Americans Abroad: Slumping Christian Pulisic looks for form, Weston McKennie surges and Brenden Aaronson eyes a title-race shakeup

Juventus manager Luciano Spaletti made a big mistake last week. He stood in front of cameras, with hot mics on, and declared that McKennie could be a perfect No. 9. And that was a very silly idea - not least because it gave American soccer Twitter something else to get excited about. It's fair to wonder when McKennie, a very good center midfielder in his own right, will simply be allowed to play the position he is best at. By this point, the Texan deserves it. He is enjoying his best season as a footballer, grabbing goals, putting in plenty of defensive work, and finally living up to his sky-high potential.

But he's certainly not a striker. So, can we please stop with that? Especially given that Juve have about 100 of those dudes, anyway. McKennie will have the chance, though, to prove that he is pretty handy in a more natural position once again. Juve are in an intriguing spot. Inter have pulled away in the Serie A title race, and hold a five-point lead over Milan, who are doing their best to throw it away. Juve are currently a point out of the top four, and Champions League surely has to be the sole goal at this point. Parma would seem to be a good team to play as they pursue that goal. They are currently in 15th, and have won just one of their last five. It will, no doubt, be tough to go on the road. But these are the kind of games that Juve need to win to ensure they will be playing in the Champions League next year. 

How would you like to spoil the party, Brenden? The potential Arsenal collapse is here, and it looks rather juicy. The Gunners lost to Man United at home last week, and handed Man City an invitation back into the title race as a result. Mikel Arteta's side has finished second in each of the last three seasons, and a midseason wobble has them on track to repeat history. Perhaps this is the season when they finally overcome those nerves. What's for sure is that every Premier League game will be a slog.  

And with that, enter Aaronson. The attacking midfielder hasn't entirely made good on his potential yet. This is not an immense season. But he is in a fine vein of form and is providing the goals and assists he needs to in order to take a step to the next level. And he will need to show up again when Leeds face an Arsenal side that allows remarkably few chances to their opposition. In fairness, a point would be a good result. But at Elland Road, with a raucous crowd getting behind them, this could be a memorable afternoon. If it is successful, Aaronson will have a part to play. 

There it is - the familiar Pulisic cycle. Every time he enters the "world-class" conversation, every time he enjoys a remarkable run, every time we speculate if he's the best player in Serie A or not, he starts to do something like this. Make no mistake, Pulisic is slumping. And Milan are, too. Pulisic hasn't scored since Dec. 28. He hasn't assisted since Nov. 23. Sure, Milan will take a 1-1 draw with Roma last time out. But they need a lift, and Pulisic has to give it to them. The reason is simple: his side is fading in the title race. They were clear contenders for most of the season, but now, with 16 games to go, are five points behind Inter. It's easy to see why: Milan draw way too much. They have lost just once this campaign, but settled for eight draws; those results can kill you in a title race. 

And in those games, you need to lean on your stars to get you across the line. That really should be Pulisic, who is a game-changing presence when he's on song. Milan should be beating Genoa and Fiorentina - both games in which Pulisic failed to make an impact. This simply isn't good enough from the American. The good news is he has a few days to mull over things after their weekend fixture with Como was rescheduled. But Tuesday will be tricky against Bologna. Pulisic will need to show up.  

Monaco are supposed to be better than this. Sure, they don't have the mercurial youth talent of old, but the French side should be fighting for Europe - not least after qualifying for the Champions League last year. Yet here they are, in 10th place, and losers of four of their last five. they are pretty poor at both ends of the pitch, but goalscoring has been particularly tough this year. What should be a solid attack is middle of the road in Ligue 1.

Balogun is supposed to be their main man up front, but has just four goals to his name in the league (only Ansu Fati, with six, has more). The American was suspended for a silly red, but now he's back on the pitch, and would seem to have very few excuses. Rennes are well in the hunt for Europe, and occupy the last UEFA Conference League slot heading into the weekend. The seven-point gap between them and Monaco isn't impossible to overcome, but it will be a real challenge. A win here is vital, as is a top performance from the American up front.