August. Based on current form, we should expect CP11 to score approximately six goals against Uzbekistan on Saturday.

Weston McKennie 🇮🇹 (25; Little Elm, TX) and Tim Weah 🇮🇹 (23; Rosedale, NY) continue to platoon at right wing back for Juventus. McKennie started and played 83 minutes in Juve’s 2-0 win at Empoli on Sunday, only subbing off to make way for Weah. Both looked quite solid in the win, and while it’s a bizarre setup for two players that don’t even play right back for the USMNT, it’s working well for Max Allegri’s side, who have won two and drawn one in their first three Serie A matches.

In Serie B, Tanner Tessmann 🇮🇹 (21; Birmingham, AL) and Gianluca Busio 🇮🇹 (21; Greensboro, NC) played in midfield for Venezia in their 0-0 draw at Cittadella, while Andrija Novakovich 🇮🇹 (26; Muskego, WI) scored in his debut for Lecco (WATCH) in their 4-3 loss to Catanzaro.

Our Boys in the Bundesliga:

If things are bellissimo for our boys in Italy, then they’re borderline wunderbar for our gents in Germany 💪 … Paxten Aaronson 🇩🇪 (20; Medford, NJ) started at left wing and played 83 minutes in Eintracht Frankfurt’s 2-0 Europa Conference League qualifier. Eintracht advanced with the win, and Paxten was named to the team’s ECL squad. Then Sunday, Aaronson had the late assist that helped give Frankfurt a valuable point on the road at Köln (WATCH). Amazing week for Garden State Göetze, who actually collabed with us this week on a signed kit giveaway! ✍️👕🙌

Twenty-three-year-old, Berlin-born midfielder Lennard Maloney 🇩🇪 (23; Berlin, GER) started and went the full match in newly-promoted FC Heidenheim’s impressive 2-2 draw at Dortmund. Maloney actually spent two seasons with BVB, which likely made his role in helping to earn the club’s first-ever Bundesliga point that much more special. The U.S. U20 player Insta’ed about it afterwards.

John Brooks 🇩🇪 (30; Berlin, GER) kicked the clock back a few years and scored a tidy left-footed finish in Hoffenheim’s 3-1 win over Wolfsburg (WATCH). Kevin Paredes 🇩🇪 (20; South Riding, VA) was a 68’ sub for the visitors. … Joe Scally 🇩🇪 (20; Lake Grove, NY) started and Jordan Pefok 🇩🇪 (27; Washington, DC) made his club debut as a 59’ sub in Borussia Monchengladbach’s 2-1 loss to Bayern.

🚨 Paxten Aaronson Eintracht Frankfurt Home Kit Giveaway 🚨

We have a Paxten Aaronson Eintracht Frankfurt home kit thanks to the GFOPs at Eintracht Frankfurt US 🇩🇪 and are happy to be able to give back to the readers of American States United. Entering is easy: just answer the poll below and be sure to give us your contact email address in the “Additional Feedback” section before submitting your answer.

Balogun Begins Monaco Chapter:

Folarin Balogun 🇫🇷 (22; London, ENG) made his debut for AS Monaco as a 74th minute sub in their 3-0 win over RC Lens on Saturday. Balogun got a yellow card four minutes after coming on, and admittedly looked as though he felt the pressure to impress during his brief appearance (though the British tabloids calling it a performance in which he “embarrasses himself” may have been a bit much 🙄). But after just four matches, the Rouges et Blancs sit on top of the Ligue 1 table. He’ll get copious opportunities. With plenty still to play for.

News and Notes:

• Strength, skill, clinical finishing. All shown by Malik Tillman 🇳🇱 (21; Nürnberg, GER) during this class goal against RKC Waalwijk (WATCH). Sergino Dest 🇳🇱 (22; Almere, NED) also started in the match, and Ricardo Pepi 🇳🇱 (20; El Paso, TX) was a sub in PSV’s 4-0 away win.

• Luca de la Torre 🇪🇸 (25; San Diego, CA) started and played the entire match in Celta Vigo’s 3-2 win at Almeria, their first three points of the season.

• Gaga Slonina 🇧🇪 (19; Addison, IL) had five saves in Eupen’s 1-0 loss at KV Mechelen on Saturday. For a full Saturday roundup of Americans Abroad in Belgium and elsewhere in Europe, be sure to check out our ASU Tracker.

• Sunday had some serious 2014 vibes. Julian Green 🇩🇪 (28; Tampa, FL) scored a banger for Greuther Fürth (WATCH). Aron Johannsson 🇮🇸 (32; Mobile, AL) had a goal and an assist in Valur’s 4-1 win over HK Kopavogs. Not to mention the Brooks goal. Hit the Sunday ASU Tracker for more.

• Alex Mighten 🇧🇪 (21; Hartford, CT) — whose father used to work as a soccer analyst for ESPN — signed on loan with K.V. Kortrijk in Belgium’s top flight from Nottingham Forest. They dropped a lovely little announcement video for the occasion.

• Kristian Fletcher 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 is joining Swansea on loan from DC United. The 18-year-old from Bowie, Md. is reportedly in Wales, with a club announcement expected this week. Swansea and D.C. United share ownership through Jason Levien.

Parting Shots:

Great Americans Abroad moment in Belgium, as Sam Vines 🇧🇪 (24; Colorado Springs, CO) hammered one home from distance on Sunday to score his first goal of the season for Royal Antwerp (WATCH). The match was also Vines’ first league start for Antwerp since suffering a broken leg last November. Unfortunately, Vines had to sub off in the 28th minute with an injury, but here’s to hoping he recovers soon, perhaps even making it back in time for his club’s Champions League visit to Barcelona on September 19.