Americans Abroad: Christian Pulisic's Milan kick off in Coppa Italia, Johnny Cardoso looks to make first impression and Chris Richards and Crystial Palace face test vs Chelsea

Coming off their Community Shield victory over Liverpool, the Eagles face another member of the "big six" in England on opening weekend. Chelsea overhauled their roster this summer and are considered Premier League contenders, so it's a big opportunity for both Richards and Palace to prove themselves - again.

In two meetings last season, the clubs split. In all-time head-to-head meetings, Chelsea have won 20 and drawn twice, with just four wins for the Eagles.  For Richards, it's an opportunity to establish himself early on in the campaign as one of the top defenders in the league.

He'll be tasked with taking on Chelsea's blistering attack that features Cole Palmer, Neto, Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Liam Delap and more. Chelsea is coming off a title-winning FIFA Club World Cup. Palace, meanwhile, won the FA Cup in the spring, and the Community Shield last weekend. This one should be good.

Christian Pulisic is reportedly set to be fit in the race for Milan's competitive debut on Sunday, when they take on Bari in the Coppa Italia. These two teams haven't met in nearly 15 years, with their last competitive match coming in 2011 - a 1-1 draw in Serie A.

The Serie B side will look to pull the upset on Sunday. For Pulisic and Musah, it's a chance to right some wrongs from last season. Milan made it to the final of the 2024-25 Coppa Italia, but fell to Bologna 1-0 , and missed out on European competition this season as a result.

For Pulisic, it will be his first competitive minutes since May after he opted out of playing for the USMNT in the Gold Cup. Over the past two weeks, he picked up a slight knock that held him out of Milan's final two preseason fixtures, but he is available for selection on Sunday, paving the way for him to make a statement performance to begin the campaign.

Musah, meanwhile, was a regular participant in all five of Milan's preseason matches, and he started the final three. He's been linked with a move away this transfer window, with Palace, Nottingham Forest, and Napoli reportedly interested. But as things stand, he's still a Milan player.

After a rather disastrous 2024-25 season across all competitions, Sunday is Milan's chance to start things on a high - it's win or bust. The Rossoneri should be looked at as favorites, under Allegri, to compete for the Coppa Italia.

In Spain, Cardoso and Atletico Madrid kick off their La Liga campaign against Espanyol on Sunday, and this is an major moment for the young midfielder.

He has big shoes to fill in the middle of the park following the exit of Rodrigo De Paul, who was signed by Lionel Messi's Inter Miami earlier, and a lot will be asked of him by manager Diego Simeone. The 23-year-old featured in their last two preseason friendlies, both victories, but he still has competition for a spot in the XI.

Atleti take on Espanyol to begin the season - a club who have been a struggle for them to beat in recent years. Their last four matches, dating back to 2022, have all been draws, as Simeone's men failed to get over the line against the Catalan club.

Cardoso, meanwhile, will look to make a good impression and put some of his USMNT woes behind him. He has yet to find his footing on the international stage and is searching for a starting spot under Simeone so that he can continue to show Pochettino why he warrants a selection in the build-up to the World Cup. 

+ Sergino Dest and PSV take on FC Twente on Sunday. Ricardo Pepi will not feature due to "fluid in his knee," per manager Peter Bosz. 

+ Josh Sargent scored the game-winning goal for Norwich City on Saturday as they defeated Portsmouth 2-1 in English Championship action. It was Sargent's third goal of the season.