Americans Abroad: Can anyone stop AC Milan’s Christian Pulisic as Folarin Balogun hunts goals at Monaco?

Pulisic already owns a Champions League title and several major cup trophies, including the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup. Yet a league title has eluded him throughout his nine-year professional career - despite stints at three storied clubs in Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, and AC Milan.

This season represents his clearest opportunity to change that. Milan sit atop the Serie A title race - albeit narrowly - and Pulisic has been central to that push. His nine goal contributions in as many league appearances have been a driving force behind what has, so far, been an overachievement from the Rossoneri.

Milan will have a chance to extend their lead at the top of the table on Sunday when they host eighth-placed Sassuolo. Pulisic appears fully recovered from the hamstring issue that sidelined him earlier in the fall and even authored his own version of a “flu game” in Monday’s win.

Sassuolo will not be a walkover. I Neroverdi boast an above-average attack, having scored 19 goals this season, though a porous defense - 17 conceded - has undermined much of that work. With Milan at home, expect Pulisic and company to keep marching forward.

After being a healthy scratch in Leeds’ win over Chelsea, Brenden Aaronson made his presence felt by recording an assist in the club’s stunning 3-3 draw with Liverpool last Saturday. It has been an intriguing campaign for the midfielder, who has been shifted from his natural central role to a wide position.

Aaronson is something of a tweener, and his ability to cover ground and press relentlessly makes him a valuable asset - even if his three goal contributions in 14 matches point to a limited end product. That work rate has been useful for a newly promoted side battling relegation, but it has also made him an easy target for local supporters still clinging to Leeds’ glory days rather than accepting the club’s current yo-yo reality.

Last weekend, however, Aaronson showed he can still decide games with his attacking quality. Leeds will need more of that when they travel to Brentford on Sunday morning.

Brentford were also tipped to be in a relegation fight, but the emergence of Igor Thiago has changed that equation. The forward has scored an impressive 11 goals this season, helping push the club toward midtable safety rather than a survival scrap. With both sides struggling defensively, this shapes up as a potentially high-scoring affair - and one where Leeds will be eager to seize the initiative.

Monaco may not be living up to their usual standards this season, but Folarin Balogun has been largely excellent. The striker has been clincial in Champions League play and remains a key figure in Ligue 1 as well.

Balogun has scored three goals in six Champions League appearances and added four more in 11 league matches. Beyond the numbers, his movement, pressing and ability to stretch defenses have been vital for Sébastien Pocognoli’s side. Monaco’s problem is not at the attacking end - Les Rouge et Blanc have scored 26 goals - but defensively, where they have conceded the same number. That is the most allowed by any club currently sitting in the league’s top 10 and places them firmly in the bottom third overall.

The challenge does not ease this weekend, with Monaco hosting an unexpected title contender in Marseille. OM have been one of Ligue 1’s most complete sides, ranking in the top three for both goals scored and goals conceded - a balance that reflects their position near the top of the table. Monaco, by contrast, arrive in desperate need of a result. Despite a statement win over Paris Saint-Germain on Nov. 29, they have lost three of their other recent fixtures and seen red cards in each of their last four matches.

In short, discipline - not talent - is what currently separates Monaco from a genuine Champions League push.

Balogun’s return from a one-game suspension, served after his red card against PSG, should provide a boost. Sunday’s match will offer a clear test of whether the American striker can be the difference-maker Monaco so badly need right now.

Last season, there appeared to be very little Malik Tillman could not do on the pitch. Drawing comparisons to a prime Dele Alli, the American midfielder could score, create, use his size effectively, and contribute defensively for PSV. And it was not just the Eredivisie, where the league’s openness can inflate attacking numbers. Tillman also delivered on the Champions League stage.

This season has been a different story following his big-money move to Bayer Leverkusen. Tillman has three goals and one assist in nine league appearances and no goal contributions in six Champions League matches. He has not scored since Nov. 22, while Leverkusen’s recent run - two wins, two losses and a draw - reflects a side still searching for rhythm.

Inevitably, questions will surface about how patient both the club and its supporters will be with the attacking midfielder, who stepped into the unenviable role of replacing Florian Wirtz after his move to Liverpool last summer.

A matchup against Köln could offer Tillman an opportunity to reset. The hosts sit ninth and are firmly midtable, ranking in the middle of the pack in both scoring (22 goals) and defending (21 conceded). If Leverkusen can seize early momentum, this shapes up as the kind of game in which Tillman can reassert himself.