A Week of American Midfield Maestros

“Ricardo (Pepi) can become an attacker who will score 25 goals a year for the next ten years."

—Gregg Berhalter, to De Telegraaf on the American striker, nearly a year after leaving him off the USMNT World Cup roster, only to have Pepi hang up on him upon delivering the news.

Musah and McKennie: American Midfield Maestros:

It was a week of solid performances tempered with injury scares for our USMNT quartet in the Italian top flight.

Christian Pulisic 🇮🇹 (25; Hershey, PA) and Yunus Musah 🇮🇹 (20; London, ENG) were vital contributors in Milan’s breathless 2-2 draw at Napoli on Sunday. CP11 had the assist on the first goal (WATCH), and Musah was the initiator of the second (WATCH). The match saw Puli exit at halftime, however, which sent American Soccer Twitter into a state of confused panic. After the match, Milan manager Stefano Pioli confirmed the move was made due to a “twinge in (Pulisic’s) adductor” — a valuable muscle for a man who scores goals with his pelvis — but reports since say the injury isn’t too serious, and he should be in contention to start Milan’s next match (Saturday against Udinese).

Musah, meanwhile, was metronomic in midfield for the Rossoneri, covering 6.34 miles in the match, and playing the box-to-box role like an American Clarence Seedorf. YM80 was doubled over at times towards the very end of the game, having given maximum effort in a match that required it of him. Such a bright future for the Bronx-born youngster. 

Weston McKennie 🇮🇹 (25; Little Elm, TX) and Tim Weah 🇮🇹 (23; Rosedale, NY) both started in Juventus’ 1-0 win over Hellas Verona on Saturday. McKennie got the run out in his preferred midfield role, and was a perfect mix of physicality, accurate passing, and penetrative crosses. Sheck Wes even played well enough to earn praise from Juve boss Max Allegri.

🗣 "One who I hope continues like this and performs like this is McKennie: as a midfielder he made I don't know how many runs, as a winger he was able to manage himself and played a good game."

Weah played well in his wing back role, but unfortunately had to sub off at halftime due to a right-thigh injury. Latest reports are that Weah could miss the USMNT’s upcoming matches against Trinidad & Tobago on Nov. 16 and 20. Best in recovery, Timmo. May you be joining your mates in NFL celes again soon. 💪

Germerica the Beautiful:

Of the nine matches played during Matchday 9 in the Bundesliga, five of them featured U.S. starters, yet another sign of the progress made by American footballers in Europe.

The starters: Kevin Paredes 🇩🇪 (20; South Riding, VA) in Wolfsburg’s 3-2 loss to Augsburg (the visitors were winning 2-1 when the exceptional Paredes subbed off); Brenden Aaronson 🇩🇪 (23; Medford, NJ) in Union Berlin’s 2-0 loss at Werder Bremen; John Brooks 🇩🇪 (30; Berlin, GER) in Hoffenheim’s 3-2 win at Stuttgart; Gio Reyna 🇩🇪 (20; Bedford, NY) in Dortmund’s 3-3 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt; and Jordan Pefok 🇩🇪 (27; Washington, DC) and Joe Scally 🇩🇪 (20; Lake Grove, NY) for Borussia Monchengladbach against Lennard Maloney 🇩🇪 (24; Berlin, GER) and FC Heidenheim (Gladbach triumphed 2-1). Gregg even flew in for the game at Borussia Park. But didn’t make his way into this Joe and Lenny pic.

Reyna then started again for Dortmund on Wednesday in their 1-0 German Cup win over Brooks and Hoffenheim on Wednesday. GR7’s back-to-back starts now that he’s healthy again would be consistent with recent reports out of Germany that Reyna does, in fact, factor into BVB’s long-term plans, and as a successor to club legend Marco Reus in the 10 role at that.

More Cupdates … Reyna wasn’t the only one getting his Pokal on, as Pefok also had a brace in Gladbach’s 3-1 win over Maloney and Heidenheim on Tuesday (WATCH: 1ST | 2ND). 

