Will Weston McKennie finally debut in Juventus XI and can Chris Richards and Crystal Palace earn their first victory?
The U.S. men's national team had a September window to forget, embarrassingly falling to Canada and then drawing New Zealand in a pair of friendlies on home soil. The good news, however, is that Mauricio Pochettino has officially been named manager of the program on a two-year deal through 2026.
His player pool returns to action this weekend at the club level, with the international window officially coming to a conclusion. Now, it's time for the Americans vying for roster spots under the new coach to start performing at a high and consistent level for their respective teams, as they look to impress for both club and country.
GOAL analyzes the major storylines to follow this weekend with Americans abroad.
Crystal Palace, Chris Richards seeking three points
Chris Richard has locked himself into the starting XI with the Premier League side, but Crystal Palace have had a rocky start to the season. They're winless in three matches, and still searching for the first three points of the campaign.
Speaking during the international window with the USMNT, the 24-year-old central defender said that he's happy with the English club, and believes they're on the track to success.
"It's been good, well, we (Palace) haven’t won a game yet, but It's been good. The preparation you know, we've done well in games," he said after the U.S. loss to Canada.
Palace play Premier League promotees Leicester City and Jamie Vardy Saturday as Richards and the Eagles host the Foxes.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesWill McKennie's choice to stay with Juve pay off?
Weston McKennie has been on the bench for three Juventus matches this season, going unused twice, and earning just 23 minutes on in a 0-0 draw with Roma. The start to his stint under Thiago Motta has not quite gone to plan.
However, the 26-year-old agreed that it was the best option for him to not report to the national team camp in September, and instead stay in Turin to train with Juventus and Motta.
Now, this weekend, the Bianconeri play Empoli Saturday as McKennie looks to earn his first start of the season. After nearly two weeks of direct training with Motta, he may finally be set to earn regular minutes under their new manager.
It's still early in the season, and opportunities to feature in European and Cup competitions have yet to arrive, but McKennie needs to play. Saturday won't quite be tell-tale, but it will offer a glimpse into whether or not he's made progress.
AFPCan Folarin Balogun bounce back in Monaco?
It's been an up-and-down start to the Ligue 1 campaign for Folarin Balogun, with two starts and one match in which he went as an unused substitute for Monaco. During the international window, he was goalless for the U.S., but notched an assist in the draw with New Zealand.
His last goal for Monaco came on March 30, and despite a mid-summer pair of goals with the USMNT at Copa America, he hasn't quite looked like the threatening striker the world came to know in 2022-23.
This weekend, Monaco play 13th-place Auxerre, and it's the perfect opportunity for the U.S. international to put on his shooting boots and open his 2024-25 account for the French side. He has to prove that he belongs in the starting XI, and if he doesn't start showing his attacking prowess, it will be hard for manager Adolf Hutter to justify his inclusion.
Getty ImagesPSV's new American trio?
In 2023-24, the American trio of Sergino Dest, Ricardo Pepi and Malik Tillman emerged at PSV, with the Dutch side winning the Eredivisie title and making waves in European competition. However, Dest tore his ACL late in the season, meaning PSV were down to two Americans in their starting XI.
In 2024-25, though, another American has unexpectedly emerged, with 24-year-old midfielder Richy Ledezma finding himself in their starting XI in all four regular season matches.
He's slotted into the right back position in place of the injured Dest, and he's been filling in brilliantly. On top of Ledezma, Pepi has come off the bench three times for PSV, bagging one goal. Tillman, meanwhile, has been on fire with two goals and one assist in four appearances.
The new American trio at PSV return to the pitch this weekend as they look to extend their lead atop the Eredivisie with a match against NEC Nijmegen, but will they all feature?
Pepi hasn't found himself in the XI yet, and Ledezma is very much an unknown player for the club. It's a big weekend ahead of the start of their UEFA Champions League campaign next Tuesday against Juventus.