The Rondo, Americans Abroad edition: Is it time to worry about Christian Pulisic's form at AC Milan?

Tom Hindle: Pretty worried, to be honest. Wasn't the whole reason he set the American soccer world on fire and sat at the Gold Cup to avoid situations like this? Throw in the fact that AC Milan manager Max Allegri has wrapped him in cotton wool, and this all looks pretty concerning. Perhaps a bit of a harsh truth is that Pulisic is a player of moments, or perhaps weeks, and not full seasons. Either that or it's better to get the slump out of the way now. 

Ryan Tolmich: There's no reason to be too worried just yet. Yes, Pulisic is dealing with some nagging injuries and, of course, it would be pretty frustrating for the USMNT if he were still dealing with them come June. There's still so much time between now and the World Cup, though, and, hopefully, everyone involved can work towards making sure everything is settled by then. Check back in, say, April. If Pulisic is still struggling with things by then, maybe it'll be worth getting more nervous.

TH: Lautaro Martinez has six more goals than anyone else, and Inter have an eight-point lead. Thanks for a nice couple of months, Weston (although this might be the best football of his career - which is cool)!

RT: You could certainly make the argument, at least in this current form. Many would probably say Martinez, given how he's running away with the Golden Boot race, but he's not necessarily the perfect answer despite Inter's dominance. Given what McKennie offers to his team, not just as a goal contributor but as a game-changer, he's right there in the mix. At the moment, how many other midfielders are there in Serie A that a coach would take over him? Not many.

TH: Well, how trendy do you want to get? In terms of fully fledged U.S. internationals who need to have a good season in order to book their spot at the World Cup, how about Tanner Tessmann? The center midfielder is there every week for Lyon, and far higher in the pecking order than, say, Johnny Cardoso at the moment. Not a sexy pick, but he's doing his thing in France. 

RT: Mark McKenzie deserves way more credit than he's getting at the moment. Until this weekend, Toulouse had been in incredible form, largely due to the work of their defense, which simply wasn't conceding goals. At Toulouse, McKenzie plays in a back three, making that transition to the USMNT a natural one. Because of that, McKenzie should be a shoo-in for at least one start in March after bouncing in and out of the XI for much of 2025.

TH: Folarin Balogun, but by a millimeter. It's getting closer by the day. For a long while, you'd have said Balogun no problem, not only for his raw quality but also for his connection with Christian Pulisic. But he hasn't scored a league goal since November, and Ricardo Pepi, pre-arm injury, was on fire. If Pepi bags a few when he gets back, then it should be his to lose. 

RT: It's still Folarin Balogun, but it'll depend on what version of Ricardo Pepi we get this spring. There's a reason Fulham wanted Pepi, and there's a reason they wanted him now, not in the fall. If Pepi is scoring, and if Balogun continues to struggle, particularly in league play, there will be some very fair questions about the starting gig. Realistically, though, Balogun has been healthier more often than Pepi has over the last year or so, so he's the leader at the moment.

TH: Well, define game time. It would be cool if he did, but he doesn't really need to. Making matchday squads is cool and all, but wouldn't you rather the lad get minutes if he's not going to see the field against the big boys? Maybe a few garbage time showings here and there will do him some good.  

RT: If he can, what a story that would be. Albert could debut at a younger age than both Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna, which would be one heck of an accomplishment for a 16-year-old kid. The plan for Dortmund was always to reassess early in 2026 to see if he was ready for a taste of the first team, and his inclusion in this past weekend's gameday roster implies that, if he isn't ready right now, he is at least very close.

TH: Not really. Let's be honest here. Weah has been sent out on loan to a club that is out of the Champions League and being used at the wrong position. Where's the good in that? And is he really any closer to a starting spot this summer than he was six months ago? An underwhelming move for Tim. 

RT: Absolutely. He's playing regularly for a pretty good team, albeit one that choked away a Champions League knockout spot. He's been able to attack more than he was at Juventus, even if he still plays as more of a wing back. The big thing for Weah was to play at a club where he felt valued, and Marseille are clearly that.