Americans Abroad: Christian Pulisic owns the Milan derby, Malik Tillman sends a message as Noahkai Banks heats up the USMNT center back race

It just had to be him. Pulisic has endured an admittedly mixed relationship with the Milan derby. He struggled through his first few, and failed to make an impact on the game. But in the most recent few iterations, the American has been magnificent. Heading into Sunday's game, he had found the net in two of the last three Milan derbies and, coming off two weeks of rest, seemed primed to make it three in four. 

And that is exactly what he did. Pulisic grabbed the only goal in a 1-0 win for the Rossoneri, lunging in at the far post to react to a Yann Sommer rebound before careening off in celebration deep into the second half. He was withdrawn from the contest soon after, but his damage was done. With the win, Milan overtook their arch rivals and are now two points off the top, where early-season surprise Roma currently sit. If Pulisic continues to perform like this, they might not be second for very long. 

He may not have quite shown it on the club level since the summer, but Tillman still has quite a bit about him. The attacking midfielder had big boots to fill at Bayer Leverkusen when brought in to replace Florian Wirtz on a sizable transfer fee, by some distance their best player for the last year or so. And there were certainly some teething issues, not least the fact that he lost the manager who signed him within two months. 

But Tillman has started to find form of late, and showed his such against Wolfsburg this weekend. He led the way for Leverkusen, scoring and assisting in a comfortable 3-1 win. It's been a tricky season for the 2023-24 champions. They started poorly and after 11 games are eight points off the summit - and two behind Red Bull Leipzig in second. Still, there's plenty of time for them to continue to find form. And with Tillman making an impact, there would seem to be reason for optimism. 

A thigh injury robbed Weah of a chance to feature in that highly successful November camp for the USMNT, but back in action Friday against Nice for OM, the winger added to the misery as his side smashed Les Aiglons 5-1.

Just under two months from his first goal for Marseille, the historic goal against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, he was back at it with his first Ligue 1 goal for his new club. The goal was a wonderful thing, smashed home at the near post - fittingly, on the three-year anniversary of his goal for the USMNT against Wales in Qatar. It's the kind of strike Weah is certainly capable of, and something he could do with showing off far more often for both club and country. 

OM now sit just two points back from PSG in the Ligue 1 summit and remain a viable contender for the title. It's a feat they haven't accomplished since 2009. If they do, they can count Weah as one of the reasons why. 

Suddenly, the U.S. has a bit of an injury crisis at the back, and the World Cup setup that once felt secure is starting to look a little muddied. Cameron Carter-Vickers is out until April. Chris Richards is picking up knocks. Tim Ream isn’t injured, but at 38, it’s fair to wonder how much his legs can be relied upon. And Mauricio Pochettino doesn’t seem to fully trust Auston Trusty… yet.

Enter Noahkai Banks, who could be more talented than all of them. There's a lot to like here. Banks has the physical profile at 6-foot-4, and is surprisingly refined for an 18-year-old with limited first division experience. He has broken through for good at Augsburg this season, and has been handed six Bundesliga starts in a row for a mid-table side. Saturday was his best game yet. Banks played on the right side of the back three as they managed a gutsy 1-0 win over Hamburg. 

It won't be an easy season for the German side - who have had real trouble scoring goals. But the flip is Banks will have plenty of time to show that he can defend. And that's never a bad thing. 

+ Gio Reyna made a brief 19-minute cameo for Borussia Monchengladbach in a 3-0 battering of Heidenheim. Joe Scally played all 90 minutes at right back. 

+ Haji Wright missed Coventry's 3-2 win over West Brom due to a hip injury

+ Tyler Adams returned from injury and put in a solid showing in midfield as Bournemouth came from behind to earn a 2-2 draw with West Ham

+ Weston McKennie went all 90 but was unable to affect play in Juventus' drab 1-1 draw with Fiorentina

+ Yunus Musah didn't get a single minute in Atalanta's 3-1 loss to Napoli

+ Josh Sargent had a couple of good opportunities but didn't find the net in Norwich's 4-1 loss to Birmingham 

+ Johnny Cardoso never made it off the bench in Atletico Madrid's 1-0 win over Getafe

+ Brenden Aaronson had little impact as Leeds lost 2-1 to Aston Villa - despite his side initially having the lead