Americans Abroad: Ricardo Pepi scores as he and Tyler Adams return from injury in boost for USMNT

What a week it's been for Balogun. First, he bagged two against PSG in the Champions League - standing out heroically in what was otherwise a losing effort. And against league leaders Lens, he was even more effective. Monaco looked pretty down and out, trailing 2-0 after an hour. 

But Balogun led the charge to turn things around. He bagged after 62 minutes with a tidy finish from inside the box, galvanizing a comeback to secure what could be a crucial 3-2 win to keep Monaco's European hopes alive - and no doubt strike a blow to Lens' unlikely title charge. 

This is, in a way, Balogun's thing. He runs hot and cold as a footballer. When the goals come, they do so in spades. He will need to not only continue but also stretch out that run. 

Well, that was unexpected. Tyler Adams, we were told, was going to be out for three months. He sustained what looked like a pretty nasty meniscus tear against Man United in mid-December, and seemed set to be out for a minimum of three months. It looked like a disaster for both Bournemouth and the USMNT. 

But he returned to the fray against Everton last week, named to the bench without appearing against the Toffees. And this week, he was tossed in from the start. It was hardly a classic as the Cherries battled to a rugged sort of 0-0 draw with West Ham. The stats made for pretty good reading, too, with 91 percent of his passes completed in 66 typically aggressive minutes from the American. Now it's about building on that - especially with a USMNT camp coming up at the end of next month. 

Speaking of timely returns... Ricardo Pepi wasn't supposed to be back this early, either. He snapped his forearm while scoring less than two months ago, and it was assumed that - even if his legs were just fine - that he would need more time to work his way back to full fitness. Well, Pepi was thrown in a little early. It is clear, at this point, that he is very much a level above that of the Eredivisie. 

And he showed just that on Saturday. His goal was a wonderful thing, with the American curling home from 20-plus yards to give PSV daylight in a 3-1 win that continues their procession to the league title. The key now, it appears, is to continue to do just that. And if Balogun keeps scoring, too, it's very much a good problem to have for U.S. boss Mauricio Pochettino 

Pulisic didn't get a goal. He could have used one, to be fair. He hasn't scored since Dec. 28, and that didn't change Sunday. There were, however, signs of progress for a player who needs just a little bit of momentum right now.

After coming off the bench in Milan's last three games, Pulisic was back in the XI on Sunday alongside Rafael Leão in the attack. He was surely active. Pulisic had four total shots, three of which were saved, while he was also able to create two chances for Milan. There was danger there, but the unfortunate part for both Pulisic and Milan was that the team never really made the most of it.

That's why, in the end, they fell 1-0 to Parma, who pulled off the ultimate smash and grab at the San Siro. As a result, Milan are now 10 points behind Inter at the top of Serie A, with Sunday's loss making any title push seem unlikely. 

Pulisic, though, was one of the few bright spots, even if it was never quite bright enough to get the job done.

+ Johnny Cardoso played all 90 minutes in Atletico Madrid's 4-2 win over Espanyol.

+ Haji Wright was held scoreless, but his Coventry picked up three important points in a 2-0 win over West Brom.

+ Malik Tillman completed just 17 passes in a disappointing showing as Bayer Leverkusen lost to Union Berlin.

+ Weston McKennie was barely involved as Juventus dropped their fifth game in a row - a 2-0 loss to Como.

+ Patrick Agyemang went all 90 minutes but didn't get many looks in Derby's 2-0 loss to Watford.

+ Brenden Aaronson didn't make much of an impact, but Leeds took a good point in a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa.

+ Chris Richards helped Crystal Palace keep a clean sheet in a 1-0 win over 10-man Wolves.

+ Joe Scally and Borussia Monchengladbach lost, 2-1, to Freiburg while Gio Reyna remains out due to injury.

+ Auston Trusty was sent off with a red card in Celtic's loss to Hibernian.