Americans Abroad: Gio Reyna steals the show with much-needed goal, Antonee Robinson proves he's Premier League's best left-back

The social media chatter has been particularly active: “Antonee Robinson is the best left-back in the Premier League.” Some said it with their hearts. Some said it with statistics. On Saturday, anyone who wasn’t saying it saw it with their very eyes. 

Where do you even begin? Is it with the two assists in Fulham’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool? Is it the tireless work rate? Is it with the defensive masterclass against Mohammed Salah, the best attacker in the Premier League? Robinson did it all with the world watching. 

It’s not something said in jest - Robinson IS the Premier League’s best left-back. Often overlooked due to his consistency, he can’t be anymore. Perhaps he deserves to be playing at a higher level, but in other ways, there’s no chance he could be playing at a level higher than he is right now.

So put some respect on Robinson’s name. He continues to earn it in the biggest games.

He sure needed that, didn't he? Given the chance to start for Dortmund, Reyna scored exactly the type of goal to get himself back on track.

Just seconds into the second half, Reyna smashed home his first goal in more than a year, giving Dortmund a 1-0 win over Hoffenheim. They were unable to protect that lead, conceding a goal in the 91st minute, but, in terms of Reyna, this was a great day for the big picture.

After having a few decent moments against Barcelona midweek, Reyna finally made an emphatic statement. By crushing that goal, Reyna announced that he can be a real contributor for this Dortmund team. One swing of the foot doesn't erase how difficult it has been, but it's one hell of a start.

Now, it's all about how Reyna builds on this momentum. Can he hold onto this newfound starting spot? That's the aim. Reyna is still very much in prove-it mode, but, thanks to Sunday's goal, he has reason to feel confident heading into 2025.

It was ann odd week for the Americans at Juventus. Midweek was the highest of highs. The weekend? Well, it wasn’t that. 

After a Weston McKennie-Tim Weah connection led the way in a win over Manchester City, Juve’s poor run in Serie A continued on Saturday in a 2-2 draw with Venezia. With that result, Juventus have now drawn four consecutive league matches, which isn't the formula for winning a Scuddeto now, is it?

McKennie was largely solid in midfield, continuing to build on his goal against City midweek. Weah couldn't quite make his mark in the attack, with Kenan Yildiz being more of a focal point on the other side. Meanwhile, fellow American Gianluca Busio stepped up with a good performance for Venezia, helping the relegation favorites steal a point from a visit to one of the league's giants.

Venezia will take that point and run, while Juventus will be extremely frustrated. Fresh off their biggest win of the season, Juve failed to carry on that momentum. Now, despite still being without a loss in the league, they sit nine points behind league-leaders Atalanta. Too many draws, too few points, and that lesson was driven home once again this weekend for Juventus.

Entering the weekend, Ricardo Pepi had scored 10 goals in 613 Eredivisie minutes. PSV benched him on Saturday anyway. It proved costly. Pepi came on for the final 23 minutes, but was unable to save PSV in a 1-0 loss to Heerenveen.

It was just PSV's second loss of the league season, with the only other coming against Ajax in November. That Ajax game, conveniently, was when Luuk de Jong scored his most recent goal. The Dutch veteran has been PSV's starter since Pepi arrived and, despite the American's goalscoring run, seems to remain the preferred option up top for the Dutch giants.

Will that remain the case? Can PSV afford to not continue riding the Pepi train? Saturday showed that they may not be able to continue on without the striker, who has been too good to ignore all season long.

The green side of Glasgow always celebrates a win over Rangers. A win in a cup final? Even better.

After a 3-3 regulation draw, the two sides went to penalties, with Celtic emerging victorious. As a result, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty got their hands on a trophy.

The two Americans started and, admittedly, didn't have the best day as far as defending. Trusty was taken out at halftime, while Carter-Vickers went the distance.

Even so, any day in which you win a trophy is a good day, particularly when you win against your local rivals. The trophy was Carter-Vickers' eighth with the club, as the winning vibes continue at Celtic.

Trusty, meanwhile, got his hands on his first club trophy at any level. It's a good moment for two Americans as they both look to build towards a bigger role with the USMNT.

+ No Pulisic plus no Yunus Musah equals a big problem for Milan. Without the two Americans, Milan were held to a 0-0 draw by Genoa. That result only heightens concerns about Milan, who continue to lag behind in the Scudetto race.

+ Good day for Crystal Palace, but not a good day for the Americans on Crystal Palace. Matt Turner remained on the bench while Chris Richards did not dress for the 3-1 win over Brighton.

+ Joe Scally and Borussia Monchengladbach cruised to a 4-1 win over Holstein Kiel. Scally went 86 minutes before getting some much-needed rest at the very end.

+ Johnny Cardoso put in a shift in midfield, going all 90 minutes as Real Betis took down Villarreal away from home.

+ Brenden Aaronsson started and went 65 minutes as Leeds settled for a 1-1 draw with Preston North End.