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Ryan Tolmich

Americans Abroad: Chris Richards and Crystal Palace aim to turn season around; Tim Weah and OM face PSG in Ligue 1 clash

GOAL looks at the biggest storylines among Americans Abroad, including a series of big games in France, England and Italy

The season has reached the point where most clubs know who they are and what they’re fighting for. The title race has taken shape, as have the European and relegation battles. For the most part, teams have settled into the area of the table they are most likely to occupy.

There is some wiggle room, though, and, in this first full weekend of February, the hope for several of the U.S. Men's National Team stars will be to navigate that wiggle room and put their teams in a better spot for the home stretch.

There are big games throughout Europe this week, particularly for clubs looking to stay in crowded races at the top of their leagues. It's a big week for someone like Chris Richards, too, as Crystal Palace look to finally build some momentum in a season that has seen a whole lot go wrong.

GOAL previews the main storylines among Americans abroad this weekend.

  • Crystal Palace v Manchester City - Premier LeagueGetty Images Sport

    Rivalry match ahead for Richards, Palace

    Rivalry games are always tense. They're even more tense, though, when a team isn't playing well. That's the situation for Crystal Palace as they continue to sputter. Could this weekend be the one where they really get back on track?

    When Palace kick off against rivals Brighton this weekend, it'll have been over two months since their last league win. All eyes, of course, will be on the top end of the field, where new signing Jorgen Strand Larsen could debut to halt the skit. For Americans, though, all eyes will remain on Richards as he looks to do his part, too.

    Richards, to his credit, has been one of the few shining lights for Palace in recent weeks. Captain Marc Guehi is gone, having signed with Manchester City, and manager Oliver Glasner says he'll be out the door soon, too, as he prepares to leave this summer. Palace need some form of stability and some form of momentum. They'll hope to find some this weekend, and it'll likely have to involve standout performances in both halves of the field to get back in the win column, finally.

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  • FBL-FRA-OM-CUP-RENNESAFP

    Weah, OM line up against PSG

    Tim Weah is set to face his former club this weekend, but, regardless of familiarity, there's always something pretty damn scary about facing Paris Saint-Germain.

    Marseille will visit the reigning Champions League winners on Sunday, pitting two of Ligue 1's top three teams against one another. PSG are, of course, at the top of the league, but there is some hope that someone, anyone, can challenge them, particularly if Marseille can knock them down a peg with a win this weekend.

    To win, Marseille will need to be near perfect, but the good news is that Weah has been more than pulling his weight of late. Playing as a right-wingback, Weah has a goal and two assists since mid-January, which has helped Marseille go unbeaten in the league since that point. Of course, Sunday will be a different type of game with the American likely staring down Les Parisiens' starBradley Barcola, which means far less license to get forward on that right-hand side.

    This match is crucial for Marseille, though, as they look to remain involved in the title race, particularly with the knowledge that their Champions League dream ended in the harshest of ways. The season isn't dead, of course, but it would be very alive with a win this weekend.

  • Mark McKenzie Getty

    McKenzie's strong run to continue?

    Staying in France, Mark McKenzie might just be the USMNT's most in-form player, which is saying something given the levels some of his international teammates are playing at. The results speak for themselves, though, and McKenzie will hope those results can continue for a long time.

    With his contributions to Toulouse's 1-0 win over Amiens in the cup, McKenzie has now played all 90 minutes in each of the team's last eight games. More importantly, five of those games have seen McKenzie and Toulouse's backline keep clean sheets, allowing them to leap up the Ligue 1 table and into European contention. 

    There's still some work to do there, as they sit eighth at the moment, but Sunday's clash with Angers presents a chance to rise up the table even more.

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  • McKennie David Juventus BenficaGetty Images

    Big game for McKennie and Juventus

    Juventus will still be reeling from Thursday’s Coppa Italia loss to Atalanta. In Turin, a 3-0 defeat doesn’t just sting - it demands a response.

    That response won’t come easily. Weston McKennie and Juve now face a brutal run, starting with Lazio this weekend before a looming showdown with Inter on Feb. 14. It’s a season-defining stretch, one that will reveal whether this Juventus side is a genuine Serie A title contender or a team destined to slide into the familiar scrap for European places.

    We may get an answer to that this week. McKennie has been a revelation, of course, but the club currently sits fourth in a crowded Serie A. They're just five points behind second-place Milan, but just four points ahead of sixth-place Como. There's room to rise or fall, but that'll depend on results. A win against Lazio this weekend will restore spirits ahead of next week's match against Inter. A loss would set off panic, particularly knowing how tough the next one will be, too.

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