Americans Abroad: Chris Richards, Tyler Adams start Premier League campaigns and Weston McKennie aims to show why Juventus should contend

Will Adams still be a Cherry when the summer window closes Sept. 1? Time will tell.

For now, he gets the unenviable task of opening the season away at a fuming Manchester City side that was embarrassed 3-0 by reigning Premier League champion Arsenal in the Community Shield.

Yes, the Community Shield isn’t always a barometer of season success, but new manager and Pep Guardiola successor Enzo Maresca has to make an impression early before questions begin to follow. All of that circles back to Adams, quietly one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League, who will be tasked with trying to slow down Phil Foden, Elliot Anderson and the rest of City’s midfield.

Yet, if Adams delivers a standout performance, it will only increase interest in the 27-year-old. Rebuilding Newcastle United have been linked with the American, while Manchester United reportedly cooled their interest after considering him earlier in the window.

Stay tuned.

Juventus have all the components to be either a surprise title winner or an unmitigated disaster this season, and McKennie will be at the center of it - whether he likes it or not.

The 27-year-old produced his best campaign last season, finishing with nine goals and eight assists across all competitions. He was arguably Juventus’ most important player, especially after manager Luciano Spalletti arrived last October.

Still, neither man will be satisfied with the way the season ended. Juventus dropped points in a match they should have won and went from holding Champions League aspirations to settling for the Europa League.

There are, however, plenty of reasons for optimism. For the first time in at least four seasons, there are no questions about McKennie’s future. Juventus tried almost everything to move him on in recent years, but his breakthrough campaign earned him a new contract through 2030.

Then there are the additions. Juventus spent aggressively this offseason, bringing back Randal Kolo Muani and adding talented young winger Kerim Alajbegović. Neither is a sure thing, but they bring excitement to a group that had grown stale over the past two years.

On paper, Juventus should take three points away at newly promoted Frosinone on Sunday. But that’s the beauty of this team: Nothing is assured. It should be another roller-coaster season, and McKennie has the personality to match.

In addition to McKennie and Pulisic, Serie A also offers Benjamin Cremaschi at Parma and Yunus Musah at AC Milan for USMNT fans to follow.

An underrated match on the slate - at least for USMNT fans - could be Atlético Madrid against Villarreal.

Freeman was a revelation for Mauricio Pochettino’s squad during the World Cup and, if he plays, could get the chance to face Cardoso, who completed a blockbuster move to Diego Simeone’s Atleti last summer.

It was an uneven debut season for Cardoso, who moved in and out of the starting XI before an ankle injury suffered in training ended his campaign and kept him out of the World Cup. Some of that inconsistency carried into preseason, where he struggled to make an impression.

Simeone may have sent another message Wednesday, leaving Cardoso unused on the bench during Atlético’s 2-0 win over Málaga.

Still, Atleti invested heavily in the defensive midfielder, who was considered one of La Liga’s best at his position just two years ago. Could a matchup against the Yellow Submarine open the door for him?

As for Freeman, the 22-year-old right back played just two minutes in Villarreal’s opener, but the club’s disappointing 2-2 draw against newly promoted Racing Santander could prompt changes. Freeman is already playing under his second manager, Iñigo Pérez, who will be under pressure to maintain the standards set by Marcelino.

The desire to pull off a surprise result against favored Atleti on the road could lead Pérez to give Freeman a longer look.

NOTE: Richards and Palace lost 2-0 to Everton on Saturday.

Crystal Palace underwent a summer of change, but one constant remains: Richards.

The Eagles saw highly respected manager Oliver Glasner leave, with the American’s back-line partner Maxence Lacroix also departing. For Palace, it continues what has been a revolving door since rising star Michael Olise left two years ago.

There has to be some part of Richards that wonders when his own big move is coming. Until then, he should become a central figure - and perhaps one of the squad’s leaders - under new manager Pierre Sage.

Like Glasner, Sage favors a three-man back line, which should suit Richards well. The 26-year-old has thrived in that system for both club and country. But that is where the similarities end. Sage’s teams tend to play narrower and more vertically, while Glasner preferred to use width.

While Richards has watched plenty of players leave, he has also welcomed former Real Salt Lake prospect Zavier Gozo. Comparisons to Olise might be ambitious, but Gozo clearly possesses both potential and current ability. It may be too soon for the 19-year-old to feature in Palace’s opener against Everton, given how recently he finalized his move, but he will certainly be one to watch.

Everton should also be exactly the sort of opponent a new manager overseeing so much turnover would welcome on opening weekend. Any David Moyes team deserves respect, but the Toffees still look like relegation candidates after failing to add any surefire upgrades. Even with the match being played at their glistening new Hill Dickinson Stadium, Palace should expect to leave with at least a point - and perhaps all three.