Americans Abroad: Christian Pulisic leads AC Milan into derby match against rivals Inter while Antonee Robinson and Brenden Aaronson battle for FA Cup

There are few bigger games in soccer than the Derby della Madonnina. It's the red half of Milan vs the blue half, a clash of two of the sport's biggest clubs and most competitive rivals. And, at the center of it all these days, there's an American, one who really could use this derby as a springboard back into good form.

Heading into Sunday's match, Pulisic is on something of a cold streak. He's yet to score in 2026 and, during these past three months, Inter have pulled away. They hold a 10-point lead over AC Milan ahead of this weekend's meeting. Hopes of a Scudetto are already pretty faded for Pulisic's side. A loss on Sunday would all but end them.

In games like this, teams need stars to step up. Milan will be counting on players like Pulisic and Rafael Leao to create a moment of magic. It's not just this game that depends on it, but in many ways, the season. This is Milan's last chance to really take the fight to Inter, and they cannot waste it.

Last season, two Americans got their hands on the FA Cup as Chris Richards and Matt Turner lifted the trophy with Crystal Palace. This season, several others are on the hunt heading into the fifth round of the competition this weekend.

There are 16 teams left in the competition, and two of them feature high-profile Americans. Both will play on Sunday. 

Up first will be Antonee Robinson and Fulham, who play host to Southampton in England's afternoon. Robinson played a big role in helping the club advance in their last FA Cup win, putting in a solid shift in a 2-1 victory over Stoke City on Feb. 15.

Later that day, Brenden Aaronson and Leeds will also host an FA Cup match as they take on Norwich City. Aaronson, too, played in his club's last FA Cup game, converting in the shootout to help Leeds hold on against Birmingham City.

Neither American is on a team favored to win the competition. The likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Newcastle are all still lurking in the field, headlining a group of 11 Premier League teams in the last 16. However, Palace proved last season that this trophy is there for the taking if a team takes it seriously, which should give Aaronson and Robinson hope if they make it past this round.

Pellegrino Matarazzo is one of the most fun stories in American soccer this year. The coach has worked wonders since taking over at Real Sociedad, leading them to the Copa del Rey final, where they'll face Johnny Cardoso's Atletico Madrid.

Before that April clash with a trophy on the line, though, the two sides will face off in La Liga this weekend in a match that pits an American player against an American coach.

Cardoso has stepped up of late, really breaking through in his first season with Atletico Madrid. The USMNT midfielder will hope to keep that good form going after recent standout performances against both Espanyol and Club Brugge, with the latter including a key Champions League goal.

Matarazzo, meanwhile, has Real Sociedad ticking. They've won nine of the 13 matches he's been in charge of since taking the job in December, losing just once in that span. As a result, Sociedad are leaping into the European hunt, trailing sixth-place Celta Vigo by just five points.

It's a big one, then, between two good La Liga teams who will also see this game as a chance to set the tone for the one that will be contested for a trophy next month.

Earlier this week, Mark McKenzie and Toulouse beat Tim Weah and Marseille in the Coupe de France quarterfinal. It was a back-and-forth battle, one that went all the way to a shootout, which Toulouse won, 4-2. Now on Saturday, the same two teams will meet again in the league.

Toulouse will surely be riding high off of that cup win, and they'll certainly need that momentum. They've lost three of their last five league games, all by one goal, and, during that span, they've scored just twice. McKenzie and the defense have, by and large, done their part, but the attack has struggled to generate goals.

That hasn't been a problem for Marseille. They've scored 51 times, only two fewer than league-leaders Paris Saint-Germain. Even so, they sit fourth in the league, largely because the team's defensive numbers have them middle of the pack.

Will Weah and Marseille get their revenge? Can McKenzie's Toulouse build some more confidence? It's a big game for both, one that should carry some emotion from the midweek meeting.