Americans Abroad: Ricardo Pepi injury delivers USMNT blow as Chris Richards' Palace suffers historic loss to Macclesfield

Monaco were expected to run through lower-league Orleans in the Coupe de France on Saturday. They ultimately did just that, winning 3-1 to book their place in the Round of 16. The good news for fans of the USMNT was that one of those three was scored by Folarin Balogun.

The American's goal was the first of the game, coming in the 27th minute. It was the type of goal you expect from him. Played in by Denis Zakaria, Balogun used his speed to get in all alone before providing the finishing touch he's shown so much of throughout his young career. It was his only real shot of the day, and he made it count. That's what good strikers do.

Balogun continues to prove his impact. He has six goal contributions in 848 minutes in the league. He's scored in each of his last three Champions League appearances, too. And now he has one in the Coupe de France as Monaco push for a trophy they haven't won since 1991. That push, of course, will get much harder as the lower-league teams are filtered out, but Balogun has plenty of reason to be confident, which means Monaco does, too.

Much has been written about Macclesfield Town's stunning win over Crystal Palace. It might just be the biggest shock in FA Cup history, which really is saying something. The defending champions, an established Premier League side playing European soccer no less, lost to a non-league team for the first time since 1909. The magic of the cup, indeed.

Hidden in all of that, and rightfully so, was the return of Richards, who, in truth, was one of the few Palace players who could leave the stadium feeling somewhat good about his performance.

Richards, who hadn't played since suffering a gruesome cut against Arsenal on December 23, was solid. He completed 87 percent of his passes, had a shot on target, won two tackles, and had a whopping 14 clearances, nine of which came with his head. He was, generally, immense, winning eight to 11 duels, too, to seemingly set a physical tone against an overmatched lower league side.

The problem is that Macclesfield weren't overmatched and, in the end, Palace were embarrassed. The one bright spot, though, was Richards, even if that won't make anyone with the defending champions feel much better about what happened.

It’s hard to call it anything but bad luck. For the second straight January, Ricardo Pepi carried strong form into the new year only to see it cut short by injury — again at the worst possible moment.

Saturday marked Pepi’s first match of 2026, and the club later confirmed that he will require surgery on a broken arm. The pattern is an unfortunate one: just as Pepi finds his rhythm - and as transfer speculation begins to gather pace - something intervenes. The expectation is that he will return within two to three months, a timeline that keeps him on track for the World Cup. Still, it is a cruel setback given what Pepi endured in 2025 simply to return to full fitness, particularly as he was tracking toward a career season with 10 goals in 21 appearances for the club.

AC Milan had a chance to draw level with crosstown rivals Inter atop Serie A on 42 points,  depending on results, but instead settled for a frustrating 1-1 draw with relegation battlers Fiorentina. Rossoneri and USMNT star Christian Pulisic will rue a lack of clinical edge, as the 27-year-old missed a trio of presentable chances before Milan were ultimately bailed out by a 90th-minute equalizer from Christopher Nkunku.

Milan remain unbeaten in 18 matches, but there is at least mild concern for Pulisic, who has now gone three games without a goal contribution for Max Allegri's. During that stretch, Milan have drawn against two lowly sides in Genoa and La Viola - a reminder that the Rossoneri tend to win when their American talisman is the one driving the action.

Pulisic still trails Lautaro Martínez by just two goals in the Serie A Golden Boot race and will have an immediate chance to respond when Milan travel to Cesc Fàbregas’ Como on Thursday.

+ Josh Sargent asked to be left out of Norwich's squad for their FA Cup fixture with Walsall amid talk that he could be completing a move to Toronto FC. The Canaries won 5-1.

+ While the club's match against Werder Bremen was postponed due to weather, Cole Campbell did participate in a quickly-put-together friendly against FC Schweinfurt on Saturday, scoring in his unofficial Hoffenheim debut.

+ Aidan Morris started and played all 90 minutes but was unable to stop Antonee Robinson and Fulham, who defeated Morris' Middlesbrough, 3-1, in the FA Cup. Robinson came on as a second-half substitute in the win.

+ In his first match on loan, Damion Downs went right into Hamburg's starting XI, playing 78 minutes in a 2-1 loss to Freiburg.

+ Haji Wright came off in the 73rd minute of Coventry's FA Cup clash with Stoke City, only for his side to concede an 88th-minute decider to fall, 1-0.

+ Yunus Musah came off the bench in the 67th minute and earned a yellow card in Atalanta's 2-0 win over Torino in Serie A.

+ After a 1-1 draw that featured a standout defensive performance, Mark McKenzie saw his penalty saved in Toulouse's Coupe de France shootout against Angers. His teammates picked him up, though, by going on to win, 6-5, in that shootout to book a spot in the Round of 16.

+ It was an ugly day for Malik Tillman and Leverkusen, who were crushed, 4-1, by Stuttgart at home.

+ Joe Scally grabbed a rare goal as Monchengladbach battered Augsburg, 4-0. Gio Reyna played 30 effective minutes off the bench. 

+ Daryl Dike managed an hour before being subbed in West Brom's dramatic penalty shootout with over Swansea

+ Brenden Aaronson was a late entrant for Leeds in their 3-1 win over Derby County in the FA Cup. Fellow USMNT-er Patrick Agyemang managed 15 minutes for the Rams.