If It Ain’t Dutch(-American), It Ain’t Much:

With their 5-2 trouncing of Ajax on Sunday, PSV have won their first 10 league matches, and are now one win away from the best start to an Eredivisie season ever (teams have won their first 10 matches five other times). Quite a feat for our trio of Americans to be a part of.

Sergino Dest 🇳🇱 (22; Almere, NED) and Malik Tillman 🇳🇱 (21; Nürnberg, GER) both started in “De Topper”, and Ricardo Pepi 🇳🇱 (20; El Paso, TX) came on in the 83rd minute. PSV now gets a shot at history on Saturday at Heracles. BONUS: Rog will be speaking with PSV director of football, and USMNT great, Earnie Stewart on Monday for an upcoming podcast. Be sure to check back for that.

News and Notes:

• Tim Ream 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (36; St. Louis, MO) and Antonee Robinson 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (26; Liverpool, ENG) started and played the full match in Fulham’s 1-1 draw with Brighton on Sunday. Robinson was exceptional in the draw, with three interceptions and one brilliant goal-line save (WATCH). The three INTs mean A-Robs now leads the Premier League in interceptions. Scouse Richard Sherman.

• Dante Polvara 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 (23; Pleasantville, NY) scored his second UEFA Conference League goal of the season for Aberdeen in their 3-2 loss to PAOK Thessaloniki (WATCH). Seems he might’ve sharpened his finishing a touch while on loan (March-July 2023) with the USL’s Charleston Battery.

• Alex Zendejas 🇲🇽 (25; El Paso, TX) got in the goals during Club America’s 3-0 win at Monterrey on Sunday (WATCH). Zendejas now has three goals and one assist in his last four matches for the Liga MX side.

• Julian Green 🇩🇪 (28; Tampa, FL) slammed home a free kick in Greuther Fürth’s 4-0 win over Osnabrück on Friday. It was his second goal of the season (WATCH).

• Another Germerican blast from the past, as Terrence Boyd 🇩🇪 (32; Berlin, GER) scored his first league goal of the season in Kaiserslautern’s 3-3 draw with Hamburg.

• Gaga Slonina 🇧🇪 (19; Addison, IL) had four saves in Eupen’s 2-0 win over Sporting Charleroi. It was the Chelsea loanee’s first shutout of the season for the Belgian club.

• Griffin Yow 🇧🇪 (21; Clifton, VA) had a lovely assist in Westerlo’s 3-1 loss to Belgian league leaders Union St. Gilloise (WATCH). It was also Yow’s first start of the season, which came alongside fellow American Bryan Reynolds 🇧🇪 (22; Fort Worth, TX).

• Konrad de la Fuente 🇪🇸 (22; Barcelona, ESP) scored in Eibar’s 4-0 win at Lorca Deportiva in the first round of the Copa del Rey (WATCH). It was KDLF’s first goal in just his second appearance of the season for the Spanish club.

• Congrats to Maryland teen Adeteye Gbadehan 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (19), who signed a short-term contract with Port Vale of the English third tier.

• Vibes Video of the Week: Mark McKenzie 🇧🇪 (24; Bear, DE) interacting with youngsters after Genk training (WATCH) 🙌

Parting Shots:

Our players aren’t the only ones creating a buzz abroad, as the American managerial set has been magisterial in Europe this season. Proving that an applied mathematics degree from Columbia University is good for something after all, Pellegrino Matarazzo has Hoffenheim in sixth place through nine weeks in the Bundesliga. FC St. Pauli are undefeated and in first place in the German second tier under Houston-born Wunderkind Fabian Hürzeler, who’s all of 30 years old. And the Bob and Mike Show got off to a solid start in Norway, as Stabaek earned a valuable point at Sarpsborg on Sunday in Michael Bradley’s first match as an assistant to pops. Stabaek are undefeated in their last four, and have fought their way out of the relegation zone in Norway’s top flight.