Americans Abroad: Brenden Aaronson powers Leeds to FA Cup semifinal as Monaco's Folarin Balogun scores stunner to dent Tim Weah's Marseille Champions League hopes

Tillman needed something out of this one. It’s been a strange few months for the American - moments of real quality, but not nearly enough consistency, and little to show from his latest USMNT opportunity. This felt like a chance, even if it didn’t quite look like one at first.

The teamsheet didn’t help. Tillman was left on the bench, and by the time he came on in the 88th minute, Bayer Leverkusen were already 5-3 up and seemingly in control. There wasn’t much left to play for - at least on the surface.

But Tillman still found his moment. In the 96th minute, he ghosted into the box and tucked home from close range after a sharp piece of skill from Ernest Poku. It wasn’t a difficult finish, but that’s not really the point. For a player searching for rhythm, for confidence, it mattered.

Now, he has two goals in his last two club appearances - a small run, but a meaningful one. And the timing could prove significant. Leverkusen, sitting sixth, are outside the Champions League places and locked in a tight race for Europe, just four points off third with six games remaining. Every goal counts. Goal difference might, too.

Even if this was the sixth in a game already decided - and against a side that looks destined to go down - Tillman will take it. Right now, he has to.

Name a player who has had as topsy-turvy a season as Aaronson has had. We’ll wait.

The 24-year-old opened the 2025-26 Premier League campaign under real scrutiny, with fans and media questioning whether he had the quality to stick at this level. A slow start did little to quiet that noise. Leeds looked headed for a relegation fight, and both Aaronson and manager Daniel Farke had their futures under the microscope.

Then, things flipped. Late December into early January brought Aaronson’s best stretch of the season - three goals and an assist in four games, a run that briefly changed the conversation around him. The end product hasn’t followed since, but something else has: trust from the fans. Aaronson has locked down a role in a Leeds side now sitting 15th and outperforming expectations, with his relentless work rate no longer dismissed as empty running, but valued for what it brings.

That quality showed again in what may be Leeds’ biggest result of the season. Introduced in the 38th minute for the injured Anton Stach, Aaronson made his mark without ever finding the scoresheet. He covered almost every blade of grass, as his heat map from FotMob would indicate. More importantly, he won the penalty that Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted to make it 2-0. West Ham’s late collapse forced extra time, but Aaronson’s contribution ensured Leeds had something to hold onto.

From there, he delivered again. Aaronson stepped up and converted Leeds’ second penalty in the shootout, helping secure a 4-2 win and a place in the semifinals.

The numbers won’t jump off the page - four goals and three assists - but that undersells his season. Aaronson has carved out a role, earned trust, and become a piece Leeds rely on. With just a year left on his deal after this campaign, the question now is whether the club rewards that growth.

Balogun might have a new celebrity fan: Usain Bolt.

The American striker produced one of the finishes of the Ligue 1 season on Sunday, scoring what proved to be the winner for Monaco. Driving forward on a 50-yard run, Balogun opened his body and clipped a right-footed chip into the far corner - a finish no goalkeeper was stopping. Even Bolt, an eight-time Olympic gold medalist and arguably the greatest sprinter of all time, was out of his seat in disbelief.

Just as impressive is the form behind it. Balogun now has 10 league goals on the season - his best return since his 21-goal breakout campaign with Reims in 2022-23. More importantly, Monaco have won five straight, with Balogun scoring in each of those victories.

After a slow start, he’s quietly emerging as one of Ligue 1’s most in-form strikers. Monaco, meanwhile, have climbed from as low as 10th earlier this year to fifth, level on points with Tim Weah’s Marseille and firmly back in the European race.

Oh, how Reyna likely wishes it were November again.

He looked at the peak of his powers in the USMNT’s win over Paraguay, offering a reminder of what he can be when everything clicks. For a moment, it felt like the talented playmaker just needed a run of games to finally deliver on that long-promised potential.

Since then, though, it’s gone the other way.

Since the start of January, Reyna has played just 34 minutes for Borussia Mönchengladbach - the club he joined from Dortmund last summer in search of exactly that: consistent minutes ahead of a World Cup. Six of those came in a 2-2 draw with bottom side 1. FC Heidenheim Saturday.

At the time he joined Gladbach, Reyna spoke openly about his World Cup ambitions and pushed back on criticism surrounding his role in the 2022 World Cup controversy. Instead, he’s right back in a familiar spot - struggling to find a role, watching from the sidelines. Gladbach’s situation hasn’t helped. They spent much of the season in the relegation zone before climbing to 13th, eight points clear, but their fight has been built on defensive discipline and grind - not exactly a natural fit for Reyna’s strengths.

Still, the lack of opportunity stands out. When you can’t get meaningful minutes against the Bundesliga’s worst team, it says something.

A move that began with optimism is already trending the other way. And with the World Cup looming, both Reyna’s club future and international hopes suddenly feel uncertain again.

+ Ricardo Pepi came off the bench late and had little impact as PSV won 4-3 against FC Utrecht.

+ Weah was on the other side of Balogun's brilliance, but he won't feel hard done by in a strong 89-minute outing as right wing-back.

+ Patrick Agyemang saw limited action against Coventry, playing in the dying minutes in a defeat. Haji Wright remains injured and didn't play.

+ Johnny Cardoso is also injured and didn't play in Atletico Madrid's 2-1 loss to Barcelona.

+ Tanner Tessmann played 73 minutes, but Lyon couldn't get past Angers in 0-0 draw.

+ Dual-national Noahkai Banks was in the 18 for Augsburg but didn't play in a 1-1 draw against Hamburg.