Americans Abroad: Atletico Madrid's Johnny Cardoso can flip title race vs Real Madrid as Malik Tillman eyes Leverkusen impact

It's a nice world to live in when Johnny Cardoso feels a little more involved for Atletico Madrid. For a while, he was a bit-part player, the guy with the right physical profile but perhaps a little too technical for a Diego Simeone team. That is not to say that El Cholo has turned the American into a brute of a midfielder, but he has certainly let Cardoso play with a little more bite.

Regardless of how pretty the Julain Alvarez-Antoine Griezmann partnership looks, this is still a gritty football team that plays with two hard-working and hard-tackling central midfielders. Of late, Cardoso has been one of them.

The midfielder has been trusted with significant minutes - if not always starts - in all competitions for Atleti in recent weeks, anchoring the midfield. And this weekend comes the biggest game of them all. In fairness, Atleti's real job in La Liga is one of staying in the Champions League spots. They are 13 points behind league-leading Barcelona in third place, and simply need to do enough to ensure that they will be back in Europe's competition next year. A Copa Del Rey final next month is far more significant of an occasion.

But it would be foolish to downplay a Madrid derby. Here, Atleti have a real chance to spoil the party. Real Madrid are falling off the pace in La Liga, even if the new manager bounce under Alvaro Arbeloa is real. But Atleti can kill the momentum outright. And even if they aren't Barca's biggest fans, either, the chance to damage their most heated rival's title chances is a real delight.

Tillman probably got a bit unlucky. He was signed by Erik ten Hag, who was supposed to be Bayer Leverkusen's attacking manager of the future. He had a vision, one in which Tillman would be his maestro in midfield, make things happen between the lines. He was to score, assist, and show just how creative he could be.

So much for that. Ten Hag lasted less than a month. And ever since, Leverkusen have played some fairly unwatchable football. Instead, this is a defensive unit that specializes in grinding out results rather than taking the game to their opponents. To be sure, there's a real merit there (look at Arsenal in the Premier League, for example). Tillman has felt like collateral. He isn't always involved in play, while his lack of defensive prowess has seen him fall out of the XI in recent weeks.

This game, then, feels like a real opportunity. Heidenheim are at the bottom of the Bundesliga, and really seem to be there for the taking. They have lost four of their last five, and are showing very few signs of improvement. But they will also be organized and willing to dig in to grind out a result. Leverkusen, then, will need a spark - a bit of creative flair to get them through. And with five points to make up in order to get back into the Champions League, this feels like a real must-win.

McKennie earned his flowers by Pochettino in his recent press conference.

“It’s true that Juventus is Weston McKennie plus 10 players,” Pochettino said. “We’re happy for that because that means that he’s an important player for Juventus. Another thing that I celebrate is that he can play in every single place... He’s playing and he’s playing in different positions. It’s good for him, and it’s good for us.”

He might not be wrong.

There's a certain mythology around this whole idea of simply being picked for a team week in, week out. Sure, there's something to be said for a coach preferring to have you in the side. But there can also be an element of making up the numbers. It felt like, at times, McKennie was in there because Juve couldn't get anyone else. It is, perhaps, why the Bianconeri were so willing to let his contract run down.

But of course, quality tends to shine through when given a chance, and that's exactly what has happened for the American this season. Luciano Spalletti has realized that he has a pretty decent footballer on his hands here. His solution has been to get McKennie in the right positions as often as he possibly can. For the most part, that's as a No. 10, where the American has thrived. Four goals and four assists aren't a life-changing return, but he has been at the heart of everything Juve do in recent months.

There is a question to be asked, though, about the extent to which that is actually working. For all of the good vibes here, Juve are a point out of the top four, and behind a surging Como side. They need to start winning games to secure Champions League qualification. The pretty stuff has to start yielding results, starting with Sassuolo on Saturday.

Ligue 1 is a little closer than most thought it would be. PSG, to be sure, are starting to turn it out now. But everywhere else? Well, it's quite tight. Lyon and Monaco are two of the clubs floating in the in-between. Both are good enough to creep into the Champions League, but neither has quite made that case. Monaco's inconsistency might cost them, while Lyon's spluttering attack could be a problem down the stretch.

The entertainment value, then, comes from the fact that two of the great actors in this drama are American. On one side, you have Folarin Balogun, who, after two years, is finally finding a little bit of form for Monaco - and is showing flashes of the promising goalscorer we all knew was there. And on the other hand, we have Tanner Tessmann. He's a curious player. Pochettino has praised his reading of the game, but his lack of athleticism has, at times, held him back ever so slightly. But he's impressed at center back of late, which could offer another layer to his USMNT chances. The two sides meet Sunday, in what will surely be an interesting indicator of where Ligue 1's Champions League race falls.