Americans Abroad: Juventus' Weston McKennie looks to build on positive USMNT camp, while Crystal Palace's Chris Richards faces Tyler Adams and Bournemouth

AC Milan confirmed on Friday Pulisic will miss at least 10 days with a low-grade injury to his hamstring. After returning to Italy, tests indicated a low-grade lesion, with the club saying he would be reexamined in 10 days. The Rossoneri play Fiorentina on Sunday.

Milan hope to have the current Serie A joint-top scorer back for the match against Roma on Nov. 2 at San Siro. Failing that, they would target the away match against Parma six days later. The club do not expect him to be in danger of missing the Milan derby against Inter on Nov. 23.

The USMNT, meanwhile, will play friendlies against Paraguay on Nov. 15 and Uruguay on Nov. 18.

All of that is unfortunate for the 27-year-old, who was having the best start to a club season in his career with four goals and two assists. Pulisic has shown in the past that recovery can adversely affect his performance.

One of the biggest benefactors of Pochettino's new tactical approach was McKennie, who played in a new role as an attacking midfielder alongside Malik Tillman and Pulisic. While the traditional central midfielder isn't penciled in as a lock for that role just yet, it did offer a glimpse into how McKennie could be effective under Pochettino.

As a result of his solid tackling, relentless running, and typically strong work rate, he often gets miscast as a defensive midfielder - a role that requires players to sit back and kill attacks from the opposition.

But against both Ecuador and Australia, McKennie was effective in playing more like Yaya Toure during his Manchester City days. Toure used to serve as City's No. 10, but he was more combative in the role than being a facilitator. And McKennie, although not as dominant as the Ivorian, did many of the same things. 

He was pressing up high and capitalizing on the team's mistakes at a higher on-pitch position to create attacks for the U.S. on the break. And playing such a role requires top fitness, which the midfielder - at times - has come under criticism for. Those issues didn't appear to hold him back during national team duty, with McKennie saying it came down to a challenge issued by Juventus manager Igor Tudor. 

"My coach back at Juventus, Tudor, really put pressure on me and said, 'Hey, you're getting older, and your body's not gonna be able to bounce back from games the way that you used to be able to, and you need to cut down some weight, and that's the only way you're gonna be involved with this team,'" McKennie told TNT. "So I put my head down and worked like I usually do. Got on a diet. Don't snack as much anymore. If I do, it's healthy snacks, and I work out more often.

"So that's what I've been doing, a lot of running. This summer was the first summer I didn't mind taking my shirt off at the pool." 

McKennie's renewed fitness helped him on the club level. After having an inconsistent role at the start of the season, McKennie played 90 minutes in draws against Villarreal in the Champions League and Milan in league action. They face Cesc Fabregas' surprising Como on Sunday.

The former Arsenal star is a shareholder at the side, but he's more than proved his merit as a manager with the tight-budgeted Como sitting eighth in the league. Juventus have slipped to fifth, but have a chance to get back on track. Both sides are stout defensively, tied on goals allowed with five - good for third in Serie A. But Como have struggled scoring, sitting mid-table in goals scored with seven.

Bournemouth are fourth in the Premier League table, while Palace sit sixth. Both clubs have rising managers in Andoni Iraola and Oliver Glasner, and have already picked up results against top sides. It’s still early, with just seven matches played, but Saturday’s meeting offers a chance to spark their challenges for Champions League spots.

Adams didn’t feature for the USMNT during the international break, excused for the birth of his child. Richards played, but endured two mixed outings for Pochettino’s side. The 25-year-old was beaten badly on the goal conceded to Ecuador and didn’t help when Australia scored, despite being in a position to do so.

If there’s one area in which Richards continues to show progress, though, it’s his leadership. He was furious with Australia’s physical play on Pulisic that led to the forward’s injury and publicly issued a warning to the Socceroos and other opponents.

“They’re lucky it was a friendly. I was ready to go,” Richards said after the match. “And if [the referee] didn’t give me a sh*t yellow in the corner, I probably would’ve killed somebody.”

Richards was understandably emotional, but the reality is the U.S. could use more of that edge. The team has been labeled soft at times, and every good side needs an enforcer. Richards seems ready to embrace that role, with some even suggesting he should be considered for the captain’s armband - an intriguing thought given that he’ll be facing the team’s 2022 World Cup captain, Adams, this weekend.

This is an opportunity for Palace to rediscover their sizzling September form after a surprising loss to Everton. If last season’s meetings are any indication, this one could be tight - both matches ended goalless.

There were some early struggles, but Weah is slowly starting to demonstrate why he is ideally placed as a wingback. He's got good strength and pace, tracks back decently enough, and has just enough attacking prowess to be a threat to opposing defenses. More impressively, he can play on either the left or the right - crucial for Pochettino. 

With Antonee Robinson and Sergino Dest dealing with injuries, Weah can slot in for either and provide more than solid play. While he likely wouldn't replace either when fully fit, having that option - especially on Robinson's end - ensures the Americans won't miss a beat. Weah's versatility has also been a boost for Roberto De Zerbi's Marseille. 

After flirting with Ligue 1 contention last season, OM are fully in it this season, and the American has played his part. His stats aren't jaw-dropping, with zero goal contributions in seven games, but the ability to line up on any part of either flank has allowed De Zerbi to have tactical flexibility, creating hassles for opposing managers in their preparations.

This is a big weekend for OM, one that could potentially see them leapfrog PSG into first. Le Parisiens face Strasbourg, who are a surprising third in the table, while Marseille host relegation-battling Le Havre. If PSG drop points and OM play as expected, there might be a new leader in France's top flight Monday. 

Haji Wright's effectiveness against Australia turned heads. With a brace in the USMNT's 2-1 win, he's now scored 11 goals in his last 11 matches for club and country. The American forward acknowledged his surge in form is due to finally feeling healthy after battling ailments throughout his career. 

 "The last few seasons of my career have been battling little niggling injuries, and it's been hard to play pain-free. And this is the first season in a few years now where I'm playing completely pain-free," he said. "So it feels good to be able to go out and show what I can do." 

Wright's two goals showed that he is a viable option to go along with Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi at striker. And the confidence gained from that could be pivotal for his club team. Coventry are top of the table in the English Championship, emerging as a surprise candidate for Premier League promotion - they last played at that level 24 years ago.

Frank Lampard and Wright's side go up against Blackburn, a proud club that has not gotten off to a good start this season. Rovers sit just above the relegation spots at 21st and have just seven goals in nine matches. Yet they have a strong defense - tied for sixth in the league with 11 allowed. Coventry are heavy favorites, but it will be interesting to see if Wright's scoring run continues.