Americans Abroad: Folarin Balogun can't be stopped while Christian Pulisic and AC Milan squander massive Serie A opportunity

There is in-form, and then there is whatever Folarin Balogun has been doing over the past month. With his goal against Brest this weekend, he now has six goals in as many games. He is heating up at the right time as the March camp approaches.

There is plenty to admire during this scoring run, which has coincided with wins in four of Monaco’s last five matches, including a victory over PSG. Most notably, the goals have been spread out. Balogun has been held scoreless just once in those six games, meaning he is finding ways to make an impact week after week rather than relying on one big performance. Add in the fact that Balogun is not Monaco’s penalty taker and the picture becomes even clearer: the USMNT striker is creating danger every time he steps on the field.

It could be enough to earn him the bulk of the minutes during the March international window, which in turn could strengthen his case for the starting role at the World Cup. The race is tight, but Balogun is creating separation by continuing to score goal after goal.

This was Milan’s chance to really turn up the heat. After beating Inter last weekend, the Rossoneri watched Saturday as their crosstown rivals dropped points against Napoli. What had been a 10-point gap last weekend could have quickly shrunk to five if Milan had taken care of business.

In the end, it remained an “if,” as Milan could not make it happen on the field. They suffered a 1-0 loss to Lazio, a result that leaves them eight points behind the league leaders and searching for answers. The Scudetto race now feels farther away than it did entering the week, a demoralizing outcome for a team that had been so close to putting pressure on its eternal rivals.

As usual, Christian Pulisic got the start for Milan. And as usual, he was dangerous. He created three chances, had one shot on target, two more off target and two blocked. Pulisic kept pushing, but it never quite came off.

That has been the theme this season for the USMNT star. The March international break may be arriving at the perfect time. A change of scenery could be just what Pulisic needs, although he still has one more game before the break to end his three-and-a-half-month goal drought.

For a 0-0 match, Crystal Palace’s battle with Leeds was an eventful one. A missed penalty, a red card and a goal ruled out meant there was no shortage of drama, even if there was a shortage of goals.

Both Palace and Leeds had an American involved. For Palace, Chris Richards spent much of the first half throwing the ball into the Leeds box from the sideline. The American center back ultimately delivered a strong performance, helping Palace keep a clean sheet while also creating a few chances at the other end.

Brenden Aaronson and Leeds, meanwhile, will be disappointed. Dominic Calvert-Lewin missed a golden chance from the penalty spot and, moments later, Leeds went down a man after a red card in first-half stoppage time. Aaronson unfortunately made way as a result, coming off at halftime as Leeds looked to hold on.

They ultimately did, leaving Sunday’s marquee clash of USMNT players level at the final whistle.

Everyone knows Joe Scally’s defensive reputation. It is the attacking side of his game that often comes under discussion. Saturday offered evidence that he can contribute going forward — and in a big way.

Starting in his usual wingback spot, Scally assisted Borussia Mönchengladbach’s second goal, effectively putting the game away in a 2-0 win over St. Pauli. On the play, Scally overlapped into space, ran onto the ball and held off an oncoming defender. Then, with little room and backed up against the end line, he slid a pass right to Franck Honorat for a first-time finish. Honorat got the goal, but it would not have happened without Scally.

The American, of course, did more than that. He also made two tackles and provided two clearances, helping preserve the clean sheet. It was a well-rounded performance from Scally, who could use a few more like this heading into the summer.

+ Weston McKennie started at right-wingback in Juventus' 1-0 win over Udinese

+ Aidan Morris put in a Man of the Match-level performance in midfield to lead Middlesbrough to a 1-1 draw with Bristol City

+ Tanner Tessman started and played at centerback in Lyon's scoreless draw with Le Havre

+ Mark McKenzie and Toulouse won a 4-3 thriller over Metz thanks to a 99th-minute winner

+ Malik Tillman played all 90 minutes as one of Bayer Leverkusen's two attacking midfielders in a 1-1 draw with nine-man Bayern Munich

+ Alex Freeman came off the bench in the final minutes of Villarreal's 1-1 draw with Alaves

+ Benja Cremaschi was forced out just 11 minutes into Parma's 4-1 loss to Torino after suffering a meniscus tear

+ Tim Weah made an impression on the right-hand side to help Marseille earn a narrow 1-0 win over Auxerre

+ Charlie Kelman scored a 93rd-minute penalty to earn Charlton United a 1-1 draw with Oxford United

+ Gianluca Busio ran the show from midfield, but Venezia couldn't break through in a scoreless draw with Sampdoria

+ Ricardo Pepi started up top in PSV's 3-2 loss to NEC Nijmegen in a rare game where the striker was held scoreless

+ Haji Wright, too, was held scoreless as Coventry suffered a 2-1 defeat against Southampton

+ Yunus Musah did not feature in Atalanta's 1-1 draw with Inter

+ Damion Downs played 67 minutes in Hamburg's 1-1 draw with his former club, FC Koln

+ Antonee Robinson played all 90 minutes and earned a yellow card in Fulham's 0-0 draw with Nottingham Forest

+ Daryl Dike and George Campbell both featured in West Brom's 3-0 blowout of 10-man Hull City